Always Never Yours

By: Emily Wibberley & Austin Siegemund-Broka
Published Year: 2018
Publisher: Speak
Pages: 336

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Shouldn't a girl get to star in her own love story?

Seventeen-year-old Megan Harper is about due for her next sweeping romance. It's inevitable—each of her relationships starts with the perfect guy and ends with him falling in love . . . with someone else. But instead of feeling sorry for herself, Megan focuses on pursuing her next fling, directing theater, and fulfilling her dream college's acting requirement in the smallest role possible.

So when she’s cast as Juliet (yes, that Juliet) in her high school’s production, it’s a complete nightmare. Megan’s not an actress, and she’s used to being upstaged—both in and out of the theater. In fact, with her mom off in Texas and her dad remarried and on to baby #2 with his new wife, Megan worries that, just like her exes, her family is moving on without her.

Then she meets Owen Okita, an aspiring playwright inspired by Rosaline from Shakespeare's R+J. A character who, like Megan, knows a thing or two about short-lived relationships. Megan agrees to help Owen with his play in exchange for help catching the eye of a sexy stagehand/potential new boyfriend. Yet Megan finds herself growing closer to Owen, and wonders if he could be the Romeo she never expected.

First Impressions

That cover! This color blue/green is my favorite. I love minty blues and it immediately caught my eye. Add in the pop of pink for the flowers and the font of the title and I was in without reading the summary. The summary was interesting, but honestly, didn’t draw me in as much as the cover did. In fact, I only requested it from the library when a couple of other books I wanted were unavailable.

What I thought

I did not have a book this summer that made me feel the way some of my other favorites have made me feel, until this one. In fact, this was my first 5 star rated book since January!

Megan is known as the boy-crazy school flirt. She always has a boyfriend and isn’t ashamed to flirt and go after who she wants. The problem is that every guy she dates breaks up with her a few months into their relationship because they have found their true love in someone else. Megan’s dream is to become a director and she has been working towards that dream since her freshman year of high school. As it’s her senior year, she is required by the college program she want to attend to act in at least one production. She auditions for Romeo and Juliet and, to her horror, ends up as Juliet. During the production, she meets Owen.

Everything about this book worked for me. I feel like in some books a character like Megan would be slut-shamed and I really appreciated that this did not occur. Yes, some of the girls implied that they didn’t respect Megan as much because she had been sexually active with so many guys, but it didn’t turn into a bullying situation and Megan stood up for herself. Megan is a strong character and is comfortable in who she is and what she wants. However, she isn’t perfect. She has her flaws and weaknesses but throughout this story she faces them.

Owen is adorable. He is sweet and kind and innocent. Meghan talks about how she loves embarrassing him until the tips of his ears turn red and I just loved that. I also loved seeing him get more and more comfortable with himself and learning how to take Megan’s teasing.

When I read the summary, the part of the story that kind of put me off was Romeo and Juliet. Rome and Juliet is not one of my favorite Shakespeare stories and I was worried that it was going to negatively influence the story. I think Wibberley and Siegemund-Broka balanced the story wonderfully. I related to the fact that Megan, while she appreciated the story, didn’t understand or relate to Juliet. The ins and outs of their theater production were wonderful to read as well. Having been in theater in high school, I felt like I was taken back but drawn more into the drama that can be the theater world.

On top of the great story, there are great relationships. Megan has two best friends, Madeline and Anthony. Their friendships aren’t perfect, but very real. I loved reading about all of them. I also liked Megan’s family dynamic. Her parents are divorced and she lives with her dad and his new wife and child in Oregon, while her mom moved to Texas.

I think what I found so enjoyable about this story is that it was fresh and not full of clichés. Megan had her issues but was confident and knew who she was. She and all of the characters around her grew as people and there were plenty of squeal worthy moments. There were moments when I thought I was going to get annoyed with Megan, but then she would have an inner commentary and it would address whatever I was starting to get annoyed about and I would find myself liking her even more.

