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gimmebooksjoanna's Reviews (326)
I've had Asia McKay's Killing It, on my shelf for ages and hadn't yet got round to it. As it happened, I ended up with an advanced copy of The Nursery and read that first. However, I don't feel as though I lost anything by going in the wrong order.
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Lex is a mother, worrying about whether she's projecting gender stereotypes onto her daughter. She's also an assassin. A pretty good one at that. She works for Platform Eight, the lesser known part of the UKs security service. As we meet her, she's about to embark on a crucial mission. There's a leak and it needs to be stopped.
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I really enjoyed this book. I loved Lex. I can not relate to her in any way shape or form but I thought she was awesome. I want her in my girl gang. As for McKay's writing - well it's brilliant. The narrative was great. It was pacey and hilarious. I cannot wait to read the prequel (even if it is back to front!)
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If you like action, crime and badass women, read this. Read this now!
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Lex is a mother, worrying about whether she's projecting gender stereotypes onto her daughter. She's also an assassin. A pretty good one at that. She works for Platform Eight, the lesser known part of the UKs security service. As we meet her, she's about to embark on a crucial mission. There's a leak and it needs to be stopped.
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I really enjoyed this book. I loved Lex. I can not relate to her in any way shape or form but I thought she was awesome. I want her in my girl gang. As for McKay's writing - well it's brilliant. The narrative was great. It was pacey and hilarious. I cannot wait to read the prequel (even if it is back to front!)
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If you like action, crime and badass women, read this. Read this now!
The Murder List | Hank Phillippi Ryan
⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
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We start off by being introduced to Rachel, in the present day. She's a "mature" law student, married to Jack - a defence attorney on "The Murder List". He basically provides legal aid for accused murderers who wouldn't be able to afford a lawyer.
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Rachel is about to embark on an internship with Martha Gardiner - a prosecutor from the DA's office and Jack's sworn enemy!
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But, Rachel has an ulterior motive. She's spying on Martha to find out her "style" as she and Jack plan to become partners in the future.
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Mixed in with the present day narrative, we also learn about Rachel's previous life - how she was quite senior in the Senator's office, how she met Jack and her own stint as a juror on one of Martha and Jack's cases.
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And then we find that Martha is re-opening a cold case. None other than a ghost of Rachel's past.
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The chronology switches to the past and fills us in on the story and then comes back to present day where the murderer of the cold case is revealed.
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This book is clever. I found Rachel a really likeable character and for the most part it was an easy read. The ending itself was somewhat believable (we all know how much I dislike a ridiculous 'never gonna happen' ending!)
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Worth a read for fans of crime, thrillers and the law.
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Thanks to @netgalley who provided me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
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We start off by being introduced to Rachel, in the present day. She's a "mature" law student, married to Jack - a defence attorney on "The Murder List". He basically provides legal aid for accused murderers who wouldn't be able to afford a lawyer.
.
Rachel is about to embark on an internship with Martha Gardiner - a prosecutor from the DA's office and Jack's sworn enemy!
.
But, Rachel has an ulterior motive. She's spying on Martha to find out her "style" as she and Jack plan to become partners in the future.
.
Mixed in with the present day narrative, we also learn about Rachel's previous life - how she was quite senior in the Senator's office, how she met Jack and her own stint as a juror on one of Martha and Jack's cases.
.
And then we find that Martha is re-opening a cold case. None other than a ghost of Rachel's past.
.
The chronology switches to the past and fills us in on the story and then comes back to present day where the murderer of the cold case is revealed.
.
This book is clever. I found Rachel a really likeable character and for the most part it was an easy read. The ending itself was somewhat believable (we all know how much I dislike a ridiculous 'never gonna happen' ending!)
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Worth a read for fans of crime, thrillers and the law.
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Thanks to @netgalley who provided me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis
The book begins with Ashima Ganguli, is pregnant. She has not long been married to Ashoke as a result of an arranged marriage. Following that marriage, they move to Boston, away from their family in Calcutta, India.
Their son, Gogol, named after Ashoke's favourite author, but also completely by accident is the main focus of this book. The story takes us through Gogol's life from being a toddler, right through to his mid thirties.
Much of the focus of the story is around Gogol's feelings to his unusual name and how he tries to change his name and find his identity as he comes of age.
