jenbsbooks's Reviews (2.41k)

It's been over a year since I read this (original review below). I have remembered it fondly, and it was picked as a book club pick, so I did a re-read. As much as I adored the audio, I went with the Kindle copy this round, so I could take notes as needed. I didn't remember everything, I had a vague memory of the "murder reveal" and the characters. Many things came back to me as I read.

I made some notes this time (easier with Kindle than audio) and also enjoyed looking over all the notes saved by others here on Goodreads. Posted a question regarding Oliver ... in Chap13 it indicates that he heard about Marshal and Julia's wedding after it happened and sent a card/didn't hear back. Then in chapter 33 as he's getting ready to dress up for dinner, he pulls out his suit that "he hadn't worn since Marshall and Julia's wedding" ...

It will be interesting to see how the book club discussion goes. I'm generally the most talkative! I do have all these notes now, Jen's Notebook (like Vera's notebook). 

In audio - the chapters in the TOC showed the POV (Vera, Julia, Riki, Sana, Oliver - Vera's notebook). I really appreciate when authors include a header indicating the POV. Yes, the reader CAN figure it out eventually, but it's so much nicer when we know and have it documented! The TOC in Kindle showed the notebook sections (as they are between chapters, but then it's just a basic chronological listing of the chapters. I can't understand why the POV isn't also listed on the chapters in the Kindle copy. I don't have a physical copy ... my guess is it doesn't even have a TOC, as is the millennial style. In the olden days, books had a nice Table of Contents! 

More proFanity than I remembered (Kindle count x 25) as well as some other more minor "swears".

Original review HERE 
https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/8a0405cb-433d-4436-9643-9ceb507bab5c

So  much buzz surrounding this one (as is often the case with one of the popular "bookclub" picks) ... I had a bit of a wait getting it in from the library. I really didn't know anything about it going in (other than it was long). I'd heard some rave that it was unlike anything they've read. For me, I really liked it, but it was a "saga" story told over years, it didn't seem THAT different from lots of others I've read. Still, 4.5 stars. It kept my interest. There would be lots to discuss in a book club setting (and there were included review questions). Quite a few quotes worth saving. I'd like to say the story will stay with me ... we'll see (I read so many books, it's a little difficult for some to stand out in my memory). 

3rd person/past tense ... this switched around mostly between two POVs, that of Saint and Patch. There were 10 sections; 1. The Pirate and the Beekeeper (1975) 2. The Lovers, The Dreamers (1975), The Painter (1976), The Broken Hearts (1978), Cops and Robbers (1982), The Hunt (1983), Fate (1990), The Break (1995), The Prisoner (1998), Myths and Legends (2001). There were 261 chapters total ... that's a lot (the book was almost 600 pages) but the chapters were short (which was helpful as I was primarily going with the audiobook, but at times wanted to reference something in the text. It was pretty easy to switch between formats). Beyond the listed dates, there were times of reflection which would flashback to some earlier times. Most were in italics in the text editions, but the audio was still pretty easy to distinguish (when Patch was with Grace, or when Saint was with a younger Patch). 

The blurb states this is "A missing person mystery, a serial killer thriller, a love story, a unique twist on each" and that is a pretty good summary without getting into spoiler territory.  I wasn't too far off in my suspicions for one of the twists. A couple others caught me by surprise.

I liked the theme of darkness, and seeing, that ran through the book.

ProFanity x 79. Some slight mentions of sex/rape, nothing explicit.

Really liked this ... I wish I hadn't read it back to back to The Passengers. They really aren't alike at all, but there was a little "if you have to chose a person to live, a person to die, what do you base your choice on?" idea. 

It think one interesting thing about this book is it just drops you into the world. No introduction, setting the scene. I know the majority of people have probably read the blurb, so they might have an idea of what is going on. 

Before each chapter, there is a little excerpt from a journal - this rotates through a few different Scythes. These give quite a bit of the background (before chapter 2, "People used to die naturally. Old age used to be a terminal affliction, not a temporary state. There were invisible killers called “diseases” that broke the body down. Aging couldn’t be reversed, and there were accidents from which there was no return. Planes fell from the sky. Cars actually crashed. There was pain, misery, despair. It’s hard for most of us to imagine a world so unsafe, with dangers lurking in every unseen, unplanned corner. All of that is behind us now ..." So that (and a little more to follow) tells us that now Sythes are used to control/cull "glean" the population.

