this is goooooood! if you want a character-centered domestic thriller, you might wanna check this out.

Claire seems to have a good life, being the wife of a rich philanthropist who wants to run on the Senate. But behind closed doors, the man she marries isn't who he truly is. So she has planned her own disappearance, and that is to go to Detroit, escape further north, and live the life as a woman reborn. But then something dire occurs. She doesn't know what to do anymore, now that her plan is about to fail. Then she meets this woman, Eva, who appears to have a similar experience as hers. A woman who wishes to leave everything behind, move on from her husband's death. With this chance encounter, they decide to swap tickets. So Claire takes Eva's identity, and Eva takes her. Everything tumbles down when Eva's flight crashes, leaving no survivors, and Claire discovers that the woman she switch tickets with isn't the woman whom she claims to be.

Is the synopsis appealing to you? If yes, then do yourself a favor and read this book. The writing is good! Julie Clark really knows the psyche of her characters. The narration style, the introspection are just spot on! The female leads are strong-willed and flawed. Their motivations are clear, allowing me to root for them. In terms of the 'thriller' aspect, while this book is not as gritty or mind-fucking as other books that I've read, I am entertained by the way the dual POV and dual timelines work, interweaving a complex narrative, and funneling down to an exciting climax and satisfying conclusion. Maybe one of the reasons why I didn't give this a full five stars is because I wasn't blown away by any of the twists, and that's fine.

Lastly, I really appreciate the message it tries to tell, especially now we're in an era where its relatively easier to come out to the public and report any abuse that you've been enduring for God knows when.