How did I find it?
I'm finding this one difficult to put into words. I wasn't even sure how to rate it and eventually opted for straight down the middle.
It's probably easier to write what I didn't like about this book. Too long chapters; in excess of 24 pages in many chapters. No real clarity of where the book was going. Description to the point that it felt like it was trying to pad the book out. It slowed it down. There was no real pace to the story.
The first half of the book took me six days to read. But the second half had me gripped and I flew through it.
For the most part, Gogol is a likeable character and understanding his struggles as an American born Indian was fascinating. It was insightful and eye opening and the book is clearly written with empathy towards Gogol. You get the feeling that in spite of his awkwardness, aloofness and almost indifference to his parents, that he's a good guy. It's clear that his attitude towards his parents is due to an internal struggle with his heritage but also where he was brought up. He clearly identifies more as American, but is born to a Mother who never really saw America as home. The development of his relationship with his family as he gets older is quite a heartwarming read though.
Much like Gogol's early attitude towards his parents, I feel somewhat indifferent towards this book. I enjoyed Gogol's story and understanding what life must be when balancing a heritage that is not native to the country of residence, but the lack of pace and direction of the story left me feeling like that there was no point, or I entirely missed it.
Having read around on here, I've found out that Lahiri has written short stories. The general consensus seems to be that she is better suited to shorter stories. I'm tempted to go and read some of them, because she is undoubtedly a beautiful author.
The book begins with Ashima Ganguli, is pregnant. She has not long been married to Ashoke as a result of an arranged marriage. Following that marriage, they move to Boston, away from their family in Calcutta, India.
Their son, Gogol, named after Ashoke's favourite author, but also completely by accident is the main focus of this book. The story takes us through Gogol's life from being a toddler, right through to his mid thirties.
Much of the focus of the story is around Gogol's feelings to his unusual name and how he tries to change his name and find his identity as he comes of age.
How did I find it?
I'm finding this one difficult to put into words. I wasn't even sure how to rate it and eventually opted for straight down the middle.
It's probably easier to write what I didn't like about this book. Too long chapters; in excess of 24 pages in many chapters. No real clarity of where the book was going. Description to the point that it felt like it was trying to pad the book out. It slowed it down. There was no real pace to the story.
The first half of the book took me six days to read. But the second half had me gripped and I flew through it.
For the most part, Gogol is a likeable character and understanding his struggles as an American born Indian was fascinating. It was insightful and eye opening and the book is clearly written with empathy towards Gogol. You get the feeling that in spite of his awkwardness, aloofness and almost indifference to his parents, that he's a good guy. It's clear that his attitude towards his parents is due to an internal struggle with his heritage but also where he was brought up. He clearly identifies more as American, but is born to a Mother who never really saw America as home. The development of his relationship with his family as he gets older is quite a heartwarming read though.
Much like Gogol's early attitude towards his parents, I feel somewhat indifferent towards this book. I enjoyed Gogol's story and understanding what life must be when balancing a heritage that is not native to the country of residence, but the lack of pace and direction of the story left me feeling like that there was no point, or I entirely missed it.
Having read around on here, I've found out that Lahiri has written short stories. The general consensus seems to be that she is better suited to shorter stories. I'm tempted to go and read some of them, because she is undoubtedly a beautiful author.
!!!TRIGGER WARNING!!! - contains sexual harassment and rape as well as self-harm
Synopsis
Non-identical twins, Miranda and Zara have always been close. That is until Zara meets Sebastian and slowly, their relationship starts to break down.
The book begins in the present day. One of the twins, we're not sure who, has just murdered the other one. We're none the wiser to the events leading to the tragedy - all we know is that she acted in self-defence.
We're then taken back into The Past with the story told from the viewpoints of Miranda, Zara and Sebastian with snippets of the The Present interspersed. These snippets offer clues to which twin has stabbed which, but just as you think you've sussed it, a new clue changes everything you thought you knew.
The book continues and at about 75%, you find out which twin has committed the stabbing and by this point you know all the events leading up to it. The chronology ties together and we follow the court case through to verdict.
What I loved
This book is great. Short chapters and pacey. It's easy to differentiate between the twins and it's really easy read.
Also, my big things with books of this genre are fulfilled.
1 - I got closure. All the ends are tied up nicely.
2 - It's within the realms of possibility. I didn't feel totally invested in a book that then when it got to the end, I was like, "Yeah, sure. Like that would ever happen!"
What I didn't love
This book wasn't "not-unique" but it felt a pretty average storyline. As a plot, it didn't blow me away in the same respect as other recent reads that were REALLY original (for example, The Other You which I wrote about in a previous post).
Having said that, it was still a really easy read with a plotline I'd not read before.
Synopsis
Non-identical twins, Miranda and Zara have always been close. That is until Zara meets Sebastian and slowly, their relationship starts to break down.
The book begins in the present day. One of the twins, we're not sure who, has just murdered the other one. We're none the wiser to the events leading to the tragedy - all we know is that she acted in self-defence.
We're then taken back into The Past with the story told from the viewpoints of Miranda, Zara and Sebastian with snippets of the The Present interspersed. These snippets offer clues to which twin has stabbed which, but just as you think you've sussed it, a new clue changes everything you thought you knew.
The book continues and at about 75%, you find out which twin has committed the stabbing and by this point you know all the events leading up to it. The chronology ties together and we follow the court case through to verdict.
What I loved
This book is great. Short chapters and pacey. It's easy to differentiate between the twins and it's really easy read.
Also, my big things with books of this genre are fulfilled.
1 - I got closure. All the ends are tied up nicely.
2 - It's within the realms of possibility. I didn't feel totally invested in a book that then when it got to the end, I was like, "Yeah, sure. Like that would ever happen!"
What I didn't love
This book wasn't "not-unique" but it felt a pretty average storyline. As a plot, it didn't blow me away in the same respect as other recent reads that were REALLY original (for example, The Other You which I wrote about in a previous post).
Having said that, it was still a really easy read with a plotline I'd not read before.
Synopsis
A Woman is No Man tells the story of a mother and her daughter, and the expectations of Palestinian women.
Palestine, 1990
Isra is a Palestinian woman, married off through an arranged marriage to Adam, the son of Fareeda. Moving to America to be with him, it’s clear she is deeply unhappy, as she struggled o live up to her mother-in-laws expectations.
As is expected of her, she gives birth to four children – but much to Fareeda’s disappointment they are all girls.
Brooklyn, 2008.
Deya, Isra’s eldest daughter is set to meet the same fate at the hands of Fareeda. But Deya is having none of it!
We find out early on that Isra is no longer around. She and Adam died in a car crash some ten years ago.
And then estranged family member appears. Family truths are exposed and Deya finds herself on her own path.
What did I think?
I’ve wanted to read this book for some time, so when it turned up in my Reposed box I was nothing short of delighted! It got bumped straight to the top of my to be read pile and it did not disappoint.
The first couple of chapters are quite long but I think that’s because you’re getting quite a bit of context setting and the start of the stories of both Isra and Deya. After that they were a far more reasonable length.
The book itself was easy to read without it compromising on quality of the writing and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I loved the character of both Deya and Sarah – they both had determination to break from the norm which made them extremely likeable.
Isra was a different kettle of fish, but the way it was written made me see how she could feel stuck in her situation rather than frustrated that she didn’t make a change.
As for Fareeda, much as she angered me for quite a large portion of the book, by the end I was starting to feel as though I understood her as a character much more.
As I always find with books that teach me about other cultures, the one feeling I always come away with is gratitude for living in the UK. The prospect of being considered good for nothing but bearing children and keeping a home terrifies me as a woman who enjoys having a career and is 33 with no children in sight any time soon.
Please give this book a read. It was everything I wanted it to be and more. Tough as it was to read in parts (subject matter, not writing) it’s well worth adding this to your list of books to read.
A Woman is No Man tells the story of a mother and her daughter, and the expectations of Palestinian women.
Palestine, 1990
Isra is a Palestinian woman, married off through an arranged marriage to Adam, the son of Fareeda. Moving to America to be with him, it’s clear she is deeply unhappy, as she struggled o live up to her mother-in-laws expectations.
As is expected of her, she gives birth to four children – but much to Fareeda’s disappointment they are all girls.
Brooklyn, 2008.