It IS such an interesting idea ... of course it sounds wonderful to be able to defeat disease. To be able to repair any damage to the human body, to be able to reverse aging ... but really think about what happens if that is the case! The "turning a corner" and resetting (can go all the way back to age 21) results in multiple families, and of course, overpopulation. 

I had this in all three formats. I went primarily with the audio - a single narrator handled the different POVs (3rd person/past tense), and the journal entries (1st person). There were five parts - with headings for the parts and the chapters within. I appreciated that the headers were included on the Table of Contents in the audio and Kindle copy (the physical copy, as seems to be the case these days, didn't bother to include a TOC at all, which does a disservice to readers in my opinion). The text formats both had an extensive section at the end with discussion questions and even "Extension Activities" (if used in a school setting). This is YA, there was no proFanity. No sex.

Lots to think about with this one. I appreciated that the story wrapped up enough to call this a conclusion, while still setting up for sequels. I had purchased the audio during an Audible sale (it exclusive, not available at the libraries) but borrowed the Kindle copy from the library. I don't have the sequels ... might have to watch for more sales to continue on. 

I really liked this, 4.5 stars ... I've read The One and The Family Experiment (I have The Marriage Act on my TBR). This is in that same futuristic setting. The DNA test to connect you to your soul mate (The One) is mentioned here, but knowledge of that book isn't essential to understanding this (that basic concept is easy to grasp without knowing the novel about it). 

Here, the most basic premise is "self-driving cars" ... as technology has improved, it is something that has been talked about and is there in the most basic form on Teslas and other new cars. What does the future hold? As a nervous driver, other than a StarTrek  instant "beam" places, a self-driving car might just be the best option, right?  This story sets up just some of the possible issues.

Like Marrs other stories, there are quite a few characters and storylines, and it can be a bit of a challenge to learn and keep track of who is who. For me, it would be SO helpful if the Table of Contents listed the POV, because at least then I'd have a list of names at a glance (although per usual, the physical copy doesn't even have a TOC). There was a point in the story (Chapter26) where we get a run down on six of the characters (basically in a radio review, giving their names and basic details) and I highlighted this for my own reference! 

Part 1 introduces the main characters ... Claire Arden who is pregnant, Jude Harrison - 29 years old. Sofia Bradbury, older actress.  Sam&Heidi Cole - married. Shabana Khartri, came to England when she married at 18, in a bad domestic situation.  Each gets a chapter. 

We get another main character, Libby, as Part 2 starts up.  There is a Part 3 (6 months later) and a Part 4 (two years later).  At the start of many of the chapters, there were little graphics ... an image of a Notes app, the route setting on the car, a little clip from a newspaper article, transcript of a news report, a screenshot of a Wikipedia type page, some "Twitter" type posts, an instruction manual, informative paperwork ... for the most part, these converted to audio really well. This was a full-cast production, with some extra sounds (the music of a news report, etc).

I had this in audio/Kindle and physical. I'd found the physical book in a LFL and grabbed it, as this had been on my TBR. I had purchased the Audible on some sale, so I just waited until I could get a Kindle copy from the library. All three formats have their advantages. I really liked the audio, but did use the Kindle copy for reference and notes, and the little graphics have a different feel when you can see them. The Kindle copy also had some discussion questions for readers ... which I always appreciate! It's like a mini-book club *Ü*  This would be a great book club pick, lots of things to think about (AI/technology,  how we judge people, how one would deal with an anticipated death) ...

As with Marrs other books, there is always a bit of a twist. I think this one might be my favorite. Not sure if it's totally up there to get a 5* rating, but it kept me captivated, and it's one I would recommend.  

  

It's October ... I glanced through my Kindle library to find some books that the OCD in me might not want to read outside of "spooky season" ... this really isn't halloweeny, but I still felt like it fit. I was happy to find that the audio was available (Hoopla. Ironically NOT on Audible). So I had this in both audio and Kindle, I went primarily with the audio. 

Super cute little story, very much matches the cover image/blurb. Told in a very conversational tone from our MC, Audrey. She had a little near-death experience (although it didn't seem THAT intense), and now she can see and hear some things she couldn't before. It's all very light and cute. The MC takes everything (from getting fired, again, to a death, although ... he's not really GONE. He takes his death pretty well) with ease and aplomb. 

First person, past tense. I enjoyed the characters (especially the cat). It was short and sweet, and concluded this initial installment, wrapping up the storyline, while setting up obvious sequels. While I'm not compelled to continue, I imagine I'd enjoy the follow-ups, and I might give a few a try (there on Hoopla). 

