Jenn

decedent twist but…

Revisado: 04-15-25

nice job on creating quite despicable characters, and not the kind that have redemptive qualities or potential — i usually appreciate this if their personalities develop and can be redeemed. i didn’t feel it was the case in this story. it held my attention throughout, seemed like a typical and banal missing kid story but there is a little more to it. i almost stopped twice due to the narration which almost never, ever bothers me. nothing to write home about but kept my interest just enough.

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Great character development & interesting premise

Revisado: 01-18-25

This was one of the complete stories that allowed the reader to really ponder who did it, leaving just the right amount of bread crumbs throughout. It didn’t just all unfold at the very end like many books, and unraveled at a good pace. Good all around, would recommend. This is my first book from this author and definitely won’t be my last.

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Don’t Let the “Grandmother” Premise Deter You!

Revisado: 01-09-25

I was initially not interested in this storyline because what could a grandmother possibly do to propel the narrative or how could a captivating story be centered around a “good or bad grandmother”!? But I was wrong and there are of course many other characters, all of which are very well developed. The storyline is one of those where the author leaves breadcrumbs all along the way, so it unravels very methodically as the book goes on and you start putting things together.. This is unlike many, many, many, many, many other books where literally everything is revealed at the very end or worse in the epilogue. I go through at least two or three audiobooks a week and I was in a really weird lull where I couldn’t get into any book for almost 2 weeks and this book brought me right back. It will be hard to top this one. well done, recommended for sure.

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Ok but predictable

Revisado: 09-29-19

I was somewhat entertained by the story, there were a few parts where I lost interest as I found it very predictable. It is one of those books where you go on because you want to see how the author will make events unfold — to see if perhaps any unique twists will tossed in. The character development could’ve been stronger, especially the relationship between the main character and her husband so all of the details and certain parts of the book could’ve made more sense and be more impactful. Essentially, this book is about a woman called Claire who is a 43-year-old mother with a 5-year-old son, Jaime, and another son, Joshua, who is almost 17-years-old and she has been with her husband since high school. The plot goes back and forth from present day to her high school years when she joined a popular group of girls that called themselves the “Queen Bees” which involved being selected/nominated and inducted into the circle. Part of the induction required the nominee to perform a task/dare that is randomly selected i.e. walk into the teacher lounge and scream “FIRE” or go on a date with a specific person and kiss them etc. Present day, Claire is a solicitor/lawyer partner in a practice that she started with her best friend but took several years off to raise her youngest son. Once Jaime was old enough to start school, Claire goes back to work full-time and then things seemingly start to go downhill in her home life. Things that happened during her “Queen Bee” days slowly start to come into play. Traits and descriptions of main characters had a very weak link between their past and present so as I briefly mentioned, the development of their personalities didn’t propel the plot enough for me. Overall, I would not recommend this book but if it is already in your cart and you are right about to get it, I wouldn’t stop you per se, just so you can make your own assessment.

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esto le resultó útil a 6 personas

Not Exactly a Mystery/Thriller

Revisado: 09-26-19

This is not really a mystery/thriller/suspense story, it is a domestic drama and a slow one at that. I think that it gets away with being in this genre because it had a dark and uncertain mood as she slowly finds out about secrets, lies, and revelations about her past and present and the ending is the solidifying aspect of this categorization. But it really drags on and it doesn't help that the summary is so very, very vague – in fact, it is the most mysterious aspect of the book. If I had known what genre I was getting into I would rate it differently as I would know what to expect rather than continually anticipating for something thrilling – anything – to happen, and when it does, it is more of an afterthought at the end. With that said, this book is a narrative about a woman called Jo who is 38-years-old and has been a widow for two years. It is centered around her relationship with Kate, who has been her best friend since boarding school when they were 8-years-old. The plot goes back and forth from Jo's memories in grade school away from home, growing up, summers back at home, her late husband, other friends, and her two older brothers, Ben and Nigel. I was mildly entertained – but a majority of that was in anticipation of non-existent twists to occur. Overall, it is more of a dreary tale about a woman in her late 30's who reflects upon her life regrets and revelations that she comes across, the things she has to accept, and the steps she has to take in order to go on. It is not a terrible book, I was just expecting a mystery/thriller rather than a drawn-out drama.