Deya, Isra’s eldest daughter is set to meet the same fate at the hands of Fareeda. But Deya is having none of it!
We find out early on that Isra is no longer around. She and Adam died in a car crash some ten years ago.
And then estranged family member appears. Family truths are exposed and Deya finds herself on her own path.
What did I think?
I’ve wanted to read this book for some time, so when it turned up in my Reposed box I was nothing short of delighted! It got bumped straight to the top of my to be read pile and it did not disappoint.
The first couple of chapters are quite long but I think that’s because you’re getting quite a bit of context setting and the start of the stories of both Isra and Deya. After that they were a far more reasonable length.
The book itself was easy to read without it compromising on quality of the writing and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I loved the character of both Deya and Sarah – they both had determination to break from the norm which made them extremely likeable.
Isra was a different kettle of fish, but the way it was written made me see how she could feel stuck in her situation rather than frustrated that she didn’t make a change.
As for Fareeda, much as she angered me for quite a large portion of the book, by the end I was starting to feel as though I understood her as a character much more.
As I always find with books that teach me about other cultures, the one feeling I always come away with is gratitude for living in the UK. The prospect of being considered good for nothing but bearing children and keeping a home terrifies me as a woman who enjoys having a career and is 33 with no children in sight any time soon.
Please give this book a read. It was everything I wanted it to be and more. Tough as it was to read in parts (subject matter, not writing) it’s well worth adding this to your list of books to read.
I very rarely ditch a book halfway through but this just wasn't working for me. I got to 45% and I was just confused by it all.
This book follows a Croatian author who seemingly suffers from amnesia. Thanks to his amnesia, he's turned into a fantastic story teller to mask that he has no memories. When we meet him, he's written two wonderful books. His third is a failure. You know what else is a failure? His relationship. His girlfriend is unhappy that he doesn't have any memories to share and he just keeps lying.
But as you can probably guess, it turns out that he doesn't have amnesia at all. He's just repressed his memory.
To start, I found the book quite crass in places. Admittedly this could just be because it was a little lost in translation.
Also, at 30% ISH, the book went back to chapter one and is told from the start and instead of being written in third person as has been up to this point, it switches to first person but there's no real signposting.
I just found it so chaotic and a chore to read. Life's too short to read books that don't work for you, so I decided to ditch it.
This book follows a Croatian author who seemingly suffers from amnesia. Thanks to his amnesia, he's turned into a fantastic story teller to mask that he has no memories. When we meet him, he's written two wonderful books. His third is a failure. You know what else is a failure? His relationship. His girlfriend is unhappy that he doesn't have any memories to share and he just keeps lying.
But as you can probably guess, it turns out that he doesn't have amnesia at all. He's just repressed his memory.
To start, I found the book quite crass in places. Admittedly this could just be because it was a little lost in translation.
Also, at 30% ISH, the book went back to chapter one and is told from the start and instead of being written in third person as has been up to this point, it switches to first person but there's no real signposting.
I just found it so chaotic and a chore to read. Life's too short to read books that don't work for you, so I decided to ditch it.
3.5 rounded down
I've never read Anna Karenina and to be honest it's never crossed my mind to read it so it was definitely not part of my decision making process to try and get my hands on an ARC copy. What did whet my appetite though, are the references to "Gossip Girl meets Crazy Rich Asians". At 33, I'm an unashamed Gossip Girl fan, living my boring life vicariously through the lives of far more exciting rich kids who are half my age.
Whatever floats your boat, right?
Anyway, this isn't a review for Gossip Girl so I could probably do with telling you what I thought of this book about over-priviliged teenagers living in New York's Upper East side.
So first off, this for some reason was a slow read for me. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but I didn't find myself desperate to get back to it.
But the storyline made me feel warm. I connected to the characters, of which there were many. In the first pages there's a list of all the characters and how they're connected. On reading this I was pretty overwhelmed thinking I'd be confused by them all but everything was explained and I quickly learned who all the characters were.
I can't say the narrative was particularly descriptive in terms of scene setting, but the character's had a surprising amount of depth given their age which helped to connect to them, even as an adult.
Thanks to Readers First for this free proof in exchange this review.