I mean, what else is there to say? I loved this book. The high school world was perfectly built, the relationships were true, and the romance adorable. I also really enjoyed the writing. It didn’t feel like it was written by two authors and definitely did not read like a debut. I have already added their 2019 novel to my to-read list and am looking forward to it. I would gladly turn around and read this again. If you are a young adult fan, I highly recommend this book. It is delightful.

Ghosted

By: Rosie Walsh
Published Year: 2018
Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books
Pages: 337

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Seven perfect days. Then he disappeared. A love story with a secret at its heart.

When Sarah meets Eddie, they connect instantly and fall in love. To Sarah, it seems as though her life has finally begun. And it's mutual: It's as though Eddie has been waiting for her, too. Sarah has never been so certain of anything. So when Eddie leaves for a long-booked vacation and promises to call from the airport, she has no cause to doubt him. But he doesn't call.

Sarah's friends tell her to forget about him, but she can't. She knows something's happened--there must be an explanation.

Minutes, days, weeks go by as Sarah becomes increasingly worried. But then she discovers she's right. There is a reason for Eddie's disappearance, and it's the one thing they didn't share with each other: the truth. 

First Impressions

This book has been getting a lot of buzz. I’ve seen the cover around and it caught my eye, but the summary and the comment on the cover by Liane Moriarty were really what solidified this book a place on my to-read list. I love Moriarty’s storytelling style, so I was hopeful that this would be similar.

What I thought

While I enjoyed this story, it was a bit too long for me. I think if it had ended about 100 pages earlier I would have liked it even more.

Sarah and Eddie have only known each other for seven days and yet they have fallen in love. When Eddie leaves for his vacation, he promise to call Sarah but he never does. Sarah knows the connection she and Eddie had was real, so she becomes convinced that something must have happened.

Sarah lives in California, but grew up in London. She moved to California when she was a teenager after a tragic event and comes back once a year for the anniversary of said event. This year when she heads back, she is in the midst of a divorce. She and her ex-husband run a charity together and still have to be cordial.

I enjoyed the way the story was written and set up. The chapters were mostly told from Sarah’s point of view and then there letters mixed in. In the final part of the book there were chapters told from Eddie’s perspective as well. For me, Sarah toed the line of insanity. I know that she is a little older and has lived a lot of life, but I was a bit taken aback by how quickly and strongly she fell in love with Eddie. I did appreciate that at times she acknowledged that she was acting a bit crazy which made it more tolerable.

I also enjoyed Sarah’s friends and their relationships. They balanced Sarah well and I think without them she would have been certifiable. I had a hard time getting a handle on Eddie through most of the book. I think that’s because you only meet him with flashbacks to the first seven days throughout the first half of the book and in those flashbacks his character is pretty minimal. It is more Sarah discussing what she felt about him during those memories.

Like I mentioned above, I found this story to go on a bit too long. There was a part at about 100 pages from the end where I thought to myself “this could end here and I’d be content”. But it felt as though the editor told Walsh, “We need a little more. Maybe add a twist or cliffhanger!” so she did. It’s no that the final 100 pages were bad or that I didn’t enjoy the, just that I didn’t find them necessary.

Overall, I found this to be an interesting and compelling read, but it just didn’t quite hit that level of special I was hoping for. Maybe it was because I was expecting the same level of magic I’ve felt while reading Moriarty’s books, but this one didn’t quite get there for me. It was a good story and the writing is solid, but I feel like it’s one that’s just going to end up fading into the background for me.

Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating

By: Christina Lauren
Published Year: 2018
Publisher: Gallery Books
Pages: 309

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Hazel Camille Bradford knows she’s a lot to take—and frankly, most men aren’t up to the challenge. If her army of pets and thrill for the absurd don’t send them running, her lack of filter means she’ll say exactly the wrong thing in a delicate moment. Their loss. She’s a good soul in search of honest fun.

Josh Im has known Hazel since college, where her zany playfulness proved completely incompatible with his mellow restraint. From the first night they met—when she gracelessly threw up on his shoes—to when she sent him an unintelligible email while in a post-surgical haze, Josh has always thought of Hazel more as a spectacle than a peer. But now, ten years later, after a cheating girlfriend has turned his life upside down, going out with Hazel is a breath of fresh air.