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esto le resultó útil a 4 personas

Bubblegum story, but still entertaining

Revisado: 07-15-19

This book is super bubblegum even though it’s about very dark topics (a plethora of sexually deviant activities i.e. rape, sex clubs, promiscuity and corrupt politicians, betrayal etc.) which I’m used to since I love mystery/thrillers/suspense books and these themes are often part of the plot. All the relationships in this book involve some over-powering man and a meek woman who doesn’t stick up for themselves or a relationship between some overbearing person and a passive person who doesn’t do the right thing. And the protagonist, Bev, is no exception but ultimately becomes the only person to redeem everyone wronged in the story. So, the sole reason I continued on with the book was because all the characters were so wildly pathetic that I had to see at least some redemption happen. The narration was a bit over the top with the characters, almost as if they were being mocked rather than being depicted for who they were supposed to be, but to the point that it made me abhor certain characters based on how they spoke which was in an extremely patronizing manner. Bev, who is 30 years old pretty much lived a life of hardship and unfairness and after she had enough, she tries to turn her life around, but not without monumental struggle. Most of the characters, except maybe 2 people, were not very likable. I was entertained by the book because I just took it for what it was without further expectation of shrewdness or intricacy of an advanced mystery/thriller, and I only finished it because as I mentioned, I had to see at least some redemption for Bev and all the weak characters and their unfortunate circumstances that were really underscored. Everything Bev did was done with haste, impulsivity and little thought, which is likely supposed to be part of her personality but it made most incidents implausible, clumsy, and the main contributor to the bubblegum feel of the book. Overall, I wasn’t impressed with the character development and the characters themselves, or even the narration, but I’m sure there are many readers or listeners out there who might be able to overlook this and enjoy the book more than I did.

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Charming, entertaining, take it for what it is

Revisado: 07-09-19

This is a very charming and wholly entertaining book. It is of the genre of “blunt” storytelling of grandparents and via the perspective of one female named Vivian, through the span of her lifetime starting at age 19 — way back in 1940. The story is a response to the question of someone named Angela who contacts her asking “who were you to my father?” and the story begins from that point in her life. Vivian was a Vassar college dropout with a useful talent in sewing who moved to NYC with an eccentric aunt and her ragtag assemblage of friends and company. I read the other reviews which were all almost hands-down hit or miss, so its definitely a niche target audience as I saw many negative ones referring to the story as self-indulgent and narcissistic and too long etc. and I understand why some would say that, especially because of how the book is framed — someone asking “who were you to my dad” and instead of a basic answer, you get 15 hr+ tale that spans generations that does indeed have a focus on how beautiful she had been and how wealthy her family was and the assortment of awesome friends she met along the way. But there is also tragedy and loss maybe not much but you just have to take it at face value that this is how some people’s lives are and it’s just interesting to get a glimpse at it. I was very entertained by the book, I’m usually a mystery/thriller/suspense reader/listener but very much enjoy these good stories of life reflection from people and places I’m not familiar with.

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Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind + Stranger Things

Revisado: 07-04-19

This was a very solid and intriguing story, the plot isn’t common and it was quite interesting and entertaining overall. I wasn’t sure what area of mystery/suspense it was going to be but it is a cross between the movies: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - (with Kate Winslet and Jim Carey) But minus the love story drama, and the Netflix series Stranger Things - minus the demons/aliens/creatures. I was impressed of how smoothly the story played out especially since I really wasn’t sure what to expect.

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esto le resultó útil a 3 personas

Interesting storytelling

Revisado: 07-02-19

This was a decently entertaining book, especially the way it was told through three different perspectives because it wasn’t just three separate accounts of the exact same thing — rather it was a blend of flashbacks and present circumstances. The story is set in Sweden and centers around the Swedish judicial and law enforcement system. The father is a pastor but did not behave like one in almost every way, you wouldn’t even know he was a church official if it wasn’t mentioned by him or the other characters. Although the summary focuses on the story being one of family and what they’ll do for each other, it’s as equally if not more, a story of how strong the bonds of friendship can be and what it can withstand. The story also encompasses image and the disparity of how families want to be perceived compared to what is actually going on at home. It is quite long and I can see how it may seem like it’s dragging on but again, the different perspectives is interesting and makes up for it.

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esto le resultó útil a 43 personas

Wow! Excellent all-around & AMAZING narrator!!

Revisado: 06-26-19

This is one of those books that is so good in every aspect that I feel the need to go back and re-rate past books I’ve rated as 5 stars to 4 or even 3 (author-wise and narration-wise). Logistically, this book is so complicated, interwoven, detailed and descriptive that it might seem impossible to execute in general let alone as excellently as Denise Mina so capably did. I’m so in awe of how she told this tale, it’s almost like she took an amazing movie that is so cinematically and visually impressive and then somehow turned it into a book as equally impressive through sheer storytelling — and without compromise. Everything was beyond great: character development, pacing, unfolding of twists and turns. In the very, very beginning I really couldn’t see how anything that was being introduced could possibly make any interesting sense at all or if it did, how it would even be appealing, but obviously, it all did and superbly so. Lastly, wow, most definitely the best narration I’ve heard, Cathleen McCarron literally did dozens of accents, ages, emotions, and genders so perfectly and believable without being offensive or overly dramatic. Bravo, I highly recommend this book.

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esto le resultó útil a 76 personas