Ratings198
Average rating3.8
Contains spoilers
So this is my first thriller, and idk, I am not sold. I do think it was interesting, and I enjoyed reading it, it was suspenseful without being downright scary, and I blasted through it wanting to know what happened.
But, it was just so inconsistent and I did not think it made sense. things were alluded to that ended up being wrong, which can be fine for a twist, but when they don't make sense? That is where I think it becomes more inconsistency and less 'twist'.
The build up on the husband being EJ and then it wasn't was not my favorite. It just made perfect sense for him to be EJ, and then it wasn't at all? Tell me more about him then, because ya boy was suspicious and should have been EJ. Nope, he just randomly killed his mom. Nevermind the fact that he is overly obsessed with this house, encourages Tricia to wear Adrienne's clothes, etc. Clearly we were being directed down this path and then at the end randomly twisted away.
I did enjoy (Pa)Tricia and her twist, it totally makes sense for the most part. I do think there is inconsistency from the beginning few chapters to the end, but it wasn't as bad as Ethan.
Unless there is a part 2, several things were just left out: why did she continuously mention she only has known her husband for a year and doesn't really know him if it doesn't matter at the end? Why is Luke randomly there, perfectly poised like a little lamb in the den of lions? just so he could die? Why didn't we get a kill scene for Adrienne but did for this random stalker EJ?
Personally i hoped they all died but alas that is not the HEA we received. Instead we got a look into their happy family while also learning Tricia is ready to kill her husband at any time.
It was enjoyable and a quick read, but the inconsistencies bothered me and made it less enjoyable.
So much fun. I thought I had it figured out immediately and I was not even close. Very entertaining.
I had so many thoughts and theories while reading this. Lo and behold, I only got like one or two things right and the rest were unexpected! This kept me entertained despite some little parts that were irksome due to the FMC being kind of annoying. Despite that, I would still definitely recommend!
I have heard so much about Freida McFadden and was a bit skeptical when I started this book. It has an isolated house in a blizzard, which I love. The couple was suspicious and I didn't really like them, but I never felt like I was supposed to like them. So McFadden did a great job characterizing them. I was doubted myself if they were as bad as my first impression said and that is what a good thriller should do, make me doubt my reading. Dr. Hale is also very suspicious. I suspected part of the ending, but there were parts that I was surprised about as well. That was a good mix of surprise outcomes and expected outcomes. This was a fabulous book to start with for Freida McFadden. I look forward to reading more of her work.
It was good. It was enjoyable. It wasn't spectacular but it was okay.
I didn't see the first twist coming i'm not gonna lie so that was really cool.
I suspected Ethan was shady all along so I knew something was going on with him.
Contains spoilers
Nope.
Every time I try and read something from the thriller/mystery pile of books people recommend to me, I come away disappointed. Maybe it's me?
The rest of this will be in spoilers. Know that there's heavy ending spoilers here.
Okay, so I have a major problem with authors who try so hard to be smarter than their readers, and this book had that in spades. When The Twist happens in the last 2o% of the book or so, I think us, as the readers, are supposed to just ignore the first part of the book and pretend like it never happened, because after The Twist it just doesn't matter anymore. The author's doing the "GOTCHA!" finger guns in the background, and we're supposed to ignore the fact that the entire book was written in first person and thus in the mind of the actual killer, and none of this is even hinted at. All for the sake of The Twist and The Gotcha. Her mind, her thoughts, all of it indicates this is her first time in the house, and yet if she's the killer, it very clearly isn't. It feels like lazy storytelling.
None of the characters are likeable. Except maybe the real estate agent Judy, who knew better than to go driving out to a house in bumfuck nowhere in a blizzard and who has high standards for the houses she shows. You go girl, and good on you for staying out of the book.
I gave it a star for being a quick read, and it at least kept me reading until the end, if only for maybe the wrong reasons.
5 Stars.
I did not see that ending coming. The twist got me good. Dr. Adrienne Hale's perspectives we're really interesting.
It reminded me a little of Verity, but was very much its own. Never Lie spooked me at some points and had me at the edge of my seat with suspense. I loved it.
I never react audibly to books. I will smile if something I read is funny, and I will cry if it's sad, but I don't laugh out loud or sob. This book made me gasp out loud when I got to the twist. I was genuinely shocked, enough to elicit an audible reaction out of me. Like I said in my last review, I'm having the time of my life binge reading Freida Mcfadden's books!
Spannend boek! Setting vond ik persoonlijk erg leuk/gaaf. De plottwist kwam voor mij een beetje uit het niks, maar buiten dat zag ik het ook niet aankomen.
De laatste zin van het boek/epiloog was te voorspellen, maar wel leuk dat hij erin zit
The twists were amazing and I loved the juxtaposition of both Adrienne's and Tricia's POV and the tape recordings. I liked of everything tied together.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
4 Stars= It was a very good read. Might read it again.
TRIGGERS: MENTAL HEALTH, MURDER
POV: Dual, First PersonSeries/Standalone: StandalonePart of a series: NoSafe or Dark: Safeish (see trigger warnings)
“I believe that any human being is capable of terrible things if you push them hard enough.”
Tricia finds out she is pregnant much sooner than the couple had planned. It was accidental. She was taking birth control but was not taking extra precautions while on an antibiotic for an infection, since she didn't know that antibiotics often counteract birth control pills. She even says, "Who knew?". Everyone, honey, 95% of doctors will let a woman on the pill know that antibiotics can cause them to be less effective. She needs to get a new primary care provider. Once Ethan found out the news, he was very happy (surprise, surprise). He even insisted on doing everything for her since she was pregnant and needed to rest. At this point, she wasn't even showing and was maybe 3 months preggers at the most. She was very capable of doing things on her own.
TWO
chef's kiss
Rating: 3.75 leaves out of 5-Characters: 2.5/5 -Cover: 3.5/5-Story: 3/5-Writing: 4/5Genre: Mystery, Psychological Thriller, Thriller, Suspense-Psychological Thriller: 4/5-Mystery: 5/5-Suspense: 4/5-Thriller: 4/5Type: AudiobookWorth?: yeahHated Disliked Meh It Was Okay Liked Really Liked LovedWhat a ride that was. The amount of theories I had going on and not one of them was that...well up until I got more evidence. It was a bit creepy, especially being here by myself and hearing things I shouldn't. 2nd book my Freida and I def am going to have to read more by her!
Okay I am SHOOK.. I thought I knew exactly what was happening until like 85% of the way in. I do wish it had been slightly easier to connect but then again I'm impressed I was so off. 3.5/5.
I feel like the author was so desperate for readers to believe her red herring that she ignored the all set up for the actual twist.
From chapter seven I was angry that I was being spoon fed these very coincidental “clues” and then I ended even angrier because we are literally in the MC's head for the whole book and only at the magical point of the twist does she suddenly reveal she knows so much more information than she let on. Girl has literally been in the house so many times yet acts like it's the first time she's seen it?? She's listening to herself and yet acts like she doesn't know who it is. She put herself in this very specific situation and acts like she can't wait to get out. And it would make sense if it was third person pov but we are literally reading her thoughts like it does not work!
The more I think about it the more mad I get. Don't deliberately mislead your readers just to have a shock reveal. It's a shock because it doesn't make any sense.
I started this review with a two star rating but you know what? It deserves a one.
This is 100% brain candy. And for what it is, it's fun. For you hyper-critical readers (like me) you'll be rolling your eyes at the redundancy of detail and the syntax issues. But suspending that, it was a pretty good time. Palate cleanser for sure.