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reading_under_covers's Reviews (1.61k)
Lucy and her husband Adam are best friends (practically family!) with another couple, Cora and Scott. When looking at a coworker’s honeymoon photos, Lucy swears there’s a photo of Scott in the bunch with a woman who isn’t Cora. In her search for answers, Lucy bites off more than she can chew and the foursome’s secrets start to reveal themselves.
THE COUPLE IN THE PHOTO by Helen Cooper is a domestic thriller full of intrigue and a codependence I haven’t seen in a while!
This book started off pretty strong for me - the setup of the mystery and the gaslighting made me want to keep reading.
However, the characters soon became grating and the twists just weren’t twisty enough for me in terms of making the plot more interesting.
A fine read that makes me just a bit hesitant to dive into Cooper’s backlist.
Thanks to NetGalley and Putnam Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Publication Date: December 5
Sooo bummed I didn’t love this one as its apparently her most popular and the one people always rave about 😭
I find myself constantly coming back to Jeneva’s work and being sidelined by her writing (often cringe) and the twists (often predictable) and the characters (often laughable)
This one was really predictable to me (except for the end, which is something) and the characters suuuucked. The premise was extremely intriguing, but the execution fell flat.
I find myself constantly coming back to Jeneva’s work and being sidelined by her writing (often cringe) and the twists (often predictable) and the characters (often laughable)
This one was really predictable to me (except for the end, which is something) and the characters suuuucked. The premise was extremely intriguing, but the execution fell flat.
Finally got around to reading Taylor Adams' debut novel and it was just as thrilling as his other work!
I found this book to have a lot of similar elements to his book HAIRPIN BRIDGE (and couldn't help but wonder if EYESHOT could have just been a reference for, imo, a more thought out and emotional book)
That aside, I found myself loving our main characters, the tension was ON POINT, and the thrill really doesn't stop until the very end!
An overall rating of three stars because of the repeated use of problematic language that only added a cringeness to the story.
I found this book to have a lot of similar elements to his book HAIRPIN BRIDGE (and couldn't help but wonder if EYESHOT could have just been a reference for, imo, a more thought out and emotional book)
That aside, I found myself loving our main characters, the tension was ON POINT, and the thrill really doesn't stop until the very end!
An overall rating of three stars because of the repeated use of problematic language that only added a cringeness to the story.
Molly the maid is back in this fun sequel to THE MAID!
THE MYSTERY GUEST sees us back at the Regency Grand Hotel where a very bookish murder has taken place. Molly is filled with secrets in this one as she uses her meticulous observational skills to help find the killer.
Big thanks to Random House and Penguin Random House audio for my early physical and audio copies of this book! I listened on audio and found it to be a great experience.
I think this book works best if you've already read the first one (just to get a better understanding of Molly and the other characters), and you'll be delighted to see a lovely cast of returning faces!
This one alternates between the past and present, which added some tension to the story, and the overall hijinks in it were so fun!
Would definitely classify this sequel as a hit!
Publication Date: November 28
THE MYSTERY GUEST sees us back at the Regency Grand Hotel where a very bookish murder has taken place. Molly is filled with secrets in this one as she uses her meticulous observational skills to help find the killer.
Big thanks to Random House and Penguin Random House audio for my early physical and audio copies of this book! I listened on audio and found it to be a great experience.
I think this book works best if you've already read the first one (just to get a better understanding of Molly and the other characters), and you'll be delighted to see a lovely cast of returning faces!
This one alternates between the past and present, which added some tension to the story, and the overall hijinks in it were so fun!
Would definitely classify this sequel as a hit!
Publication Date: November 28
This is the first courtroom thriller/drama I’ve read where we focus on the plaintiffs and defendants rather than the members of the jury and it was ~dark~
I had to take this one at a slower pace just because of the subject matter, but the rotating POVs did make it hard to put down.
Shocked that this is a debut!
I had to take this one at a slower pace just because of the subject matter, but the rotating POVs did make it hard to put down.
Shocked that this is a debut!
I wanted so badly to like this book because that cover!! BUT the few chapters I did read were dull, with zero world-building, and characters that all felt a tad flat.
There’s always a bit of risk in picking up one of Christie’s standalones because sometimes the lack of Poirot or Miss Marple can throw it all out of whack.
However, I really enjoyed this one and Emily ended up being such a great stand-in detective! This one has all those wintery vibes and some seances, which were a fun surprise.
However, I really enjoyed this one and Emily ended up being such a great stand-in detective! This one has all those wintery vibes and some seances, which were a fun surprise.
Loved getting some one on one time with Vero!!
This was a fun little mystery, but did make me wonder if the Vero we’ve come to know and love is all thanks to her dynamic with Finlay?? Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoyed her character in this, but she was missing some of that “take no shit” attitude.
A fun novella, regardless, to tide us over until the next book release.
This was a fun little mystery, but did make me wonder if the Vero we’ve come to know and love is all thanks to her dynamic with Finlay?? Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoyed her character in this, but she was missing some of that “take no shit” attitude.
A fun novella, regardless, to tide us over until the next book release.
I finally got around to reading this one!
I listened on audio, which was a fun experience and, while I found the story to be very harrowing, being told from the pov of a 5-year-old with very specific language abilities did get tiring.
Overall, a very unique telling of a specific life-changing situation.
I listened on audio, which was a fun experience and, while I found the story to be very harrowing, being told from the pov of a 5-year-old with very specific language abilities did get tiring.
Overall, a very unique telling of a specific life-changing situation.