I've never read Anna Karenina and to be honest it's never crossed my mind to read it so it was definitely not part of my decision making process to try and get my hands on an ARC copy. What did whet my appetite though, are the references to "Gossip Girl meets Crazy Rich Asians". At 33, I'm an unashamed Gossip Girl fan, living my boring life vicariously through the lives of far more exciting rich kids who are half my age.
Whatever floats your boat, right?
Anyway, this isn't a review for Gossip Girl so I could probably do with telling you what I thought of this book about over-priviliged teenagers living in New York's Upper East side.
So first off, this for some reason was a slow read for me. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but I didn't find myself desperate to get back to it.
But the storyline made me feel warm. I connected to the characters, of which there were many. In the first pages there's a list of all the characters and how they're connected. On reading this I was pretty overwhelmed thinking I'd be confused by them all but everything was explained and I quickly learned who all the characters were.
I can't say the narrative was particularly descriptive in terms of scene setting, but the character's had a surprising amount of depth given their age which helped to connect to them, even as an adult.
Thanks to Readers First for this free proof in exchange this review.
Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for my free ARC in exchange for this honest review
Synopsis
Finn, her family and close friends are off up into the mountains for a long weekend away. But it's not long before tragedy strikes.
In an accident, sixteen year old Finn dies in an instant.
Told from her point of view whilst she is stuck somewhere in between the here and now and her afterlife, we see how others act in a crisis and in grief.
What did I think?
I've never read anything from Suzanne Redfearn so I went in with no expectations. But instantly I was hooked.
I honestly don't want to say too much about this book because I don't want to ruin it for others, but it was told beautifully.
First up - it passed my two bug bears test. It had short chapters and a great ending. Yay!
Now onto the other stuff.
I'm often overwhelmed with lots of characters, which this book does have, but I found it quite easy to distinguish between them all and their personal stories. All of the characters had enough depth for you to feel like they were real people and through Redfearn's writing, I felt exactly how Finn would want me to feel about each of the people in her life. I loved Mo. I didn't trust Uncle Bob. I felt her Mother's pain.
The style of the writing in this book reminded me a lot of The Lovely Bones, however the plotline itself bears no resemblance. It's a unique story in its own right.
I really would urge others to read this. It's a great read and I felt so immersed in the story being told.
Synopsis
Finn, her family and close friends are off up into the mountains for a long weekend away. But it's not long before tragedy strikes.
In an accident, sixteen year old Finn dies in an instant.
Told from her point of view whilst she is stuck somewhere in between the here and now and her afterlife, we see how others act in a crisis and in grief.
What did I think?
I've never read anything from Suzanne Redfearn so I went in with no expectations. But instantly I was hooked.
I honestly don't want to say too much about this book because I don't want to ruin it for others, but it was told beautifully.
First up - it passed my two bug bears test. It had short chapters and a great ending. Yay!
Now onto the other stuff.
I'm often overwhelmed with lots of characters, which this book does have, but I found it quite easy to distinguish between them all and their personal stories. All of the characters had enough depth for you to feel like they were real people and through Redfearn's writing, I felt exactly how Finn would want me to feel about each of the people in her life. I loved Mo. I didn't trust Uncle Bob. I felt her Mother's pain.
The style of the writing in this book reminded me a lot of The Lovely Bones, however the plotline itself bears no resemblance. It's a unique story in its own right.
I really would urge others to read this. It's a great read and I felt so immersed in the story being told.
Kate used to work as a super recogniser for the police. She can pick any face out of a crowd after only seeing it once. It's a rare gift. But Kate had a car accident and it's done some serious damage to the part of her brain that's responsible for recognising people.
She's recovering nicely though. She's moved into her new, extremely rich and successful, beau's house down in Cornwall. She's taking time out down there whilst she gets better, with boyfriend Rob working in London in the week and coming back down to Cornwall at the weekend.
As you do in new relationships, they are talking late one night about their deepest fears. Rob confides in Kate that his greatest fear is his doppelgänger. He met his double in Thailand when he was 21 and believes that if he meets him again, he'll take over his life and everything he holds dear to him. He'll take over his soul.
Understandably, Kate is a bit freaked out by this and can't really stop thinking about it. He returns the following week and it's like her super recogniser skills kick back into action. She's pretty sure that Rob, isn't Rob.
