The Ingenue

This one is hard for me to review. I enjoyed the author's other book, The Ballerinas, so I was excited to be given an ARC of The Ingenue. I am torn with this one.

It's definitely not a suspense, in any way. This is a very slow read and that doesn't change throughout. I was waiting for a pace change or for the suspense part to show up, but it never did. The ending was slow and long as well.

Saskia is a hard character to connect with or feel anything for. Even knowing her situation, I still had a hard time with her character.

The story itself is good. The dynamics of being pushed by your parents, the pressures of being "special , and the expectations of future achievements can be a lot for anyone, especially a child. Enter in a predator who can see the struggle...and wham....life-altering events follow.

I think the author does well showcasing Saskia's life, and how her "love" for Patrick was much more damaging than even she knew. There is family drama and psychological fallout while Saskia relives her past and deals with the present consequences. I thought this part was good.

Overall though, the pace was just off and the lack of connection with Saskia herself made this a hard one for me. If you have had your eye on this one, I would still recommend you snag it and give it a go. There are plenty of readers who have enjoyed this one. It just wasn't for me.

I sincerely appreciate the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy.