Tag: adult mystery

Reviews

The Wife Between Us Review

by amyleighreads1 Comment on The Wife Between Us Review

*SPOILERS!*

34189556Was definitely very thrilling!

Vanessa’s husband of 7 years just recently left and divorced her already moving on to the next woman, who is like a younger version of herself.

I love how we are always misdirected in this book. It says it in the blurb to not make assumptions about this love triangle but of course I thought Vanessa was just another alcoholic housewife whose husband has left her and moved on to greener pastures. I was so invested in the storyline that I almost forgot that it was a thriller and when that first plot twist hit me I was thrown for a second. I connected more with Nellie than Vanessa initially when I started reading and then when I came to find out they are the same person it shocked me. It really made me stop and look back at what I had already read and see how it all pieced together.

All of the jumping between time periods was also very effective. I was easily able to follow along and again try to piece together Vanessa’s life and how everything managed to work out the way it did. The second half of the book really went in another direction that I wasn’t expecting. Seeing Vanessa’s motives shift quite suddenly from essentially sabotaging the wedding to wanting to save Emma and reading how almost manic she was really propelled the plot forward and made the book as a whole a lot more thrilling for me.

Vanessa’s arc over the course of the book was almost inspirational. There was already so much she had to overcome from her early twenties and everything that happened in college, then to seemingly find the man of your dreams and think that you are set for life only to have that fall through as well. I was happy that Vanessa decided to fight and not just give up and let Richard continue his ways with Emma.

I was very much engaged throughout the course of this book and all of the twists and turns kept me invested in the plot! I will definitely be reading An Anonymous Girl soon to see how it compares!

⭐️4/5 stars Fast paced, addictive, page turning!!

Reviews

The Woman in the Window Review

by amyleighreads2 Comments on The Woman in the Window Review

40389527A solid mystery/thriller!

This book follows the story of Anna a woman who for the past 10 months has been stuck inside her home with an intense form of agoraphobia. Everything is going fine until one day she see’s something happen across the street that she wasn’t supposed to see.

Even though this a highly popular mystery thriller I still don’t want to spoil it for anyone who hasn’t read the book yet, so just bear that in mind.

I found the book to be a little slow at the beginning. Learning about Anna and her life and going through the motions was a little repetitive but effective in perspective as we are really getting a feel for what she goes through everyday. It really highlights how easy it is to be able to survive in this modern era without ever having to leave your home.

The pacing really picked out and continued to grow throughout the course of the book. The major plot point happens pretty early on in the book and then having the seeds of doubt planted into Anna’s mind making her second guess herself really prolonged the suspense. 

As a character I found her to be a little unlikeable yet relatable in a way. She stays true to her convictions and she still tries to help other people and doll out advice and just an ear to people like her. I can’t really fault her in any way as she does the best she can with her current circumstances.

I liked the twists and revelations that occur in the book as well. I am not really an avid reader of mysteries or thrillers so all the tropes are relatively new to me. I enjoyed the steady progression of suspense and the flashbacks really helped to establish Anna’s frame of mind and why she is so adamant in finding out the truth. It definitely kept me intrigued and eager to read on and see what was going to happen next. I couldn’t predict any of the plot points so I was definitely surprised when the truth was finally uncovered.

⭐️4/5 I can see why it was so hyped!

Reviews

The Death of Mrs Westaway Review

by amyleighreads3 Comments on The Death of Mrs Westaway Review

* A BIT SPOILERY*

36373481This was amazing!

The main protagonist Hal has been struggling on her own ever since her mum died from a hit and run at the front of her house. She has had to resort to getting a loan of some unsavoury people and now they are coming to collect. With no money and hardly any work she thinks it’s a godsend when she receives a letter addressed to her from a lawyer who is an executor for the estate of a woman he claims is her grandmother. Hal knows this woman is not her grandmother and they must have gotten her name mixed up with someone else, but what if she went anyway?

 I was absolutely enthralled from the offset. I love that we get an introduction to Hal by herself and learn a lot about her and her struggles. I love that we see her fraught and run down and pushed to the limits enough for her to even consider deceiving these people. The fact that throughout the course of meeting the lawyer and then Mrs Warren and the family she still has misgivings about what she is doing and I think that that kind of manifested physically. Always being cold in that house and not eating enough and passing out and having a fever after the will was finally read out. I like that she follows her conscience in the end and actually tells the brothers the truth, which eventually leads her to discover her own truths.

The familial side of the book really drew me in as well. The little secrets and the way they interacted with each other had me thoroughly entertained! The grief that they exhibit when they find out that their sister was dead felt real to me and I appreciated that they all grieved for her differently, it showed how much depth these characters have and it really helped me to distinguish between them. The letters were a nice bridge between the past and the present as well. I found myself immersing into the family history and really trying to figure out the mystery of Maud and where she has gone.

The overall tone of the book was very dark and foreboding and also very cold, be it the weather or the house and even Mrs Warren. I finished this book in basically one sitting and I was swept into this story by Ruth Ware’s immensely detailed and descriptive prose. I loved every second of this book. The mystery elements really kept me on my toes; the pacing was perfect and the plot twists… OMG! I did not see anything coming and I was very much surprised and satisfied with how this book ended!

⭐️5/5 Mysterious, dark and chilling!!!