Clean - no proFanity or sex, just some PG banter.

This popped up in one of my groups with enough of a recommendation that I checked it out - I was able to snag it immediately from the library(x) and the audio was on Hoopla. Actually, the audio almost made me give up on this one - I think it would be better read.

The "ghost" isn't paranormal, even though I'm including it my spooky season (still listed as dark/mysterious as well as emotional). Just your traditional "ghost writer" meaning. 

There were multiple POVs, four of them. The main one, Helena, was first person/present tense. The "book" is Helena too, also first person/present tense. In print, it's in italics, which helps to set it apart (it's in the past, which I guess we know if Simon is there). The audio just wasn't able to separate these two as much as the print did. Then, there's Kate, Mark and a couple chapters with Charlotte. These ones are all 3rd person/present tense. 

In audio, a single narrator. I struggled with her voicing of Helena, but it was so much worse when it was one of the other POVS. She assigned this Boston accent to Kate, and this cowboys drawl to Mark, but it was all really just the same, disconnected voice. There were really long pauses when I thought maybe my earbud had disconnected or my app had stopped playing ... but it was just the way it was.  I got more used to the narration as it went on.

I got a little annoyed at the slow reveal ... so obviously setting us/the reader up that SOMETHING awful happened (beyond just the death of the MCs husband and little girl). It all felt a little disjointed. The changing in tense, between the real and the book, the other characters/3rd person. 

I had this in two formats - audio and Kindle. Moving between them, and just for my own personal info, I would have liked to have the POV listed on the chapter, but I guess that could have been problematic because sometimes the POV switched in the middle of a chapter. The "book" sections also didn't have their own chapter, but were the start of several  ... as mentioned, easier to distinguish in text, where the type was in italics. 

This was a good example of gray characters ... our MC isn't a very likeable person, and in her "story" (could be considered flashbacks) she has some "mommy moments" that do put her parenting skills into question.  These could make for some interesting book club discussions (was Helena right, was Simon right? Who was the "better" parent?)

When the reveal came, it was still interesting, but I had just been a bit put off at how drawn out it was. I liked the conclusion though, and the one little shift ... not a big "twist" but just leading you do think one thing when it's another. 

I was glad I grabbed this, but it's not one I'd rave over. 

Four f-bombs, one of the writer characters writes smut, so there's a couple titles and suggestive things thrown out, but nothing explicit that I recall. 

This was a random grab at a library sale (for my Little Free Library). I checked Goodreads and saw the ratings were good. I figured I'd give it a quick read before letting it go. As I'm a digi-girl, I grabbed the audio and kindle copies, easily available from the library. 

Phillip Hoose is the author, and he has 3rd person(past tense) portions giving background to the situation, then shifts to Knud Pedersen, not listed as an author, but written (and narrated) as straight from his mouth (1st person/past tense). In the audio, they had two narrators to differentiate (which I appreciated). 

The physical/Kindle copies also have quite a few illustrations. Maps, photos, notes, etc. Also sections where the text is set apart. While the audio was good/fine, I wonder if a text copy is the way to go (or both, as I often do).  There was a little song/lyrics ... just spoken in audio.  Also, as often happens in Audible books (I didn't double check Libby/Hoopla) but this had an intro (part of the story, I fear people skip "intros") which is listed as Chapter1, which then throws everything off, (chapter 1 is then listed as chapter 2 in the audio TOC). 

There was a "Notes" section which further clarified Knud's first person account (taken from interviews and emails and Knud's earlier published writings). I always find it interesting to have any and all information on the background/creation of the book, what is fact, etc. There was a full bibliography as well. Taking into consideration how an individual's memory may not be exact, I thought the documentation and presentation here was top notch.

There are SO MANY WW2 books, from different perspectives, countries, peoples. I feel like there's always a little more to learn. Here I think the main take-away for me was how Denmark and Norway handled the invasions (Denmark accepting it, much to the dismay of many, and Norway fighting), and how some people (kids) stepped up anyway.  A lot of it was narrative/informative, but it was enough of a story to keep my attention.  My boys are older now, but this is one I definitely would have recommended if they'd had to read a book for school (and could choose). 

I don't know if I will put this in the little library after all ... I think I might add it to my personal collection.

The OCD in me REALLY wanted to read this in September ... but the library hold didn't come in until October. Oh well, I'm manipulating my Storygraph Mood Map (usually "emotional/reflective" tops my chart) going for dark/tense/mysterious for spooky season. This fits the bill. I don't usually do horror. 

