Absolutely brilliant first half, then sadly falls apart
This is hard because I absolutely loved the beginning of this book with its unreliable narrator and the complete mystery of who the characters were. And the book has its 5-star moments. Some of the terror at the end was well done, and the twists were great if they had been fleshed out or part of a more fleshed-out story.
But my main issue is that the book sort of falls apart after the initial character question is answered. At that point we are left with one unreliable narrator who continues to behave as if she's batshit crazy yet it seems that we are supposed to now believe everything she says. But what do you do with a character who (view spoiler)
If the main character pops up in the middle of a book and exclaims "Surprise! I was never crazy, it was HIM all along!!" yet continues to behave in a really really crazy way, it can make a book difficult to follow. Like at some point a sane person, even one who's been through trauma, says "Forget it," and leaves to go live her own life.
But we have other character issues. Although the main character is somewhat fleshed out in a completely bizarre way, almost none of the other characters are anything but cardboard cutouts. The husband is less menacing villain than he is a boring prop. I have no idea why any woman would fall in love with him, and I still don't understand the reason behind his behavior.
In short, the book just falls apart after the reveal in the middle. I had thought the beginning was brilliant, and I have faith that the writer has the talent and ability to write some really great thrillers, but it feels like either this was too much to deal with at once, or there wasn't enough time to flesh it out and make the entire book brilliant.
The 2-stars reflect my honest feeling of "It was okay" and I'd never steer anyone away from trying it. I just don't feel it's a winner. Thanks so much to Bookish First for the ARC and chance to review.
But my main issue is that the book sort of falls apart after the initial character question is answered. At that point we are left with one unreliable narrator who continues to behave as if she's batshit crazy yet it seems that we are supposed to now believe everything she says. But what do you do with a character who (view spoiler)
If the main character pops up in the middle of a book and exclaims "Surprise! I was never crazy, it was HIM all along!!" yet continues to behave in a really really crazy way, it can make a book difficult to follow. Like at some point a sane person, even one who's been through trauma, says "Forget it," and leaves to go live her own life.
But we have other character issues. Although the main character is somewhat fleshed out in a completely bizarre way, almost none of the other characters are anything but cardboard cutouts. The husband is less menacing villain than he is a boring prop. I have no idea why any woman would fall in love with him, and I still don't understand the reason behind his behavior.
In short, the book just falls apart after the reveal in the middle. I had thought the beginning was brilliant, and I have faith that the writer has the talent and ability to write some really great thrillers, but it feels like either this was too much to deal with at once, or there wasn't enough time to flesh it out and make the entire book brilliant.
The 2-stars reflect my honest feeling of "It was okay" and I'd never steer anyone away from trying it. I just don't feel it's a winner. Thanks so much to Bookish First for the ARC and chance to review.