DNF 39%. Slow moving story.

Merged review:

DNF 39%. Slow moving story.

3.5

Reading this I felt an inexorable pull towards disaster - it couldn't end well, surely there wasn't any resolution that would be satisfactory for Evie .... I kept wanting to read the end few pages so at least I knew what was going to happen .... I didn't. And I was glad I didn't because it would have been like a smack in the head when you were expecting quicksand.

A brilliant ending, with pages of tension all the way through.

I really enjoyed the story structure with the flash forwards and backs giving out the clues piecemeal. I started to have an inkling of who Jim was just a few scenes before it was revealed, but I found myself surprised by how quick the last few scenes went. I wish the conclusion had been longer, more about what immediately happened to Kate. I know it was meant to be a little up-in-the-air, but it still felt a little rushed.

I think my favourite part was realizing about the hot water incident. As the scene was playing out, I realized that we had been exposed to the gaslighting mich earlier than I had expected, which was a nice little shock just as the other parts were starting to come into view.

Also, the justice system of Aus and NZ must be very different indeed to what I know. I was generally confused about how the police/reporters/etc were handling things, but that didn't detract as I figured that Kate also wouldn't have known what to expect.

This is not a book I would necessarily have picked out for myself based on the cover (mine had a secluded cabin on an empty plain), but I enjoyed my lunchtime reading material and am glad I received it as a gift.

Merged review:

I really enjoyed the story structure with the flash forwards and backs giving out the clues piecemeal. I started to have an inkling of who Jim was just a few scenes before it was revealed, but I found myself surprised by how quick the last few scenes went. I wish the conclusion had been longer, more about what immediately happened to Kate. I know it was meant to be a little up-in-the-air, but it still felt a little rushed.

I think my favourite part was realizing about the hot water incident. As the scene was playing out, I realized that we had been exposed to the gaslighting mich earlier than I had expected, which was a nice little shock just as the other parts were starting to come into view.

Also, the justice system of Aus and NZ must be very different indeed to what I know. I was generally confused about how the police/reporters/etc were handling things, but that didn't detract as I figured that Kate also wouldn't have known what to expect.

This is not a book I would necessarily have picked out for myself based on the cover (mine had a secluded cabin on an empty plain), but I enjoyed my lunchtime reading material and am glad I received it as a gift.

I honestly don't know how this book got such great reviews. Aside from the last maybe 5% it was a total slog for me. The ending was sort of an unexpected twist but it wasn't worth the boring garbage I had to wade through to get there.

It just kept getting better. Started out as more of a 3/5 but the final part is what put it over the top. Really well written and uses a lot of clever devices to move the plot