Not that Josh and Hazel date. At least, not each other. Because setting each other up on progressively terrible double blind dates means there’s nothing between them...right?

First Impressions

Talk about an eye grabbing cover! I was immediately drawn in when I saw this cover on another blog. When I read the review raving about this book, I knew I needed to read it. The summary also sounded very cute, so I added it to my to-read list immediately.

What I thought

I might say that this is my favorite book I’ve read all year.

Hazel is quirky woman who is definitely a free spirit. She has zero filter but a heart of gold. Josh is a lot more reserved and very comfortable with where he is in life. They first met in college when Hazel puked on Josh’s shoes. From that point on, while amused by her Hazel-ness, he didn’t have much of a desire to hang out with her. Hazel on the other hand, often referred to Josh as the blueprint for perfect. When they meet up again 10 years post college, Hazel decides they need to be best friends, so best friends they become. Since they’re both in a dating rut, they decide to select blind dates for each other and go on blind double dates which often end in disaster.

I loved Josh and Hazel so much. She was just the right balance of ridiculous without being annoying. I also loved reading how much Josh liked her for who she was. He never got annoyed with her antics and was just a genuinely good guy. I’m a bit in love with him too after this novel!

The humor in this story is what makes it a page turner. Once I started I couldn’t put this book down. I LOVED the friendship between Josh and Hazel. It was pure and light while occasionally dealing with serious insecurities and life issues. This is one of those books that everything just comes together perfectly to make everything work.

Is it a ground breaking novel? No. Is it one of the best love stories I’ve read in a while? Yes. The best way for me to sum of this novel is to describe it as a rom-com in book form. It’s a bit predictable but that doesn’t take away from any of the joy of this story.

I want to buy this book and force it on every one I know. I also want to re-read it already. The characters are great and the story is so much fun. I don’t really know what else to say other than I love this book and you should read it.

Book Club September 2018- Hey Ladies!

By: Michelle Markowitz & Caroline Moss
Published Year: 2018
Publisher: Harry N Abrams
Pages: 272

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Based on the column of the same name that appeared in The Toast, Hey Ladies! is a laugh-out-loud read that follows a fictitious group of eight 20-and-30-something female friends for one year of holidays, summer house rentals, dates, brunches, breakups, and, of course, the planning of a disastrous wedding. This instantly relatable story is told entirely through emails, texts, DMs, and every other form of communication known to man.

The women in the book are stand-ins for annoying friends that we all have. There’s Nicole, who’s always broke and tries to pay for things in Forever21 gift cards. There’s Katie, the self-important budding journalist, who thinks a retweet and a byline are the same thing. And there’s Jen, the DIY suburban bride-to-be. With a perfectly pitched sardonic tone, Hey Ladies! will have you cringing and laughing as you recognize your own friends, and even yourself.

What I thought

This book is an epistolary novel, meaning that it is told entirely through emails and texts. The interesting thing about this modern take is that there are some illustrations included in lieu of picture messages.

Hey Ladies is the story of 8 female friends in the late 20s/early 30s (I think?). It follows them through one year of their lives through their emails and texts to each other.

I feel like the best way to sum this book up is like watching a car crash, or watching some really trash reality TV. Everyone is terrible but I couldn’t look away. I wanted to see these girls’ lives go through terrible things and take pleasure from it.

Each and every character, with maybe the exception of one of them, is terrible. They are the worst stereotype of what people think women in the 20s are like. They are self-centered, rude, and inconsiderate. Jen (slight spoiler?) is a major bridezilla, Ami is a Maid of Honor-zilla, Jen’s mother is a horrible person, Nicole is the biggest ditz and terrible with her money, Katie is delusional, Morgan kind of falls by the sidelines, Ashley lives in Connecticut so she’s barely involved, Caitlin is easily the most self-obsessed person I have ever read, and Gracie is the only semi-decent one and she isn’t in the story much either.

