I've been disappointed in the last couple of thrillers I've read. I was resigned to the fact that perhaps I'm just not personally attune to the genre. However, perhaps there is a certain type of thrill that engages me. The creeping slow-burn suspense of Megan Abbott certainly kept me listening, and guessing. I thoroughly loved the competitive gymnastics setting, the varying degrees of ambition on display, and the way Abbott sharpens the focus on memories in such a way that makes you realize how untrustworthy our minds really may be. Abbott has written novels in the past about teenagers, and I liked her previous books well enough, but this one is written from the perspective of a mom of an elite gymnast, and it's probably my favorite of hers that I've read.

4.5/5