Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC copy I’m exchange for a review. 

I was so looking forward to this one. Dystopian novels are usually right up my alley, but Harrow just didn’t deliver. From what I’ve seen from rave reviews, the writing style for this one is similar to her other novels. However, the style seemed clunky and nothing seemed to connect. If I’m being honest, if this is how her earlier works are, I’m surprised she won the Pulitzer in 2001.

Book 1 was a hot mess. Random scene changes with so many characters and nothing seemed to connect. Book 2 was getting better, the plot seemed to be tying together but the characters were insufferable. 

Also, what’s a dystopian novel without science? From the bit I read, there was little science and little mention of how America plunged in this dystopia. It was all theory. 

She’s obviously a well beloved author, but she’s not for me. 

Thank you Grand Central for an ARC and a finished copy in exchange for a review. 

Dava Shastri has ulterior motives.

Dava Shasri is a horrible person.

Dava Shastri's last day was too long.

Dava Shastri did not raise a single decent person.

Dava Shastri traumatized her grandchildren. 

Interesting premise that did not deliver. Too many unlikeable people and no one to cheer for except maybe a son-in-law, Colin, and the four grandkids.

Dava basically gathered her family at their family compound to find how what the world would say about her death, but she ended up finding out what her kids thought about her and her actions when they were younger. 

For a character driven novel - there was zero character development for anyone minus Dava (and that wasn’t even that great).

I do recommend the audiobook. Soneela Nankani was fantastic and I’d love to dive into other audiobooks she’s done. Plus, there was the song ‘Dava’ at the end.

Funny You Should Ask Me why I finished this.

Here’s the thing, I had decided to DNF but then needed a bit of a distraction. 

What do I usually read when I need a distraction? Fan fiction. 

What is this? Basically fan fiction of GQ article with zero acknowledgment of that said article.

Was great for a distraction but the romance had zero spark, the writing and dialogue was cringe, and there was basically no reasoning as to why the two people actually loved each other. 

I was considering giving this two stars, but the ending left me wanting A LOT more. Actually this whole book left me wanting a lot more. 

For better writing and romance, see AO3.

Watching paint dry isn't as dull as this was. 


Once upon a time, I would have made myself trudge through and finish this book. However, after listening to 28% of this book on audio, I won't subject myself to that. 

The constant sudden timeline jumping alone is a huge reason why this isn't successful for me. It was jarring and it took me awhile on audio to realize there were sudden time jumps. Speaking of the audio, the audiobook was so slow and it was 17 hours long, I had to listen at 2.5x speed just to make it bearable. 

This was a day to day happenings of an Indian Muslim family living in America, but there was no depth to anyone. Then, the minute there would be possible character building to make me care about the characters, the timeline would jump. Plus, there were so many minor characters that added NOTHING. 

This needed editing. This probably could've been shorter and maybe cleaning up the timeline jumps to make them obvious would've helped me a little bit. 

I suppose slow, family sagas aren't always up my alley, but sometimes they do work for me. However, this was a miss for me and I'm honestly wondering if I was reading the same book all of the five star reviewers read.

Unexpectedly good. I don’t read much historical fiction anymore, but enjoyed the dual timeline and dual POV in this one. I just wish the timelines would have been a bit more cohesive. 

Now this is a well written and well researched true crime book. I’d call this a must read.

I had never heard of the main case covered in this one and I enjoyed the fact that the author had actually researched and also did some experiments. Not to mention she got to discuss the case with one of the people from the beginning of the FBI behavior analysis unit?? GOALS. 

I absolutely devoured this which is so weird to say for a true crime book. I highly recommend on audio, but it was also great in print. 

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for a galley of this recent release. 

Sometimes the pacing in a book can make or a break a book for me and sadly it broke this one for me. The pacing was so different between the POVs that I found it difficult to settle in and enjoy the book. 

Additionally, at only 100 pages in, there were already some repetitive things including Natalie's insomnia and that Michael has a secret. I don't know about other readers, but I don't need reminded of those things constantly. 

I also agree with some reviews from those that finished that at only 100 pages in that this was going to be too long of a book.

Super cute and a fast read when I finally sat down to read it. 

Would’ve been a 5 or 4.5 stars but there’s something about what Dean recited in his head that made me cringe. 

If you enjoyed Rock, Paper, Scissors by Alice Feeney and are looking for another thriller with face blindness - pick this one up!

I devoured this in a day on audio and highly recommend picking up that format. 

The Resting Place has dual timeline and dual perspective which makes for a page turning read. I found this creepy and tense with dysfunctional family and the perfect atmospheric setting. 

Plus, this thriller has no drunk, unreliable woman as the lead character. Other authors please take note!! 

DNF. I listened to two hours of southern, rich woman drama and I’m not going to punish myself anymore.

Anyone feel free to spoil it for me 😂