I will say that I enjoyed the style of the story. The emails and texts made this is super quick read, and I enjoyed the illustrations as well. Even though I wasn’t crazy about the story or the characters, I find myself kind of wanting a sequel? It’s definitely like watching a trashy reality show where you’re questioning your sanity for watching it the entire time and then swear you’re not going to watch the second season, and then you do. I also really look forward to trash talking each and every one of these characters with book club!

What Book Club Thought

Man this was such a fun book to talk about. We discussed the issues we had with the book and that some of us, when we picked it up, didn’t realize it was going to be a satire. We also discussed how we were irritated by the over-exaggeration of the stereotypes of women in their 20s/30s. Pretty much we all hated it but loved getting to talk about it with others. While it’s not a book any of us would recommend necessarily, I would recommend reading it with someone. Otherwise you’re going to just find yourself frustrated and hating these characters. We tried to pick out characteristics from certain characters to see who we could relate to the most, but it was pretty tricky. The best part was discussing what irritated us the most and realizing that we would never do those things in our group friendship. With the exception of a mocking/satirical email chain when book club was getting set up ;)

Smothered

By: Autumn Chiklis
Published Year: 2018
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Pages: 288

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I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This in no way shape or form influenced my opinion of this book.

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Eloise “Lou” Hansen is graduating from Columbia University summa cum laude, and she's ready to conquer the world. Just a few minor problems: she has no job, no prospects, and she’s moving back into her childhood bedroom. Lou is grimly determined to stick to a rigorous schedule to get a job and get out of her parents’ house. Shelly “Mama Shell” Hansen, on the other hand, is ecstatic, and just as determined to keep her at home. Who else will help her hide her latest binge-shopping purchases from her husband, go to SoulCycle with her, and hold her hand during Botox shots?

Smothered is a hilarious roman à clef told via journal entries, text messages, emails, bills, receipts, tweets, doctor’s prescriptions, job applications and rejections, parking tickets, and pug pictures, chronicling the year that Lou moves back home after college. Told from Lou’s point-of-view, Smothered tells the story of two young(ish) women, just trying to get it right, and learning that just because we all grow up doesn’t mean we necessarily have to grow old. (After all, what is Juvaderm for?)

First Impressions

The cover and title were what initially caught my eye. When I read that it was a story about a girl graduating college and moving back home, I knew I needed to read this book. I think I’ve noticed that I’m a big fan of cartoon people on covers since they definitely catch my eye.

What I thought

Eloise (Lou) has just graduated from Columbia University. She has no idea what she wants to do and does not have a job lined up, so she moves back home. She comes up with a lit of rules and goals for moving back home and is hoping to only be there for 9 months max. Lou also has a boyfriend she’s hiding from her mother, a mother who is shallow and a bit abrasive, and a childhood frenemy who has also just moved home.

Smothered is told in a series of diary entries, emails, texts, and various other random items such as bills or police reports. The format of this book did allow for it to move quickly, but it also meant that it’s not exactly a plot driven novel. This story is very character centric and I found that to be both a good and bad thing. I didn’t mind Lou. I felt she read very much like a 22 year old new college graduate. I think I would have enjoyed this book a bit more at that point in my life. Unfortunately, as I’m definitely a few years post-college graduation, I didn’t fully connect with her.

Lou’s mother on the other hand is clinically insane. She is quite the handful. She is the type of woman who spends $6,000 on one trip to Barneys, tried every fad diet, and registered her terrorist pugs online as service dogs so she could bring them to a hotel. I completely understand why Lou would be terrified to tell her mother about her boyfriend. Theo is easily the best person in this story. He’s the only normal one and has a good head on his shoulders. I was a bit disappointed when Theo finally met Lou’s family. I had expected something a bit more.

The writing style was good, especially for a debut novel. I look forward to more books by Chiklis as she continues to find her voice and style. At times is got a bit wordy for me and I did find myself skimming, but there were a lot of solid moments. I do think Lou could have been given a bit more to do, as I find that walking away from this story I’m more likely to remember her mother than I am to remember her.