This was an odd mix, because our MC Margaret has this very blasé attitude about the whole "haunted house" thing. Oh, the walls are bleeding, well ... it's September. As long as I stay out of the way of the little boy he won't bite me, I'll just chat with the former housekeeper/ghost.  She does get a little more irritated than usual ... this is the first year without her husband Hal (he couldn't handle it and finally left) and with her daughter Katherine (who Margaret is trying to hide the haunting from). 

While gory (blood seeping down the walls, various "ghosts" who show the horrendous ways in which they were killed), the first half of the book doesn't feel that spooky. Especially in audio, the "voice" of the MC is just matter-of-fact and almost chipper about it all. She calls the murdered ghost children "pranksters" and as Fredricka says, goes on with her day, "needs must!"  ... "just because something is upsetting doesn't mean it is harmful" ...  something to deal with during the month of September.  

Bring in the daughter, who although she doesn't have a good relationship with her father (there was domestic abuse, some chapters flashback to the past ... no headers in the chapters, so of course nothing in the Table of Contents. I would have liked to do a quick look at some of the "past", but too hard to try and find them again, needing to flip through the text) ... but nonetheless, is a little worried as she hasn't heard from him in so long. When Margaret finally admits he left, Katherine wants to bring in the police, as it's just not right that he hasn't been in contact at all.  So add that complication to the whole "haunted house" and Margaret is dealing with a LOT this September!

Some thoughts/SPOILERS

so as soon as M/K were out looking for Hal and the people start saying "he's down there" (like the murdered children have been saying, pointing to the basement where Master Vale resides) ... ahhhhh, Hal is down there. Took a while for that reveal to be confirmed, but I wasn't surprised. I had also anticipated that Edie was a ghost too. I think I somewhat suspected the whole "Margaret is just crazy" idea, but hoped that wasn't going to be the explanation (ala "A Brilliant Mind" reveal), that would have been too easy an out. I wasn't expecting the carnage there in the last 1/3 ... that fulfilled the "horror" aspect more than anything up to that point in the book.

Overall, I liked the resolution/conclusion. 

First person/past tense. While there weren't technically two timelines, there were "present" chapters, and those in the past. Personally, I wish they had headers or something to distinguish them more. Anytime Hal was present, I knew it was the past, when Katherine was there, it was the present ... but why not just make it a little easier on the reader? We really don't know Hal in the present, but he does sound like he was pretty awful in the past (although he did seem to be better in the years before he left). 

Quite a bit of proFanity (x71). Nothing sexually explicit. Quite a bit of violence and gore/murder.

A pick for my WJ Bookclub - somewhat spooky (dark/tense) for the month of October. This was pretty action packed and grabbed my attention right away. I went with the audio for my initial experience, but will likely attempt to read some in review for bookclub. I have it in Kindle and hardcopy. 

Overall, I liked it. Written in the 3rd person/present tense, which felt a little stilted. I got a tad frustrated at the lack of headers, at the chapters/shift of POV. It was mainly from the mother's POV (Rachel) but we also saw from Kylie's eyes, the mysterious person behind the chain (just "she" ... we don't know who she is until later), Pete ... I think that was all. And not that it was impossible to figure out who's "chapter" is was, but is there anything wrong with making it EASY for the reader by providing a heading? One that can then be included on the Table of Contents? So that if I wanted to go double check something I remember happening in a "Kylie" chapter I could just check the TOC and know which chapters to turn to?  With the 3rd person omniscient overseer telling the story, and the same narrator in audio throughout, it all sounded the same. The chapter would start off with "she ______" and I'd think SHE WHO? Rachel, Kylie? The mystery woman? And sometimes it would be a few sentences in before it would clarify. I would have appreciated some distinction, or at least some helpful labeling.  There were dates/times listed, there was a Part 1 and a Part 2 ... the start of part two did NOT list a date, which again, would have been helpful, as this was a shift back in time (it's stated in the first sentence that it's "sometime in the late 1980s). The next chapter it's back to Rachel, sometime in the "present" no date listed, the unknown "she" until a ways down the page and we figure out it's Rachel. Again, as it switches around - HEADERS WOULD BE HELPFUL!

