Tag: domestic thriller

Reviews

Behind Her Eyes Review

by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment on Behind Her Eyes Review

*BEWARE OF SPOILERS*

Louise is a single mom, a secretary, stuck in a modern-day rut. On a rare night out, she meets a man in a bar and sparks fly. Though he leaves after they kiss, she’s thrilled she finally connected with someone. When Louise arrives at work on Monday, she meets her new boss, David. The man from the bar. The very married man from the bar…who says the kiss was a terrible mistake but who still can’t keep his eyes off Louise.

Louise I enjoyed as a character. Her perspective being the other woman in a marriage was interesting to read from especially since she’s quite relatable. Some of the decisions she makes like continuing her friendship with Adele were not the greatest but I can see why she would want to.

Adele I honestly thought was inconsequential at first. I figured this was just mainly focus on David’s infidelity’s and finding out that he was actually behind the fire that killed her parents. I definitely didn’t think she would progress into the sociopathic character she was portrayed to be in the end. I was very much intrigued and entertained by the way she played Louise and orchestrated everything, to say I was shocked would be an understatement.

David is a tricky one. I can understand the predicament he has found himself in being stuck in this marriage with Adele but if he would of just come clean from the start like he wanted to none of this would of happened. I think he is just as culpable as Adele and I feel like there should of been some ramifications for being an accessory. He is still a cheater at the end of the day and there was nothing really about the man that appealed to me. I don’t understand why Adele and Louise are both so enamored by him, we only ever see him drunk and crazed most of the time.

The overall pacing was very well done. Though not a lot happens for about 3/4 of this book I still felt compelled to continue reading and figure out what Adele was going to do next and what was this secret she was holding over David’s head. I liked the supernatural element, it gave the book a little excitement, especially after Louise figured it out.

⭐️4/5 stars That last twist at the end was mind blowing!!

Reviews

Local Woman Missing Review

by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment on Local Woman Missing Review

*A FEW SPOILERS*

Shelby Tebow is the first to go missing. Not long after, Meredith Dickey and her six-year-old daughter, Delilah, vanish just blocks away from where Shelby was last seen, striking fear into their once-peaceful community. Are these incidents connected? After an elusive search that yields more questions than answers, the case eventually goes cold. Now, 11 years later, Delilah shockingly returns. Everyone wants to know what happened to her, but no one is prepared for what they’ll find….

First of all reading from Delilah’s point of view those first few chapters where we find out what happened to her was horrible. I can’t imagine being in that situation, being abused and starved on a regular basis for years and still having the courage to fight and break free from her captors. It really showed her resilience and perseverance and I was glad she was able to escape from those horrors and find her way back to her family!

Meredith on the other hand I didn’t really care all to much about. She clearly has taken on too much with her two jobs and taking care of Leo and Delilah, letting things go where she would of otherwise taken a lot more serious. I don’t understand why she didn’t just tell her husband about what was going on with Shelby and that malpractice case as well as the threatening texts she was receiving. She claims to love and trust him more than anything yet she’s keeping all of these secrets from him, struggling to maintain her lifestyle and feeling guilty about sending her son to day care when she doesn’t even really need to work.

I was confused as to why we were getting the perspective from Kate but she definitely added much needed context and diversity to the storyline. I can’t say I was particularly attached to either of them but their dynamic was interesting to read from and to get an outside but still close look at the aftermath of Meredith and Delilah going missing. Leo’s perspective was my favourite though! I loved his candour and unapologetic nature of his thoughts and feelings. He has had to deal with a lot growing up under the shadow of this tragedy and more often than not he is overlooked and unappreciated.

The pacing started off a little slow for me and I found myself getting disinterested the first half of the book. But then when we start finding out about what happened to Shelby and then when all of the timelines converge and we get the full truth it all felt a bit rushed. I can’t honestly say this would be a believable scenario that would ever play out, it was a little over the top and ridiculous but still entertaining and unpredictable!

⭐️3/5 stars Good not great!

Reviews

Big Little Lies Review

by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment on Big Little Lies Review

*A Bit Spoilery*

Big Little Lies is about a group of mums with kids starting kindergarten together and the dangerous little lies they tell themselves every day and what really goes on behind closed suburban doors.

I really enjoyed Madeline’s character probably the most out of all of them. She is just so relatable and is fiercely loyal to her friends and demonstrates that continually throughout the book. She knows she is rocking the boat most of the time and isn’t sticking to the status quo which makes her a very entertaining and unpredictable character. We get to know a lot about her relationship with her husband and kids and her ex-husband and his new family. I think she definitely had a right to her feelings and it was fun to see her get petty and hate on Bonny.

I knew that there was more to Jane’s story about Ziggy that we weren’t told, especially the reason behind the move to Perriwillee. She chose the town for a reason and that was always at the back of my mind when we are given more information about who the father of Ziggy is and what he did to her, I just didn’t quite connect the dots. I just wish we would of had a chance to delve more into the ramifications of what happened to her that night and how it has developed into her personality. Like Madeleine confides in her friends about what is happening with her and has her husband to vent to and Celeste goes to therapy but Jane gets a haircut and suddenly she’s fine??

I really feel for Celeste throughout the course of the book and what she has to endure. I can’t fathom how hard being in that kind of relationship would be and how she has to reason with herself as to why it’s happening and what she could of done to prevent it. I liked that she made the conscientious decision to go to therapy and try to gain that confidence to leave Perry and when it was revealed that it was affecting her kids she immediately made up her mind to go.

I really enjoyed the format of the book with the countdown to the trivia night. Knowing that one of these characters is now dead and trying to figure out who did it and who died really built up the anticipation. The mystery behind who was the school bully was intriguing and it was entertaining to see these mothers going around gossiping about their lives. This was definitely better than what I was expecting and it was nice to read a book with the setting here in Australia, I don’t get many of those.

⭐️4/5 stars Captivating and unexpected!

Reviews

My Lovely Wife Review

by amyleighreads1 Comment on My Lovely Wife Review

39796904This was a roller-coaster ride!

This book follows the story of a suburban couple who decided to spice up their marriage by murdering people!

I absolutely loved the concept of this book! Reading from an inside perspective of the killers is something that you don’t really come across in thrillers. Especially when the husband kind of portrays himself as the innocent bystander really and Millicent is the one who does all of the dirty work. Looking after his daughter when she is sick and being so in the dark of what his wife is really capable of.

I actually really loved Millicent’s character! I love how meticulous and mercurial she is. Her rigidity and need for order and structure in all aspects of her life and how controlling she is of her family was an indication of how she truly is but I didn’t pick up on anything! She was really unpredictable and I had no idea of what she was capable of. I definitely wanted to know where she was keeping the girls and when she was going to see them, but through her husband’s perspective she really covers every aspect of her crimes and very nearly got away with it all!

I like the fact the even though we are deep in the husband’s mind and we are reading through his perspective we only know him as Tobias which is his alter-ego. The fact that we aren’t even given a name I think proves how inconspicuous he is and how easily he is able to blend into society without a second thought or glance.

I thought the pacing of the book was perfect! We are really given just enough to keep turning the pages and the sense of foreboding is implemented really well throughout the course of the plot. Every page I was waiting and anticipating for when the other shoe was going to drop and the truth was going to come out. And when the climax finally did occur it was totally unexpected and shocked me! The twists and the turns really keep you engaged and the characters and their lives kept you enthralled.

I highly enjoyed this book and I feel it’s one of the best domestic, suspenseful thrillers I’ve ever read!

⭐️4.5/5 stars calculating, twisted & dark!