corrigan's Reviews (451)

This was everything I wanted Felicia Day's memoir to be (and if you read my review of hers, you know why it frustrated me). Anna Kendrick never resorts to the humblebrag or false humility. When she is self-deprecating, it never seems done in a way that's meant to mask insecurity or ego. Instead, she is introspective and self-aware. She knows she's good at her job, and that the fact she started so early is part of what enabled her to get where she is. She also knows which elements of her personality are hindrances to things she wants in life. She's brutally honest about herself, yet she's also fiercely confident. I was particularly struck by the section of her book about not being "nice" anymore, and why that's not a trait to mourn losing. It's a thing I have said to friends before, but she puts it so eloquently I said, "YES" out loud. I've always liked her acting and the persona she puts out on social media, and this book absolutely validated my respect for her.

The perfect page-turner for vacation.

Reread the last line of the second to last chapter about four times, then started actually shouting, "No. Oh god. Oh god no!" Well played, Lisa Lutz, you twisted woman.

There was a lot of potential with the setup of this book, but it ended up boring me. If you're familiar with this genre at all, you know exactly who the culprit is from the moment the incident occurs, but there's still some hundred pages of "mystery" as the protagonist tries to piece together the obvious. Plus, much like Girl on the Train, we're subjected to the evil villain monologue once the big reveal happens. That cheap caricature of the baddie is so old, and it's one of my least favorite devices. A quick read, but not a memorable entry into the effed-up-women mystery genre.