Is her mind playing tricks on her? Or has Rob's deepest fear been realised?
What I loved
Wow! This book drew me in right from the word go. You get thrown straight into the story - there's no messing about with scene setting or anything else. The chapters are short and sweet and each chapter is told from the point of view of three or four key characters as we meet them throughout. It switches between them effortlessly which is a huge thing for me as I've read books before where I haven't got a clue who's viewpoint I'm reading from. The development of the characters was a huge part of this book and made me feel invested in all of them from early on.
The plot itself is really original and has twists and turns at every corner. Just as you think you've worked out exactly what's going on, you find out new information which shifts the landscape completely. It's actually a really creepy concept and had me feeling a bit weird about it all for quite a bit of the book. It kept me guessing to the end, and even now, I'm still wondering, what happened? What was it all about?!
Technology is a theme in this book - it's Rob's business. And actually, at first I thought the ending was a bit of a far reach, but to be honest, the way technology is going these days, nothing surprises me anymore.
I'm usually quite daunted by books of this length. I seem to have a natural preference for books closer to 380 pages (which feels very specific). This book was different though. If anything, I felt like I could have devoured another 100 pages!
What I didn't love
When I started to write this review, I thought I was going to say "the ending". I always say The Ending can be the thing that makes a 5* read a 1* read for me. I toyed between 4 and 5, because as I said above, the ending is a little far out, but it's not as far removed as I initially felt.
My only other thing is, that just as you think it's all wrapped up nicely, one last person throws in an alternative (and extremely plausible) theory. And then it ends. So I'm lacking a little bit of closure. But, that's just a personal thing and absolutely not bothering me enough to warrant giving this awesome book anything other than 5*s.
Thanks to Readers First for giving me my ARC in exchange for this honest review
She's recovering nicely though. She's moved into her new, extremely rich and successful, beau's house down in Cornwall. She's taking time out down there whilst she gets better, with boyfriend Rob working in London in the week and coming back down to Cornwall at the weekend.
As you do in new relationships, they are talking late one night about their deepest fears. Rob confides in Kate that his greatest fear is his doppelgänger. He met his double in Thailand when he was 21 and believes that if he meets him again, he'll take over his life and everything he holds dear to him. He'll take over his soul.
Understandably, Kate is a bit freaked out by this and can't really stop thinking about it. He returns the following week and it's like her super recogniser skills kick back into action. She's pretty sure that Rob, isn't Rob.
Is her mind playing tricks on her? Or has Rob's deepest fear been realised?
What I loved
Wow! This book drew me in right from the word go. You get thrown straight into the story - there's no messing about with scene setting or anything else. The chapters are short and sweet and each chapter is told from the point of view of three or four key characters as we meet them throughout. It switches between them effortlessly which is a huge thing for me as I've read books before where I haven't got a clue who's viewpoint I'm reading from. The development of the characters was a huge part of this book and made me feel invested in all of them from early on.
The plot itself is really original and has twists and turns at every corner. Just as you think you've worked out exactly what's going on, you find out new information which shifts the landscape completely. It's actually a really creepy concept and had me feeling a bit weird about it all for quite a bit of the book. It kept me guessing to the end, and even now, I'm still wondering, what happened? What was it all about?!
Technology is a theme in this book - it's Rob's business. And actually, at first I thought the ending was a bit of a far reach, but to be honest, the way technology is going these days, nothing surprises me anymore.
I'm usually quite daunted by books of this length. I seem to have a natural preference for books closer to 380 pages (which feels very specific). This book was different though. If anything, I felt like I could have devoured another 100 pages!
What I didn't love
When I started to write this review, I thought I was going to say "the ending". I always say The Ending can be the thing that makes a 5* read a 1* read for me. I toyed between 4 and 5, because as I said above, the ending is a little far out, but it's not as far removed as I initially felt.
My only other thing is, that just as you think it's all wrapped up nicely, one last person throws in an alternative (and extremely plausible) theory. And then it ends. So I'm lacking a little bit of closure. But, that's just a personal thing and absolutely not bothering me enough to warrant giving this awesome book anything other than 5*s.
Thanks to Readers First for giving me my ARC in exchange for this honest review