As for the story ... SPOILERS

while I can kind of accept that people would not go to the police because of the consequences, what are the odds that normal/everyday people at every step along the way of the chain, are going to be able to successfully kidnap a kid without getting caught (by random people around, by the kid getting away like Kylie almost did), that a couple could just kill a cop and somehow not leave behind any evidence and get away with it ... I had no idea kidnapping and murder were so easy to get away with! And lucky for Rachel that Pete knows so much to help with B&E, intimidation and tracking,  hacking, etc. Does everyone along the chain have some magical someone with such skills? And this is happening what, every few days, for years? And it's always successful and covered up? Ummmkay. Can someone come so close to death with a peanut allergy, and then just recover without any intervention (other than time?) So "annoying" how the big bad guys can just say "okay, now we want double the ransom" ... it's that kind of changeability that would make the chain breakdown, because they can't be trusted to keep their word. The Ginger reveal ... saw that coming. I need to brush up on medical stuff, after chemo and such, can someone easily (and safely) have a baby?)

There was no proFanity in this - surprising. 

We'll see if I update the review after bookclub discussion. 

I'll admit, I'm a little harsh in judgement with "thrillers" with the "twist you never saw coming" ... it annoys me how author's are always dropping little red herrings along the way, setting up suspects then the big "reveal" ...

First person/present tense for most of the chapters. Then there are the "podcast" sections ... one thing that really annoyed me is that these didn't even get their own listing (as a chapter or a section) in the table of contents.  Looking at the TOC (and while I didn't have a physical copy of this book, I assume it follows the trend of not even having a TOC) you can't tell where the podcasts are. I feel like they deserved their own listing, that readers might want to jump to the podcast sections/re-read ... I'd write up the titles of the podcasts for my own reference, except that it would be too much work to try and find them all in the text (they were at the end of some of the chapters). 

I'm normally not a fan of musical interludes in audiobooks (I had this in both audio and Kindle), because this was a set "podcast" recreation, I didn't mind it here. While I'm an audiobook addict, I've actually never listened to a podcast. This is the closest I've come (I think it'd been featured in another book or two that I've read/listened to). 

There was a lot of humor, and our MC is snarky. She's got amnesia (convenient ... not to sound like one of the characters, but it's something that seems to happen in books/movies, not really IRL) the night of the murder, so she doesn't know if she did it or not. She had no reason to, Savvy was her friend. But she has these imaginings of killing people, this voice in her head "let's kill" (which was annoyingly creepy in audio, a little over the top) that we/the reader are absolutely aware of. Red herring. 

Grandma guilts her into coming home - she hasn't been back in five years, since the murder. But she goes back now, when a podcast has brought her into the national limelight. I guess it needs to happen to move the story forward.

I guess I just get annoyed at all the coincidences and happenstance ... I'll suspend disbelief completely for fantasy and sci-fi and won't nit-pick and think "could that really happen" but in "realistic" books, I get a little snarky myself. 

SPOILERS

everyone is sleeping with everyone. Savvy just happened to have murdered someone in college and gotten away with it (even though she's "The Sweetest Girl You Ever Met" (title of the first podcast). Reveals of Savvy and that it's HER voice (not paranormal, just Lucy's imagination) that Lucy is hearing ... she's not so sweet! That Emmett would resort to murder - I mean I understand he was frustrated, but still, taking that step to murdering people? That Lucy just happens to not remember. That Emmett trusts that she won't ever remember and come forward.

Some things I highlighted - mostly things that tickled my funny bone over being something profound :) 

An insult doesn’t have the intended impact when spelled incorrectly.

People like to claim that food tastes better when it’s made with love—like how their grandmother’s pie didn’t taste right when they made it, so it must have been the love that made it good. This is bullshit, in my opinion. It was probably just extra butter or better-quality sugar that made it good. Dad’s cooking is proof of this. It is not made with love; it’s made with resentment and disappointment. And it still tastes fucking great.

... had she created a whole new memory around the bad information?  Lucy couldn’t tell what was real and what she was creating to try and remember. ** I always find "memory" and witness statement accuracy interesting **

What kind of twenty-two-year-old boy wants to get married these days anyway? We’re not Mormons, for Christ’s sake. ** Ha, Hubs was a 22-year old Mormon boy when he married me **

...he always tasted like booze. Or smelled like it. It was seeping from his pores ** alas **

...I don’t love it. **I once made a "I didn't love it" statement and it's been a joke between Hubs and I ever since. This sounded so similar it made me laugh. **

Lots of language (proFanity x 89), lots of sleeping around, nothing super explicit in the descriptions/sex scenes. 

I'm know I'm a hard judge for contemporary murder mysteries - I can definitely understand others really enjoying this one.