No Exit

Adding to my Favorites List

I have not read many thrillers lately, but this is definitely the best thriller I have EVER read. Every time I thought the action was finally done, another twist would happen. The best part was how many times my expectations were subverted. Also, who doesn't love a strong female protagonist?

I am so excited for the movie adaptation to come out later this year on Hulu.

Woah, okay! I wasn't sure at all what to expect from this novel, mostly because it's beloved on bookstagram and I haven't seen many bad reviews about this novel whatsoever and I gotta say, it did not disappoint. It was one hell of a rollercoaster ride and even when I felt like it was over, it revealed another humongous drop and it became clear that it wasn't. The shock factor is definitely at an all-time high with this one and it doesn't really take a break, like at all.

To begin with, No Exit is about a woman, Darby, who is driving home a long way to see her mother ,from college, because her mother is sick. However, she gets caught in a snowstorm and pulls over at a remote rest stop, where she finds a child locked in a cage, in a van. A lot of things happen after this and it's hard to ever be bored with this book because the pacing is on the faster side and the plot just keeps you guessing because nothing is as it seems in this story. I enjoyed the plot immensely, however it was a bit too much for me at times and I wish it would have slowed down sometimes, even if for just a second. I usually love fast paced thrillers, but this one felt a bit too fast paced for me and I felt like I didn't have even a moment to catch my breath because the action just kept coming. It definitely feels more like an action thriller than a mystery thriller, so if that's what you prefer I don't think you would be disappointed whatsoever.

Further on, the characterization was pretty spot on all throughout the book. Even though it was super fast paced, the author was still able to take us into the minds of the main characters and show us how they see the world. I would have liked to see a bit more into their souls but what we were given was amazing, especially given how much action was packed into this novel. I liked that all the characters had backgrounds and flaws and they all seemed like potentially real people to me. I felt like I could relate to certain aspects of most of the characters, which at least made me slightly care what would happen to them.

Finally, the writing style was precise and to the point, exactly as it should be in my opinion, especially in an action thriller. I was able to picture things as they were happening and could even get a sense of the setting surrounding them, so it was definitely a very atmospheric read and I enjoyed almost everything about it.

In conclusion, if you want a super fast paced, action thriller, then this one is definitely for you. For my personal preference it was a little too action packed and didn't have enough of the mystery aspect to it. I did, however, have no problems getting through this book because it's also packed with some intricately flawed characters and the writing just flows without any effort on the reader's part. Glad I finally got to this one!