If you are graduating soon or are a recent graduate, I think this book will speak to you. It’s a good story and is one of the few that addresses this part of an adult’s life. I think that it is a relatable story, even if the characters are a bit of a parody of themselves. I’m sure everyone will find someone or something to relate to in this story.

Surviving Adam Meade

By: Shannon Klare
Published Year: 2018
Publisher: Swoon Reads
Pages: 256

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Seventeen-year-old Claire Collins has a plan: get into college and leave North Carolina behind. What she doesn’t have is an idea for how to get rid of the local football star and womanizer extraordinaire — Adam Meade, who she can’t even avoid (despite many efforts), because Claire’s dad is the high school football coach.

Seventeen-year-old Adam Meade never fails. He always gets what he wants… until he meets Claire, the new girl who leaves him unnerved, pissed off, and confused. But there’s something about her that he just can’t resist…

First Impressions

If there was ever a book written specifically for me, it would be this one. When I first saw the book it was described as being targeted towards fans of Friday Night Lights and I am a huge football fan. The cover also called to me strongly. The colors are perfect and it makes me want to crawl inside of it and live there.

What I thought

This book was everything I wanted it to be.

Claire Collins has just moved to a new school at the beginning of her senior year. Her dad is the football coach and all she wants to do is keep her head down, finish the year, and get into Auburn. Adam Meade is the star quarterback with a chip on his shoulder. He is used to getting everything and everyone he wants. When Claire is the first girl who doesn’t fall for him, he isn’t quite sure how to handle her.

If you’ve been following me for a while, you will know that my favorite romance trope is hate to love. Combine that with my love for football and you have the ingredients for my perfect novel. Now, that means this book already had a lot to live up to based on its premise alone and I have to say, Klare did a great job.

Claire is a strong female lead. She has a good relationship with her family, has lived through heartbreak, doesn’t take any shit from anyone, and knows exactly what she wants in life. Adam is the stereotypical arrogant high school quarterback who doesn’t know what to do when someone doesn’t like him. He does have two great friends, Riley and Tate, who make him more likeable. I enjoyed the banter that Claire had with her family and with Adam. It was a bit Gilmore Girl’s-esque in that she always had the perfect response.

I appreciated that there was dimension to the story with some drama in both of their pasts’. However, Adam mentions multiple times living with his Grandma and Claire takes a long time to ask him about where his parents are and why he lives with his Grandma. It seemed to me like something she would’ve been curious out a little earlier.

From what I could tell, the football side of the story was also realistic. One of my friends is often reading stories that revolve around baseball and we often discuss how frustrating it can be when the author appears to have not done any research by making obvious mistakes. It can really disrupt a book, but I didn’t find that in this story at all.

The relationships were all wonderful. I loved that Riley is a head cheerleader and is also the sweetest person. It was nice to divert from the stereotype of her being a bitch. I also loved Adam’s friend, and Riley’s boyfriend, Tate. He seemed like a little bit of a dofus at times, but very sweet. In addition to have genuine friendships, Claire’s relationships with her parents and brother were wonderful to read. Besides the animosity between Adam and Claire, everyone else got along and it balanced everything nicely.

While this book isn’t earth shattering, it is an enjoyable and fun book. I flew through it in 24 hours and enjoyed every minute of it. I would gladly read a sequel because I enjoyed both of the characters and their relationship. If you are a contemporary YA fan, I highly recommend checking out this book. It’s fun and brings you right back into the world of high school.

Lost Carousel of Provence

By: Juliet Blackwell
Published Year: 2018
Publisher: Berkley
Pages: 368

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I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This in no way shape or form influenced my opinion.

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Present day, San Francisco. During her free time, professional photographer Cady Drake shoots local carousels, a hobby inspired by a gift that transformed her childhood: a wooden rabbit supposedly created by master French carver Gustave Bayol a century ago. And when she's offered a freelance assignment for a book on the antique merry-go-rounds of Paris, Cady can't refuse the opportunity to visit the famous carousels for the first time....

1900s, France. In a small town outside of Avignon, a husband and young wife struggle to keep up their ancestral chateau--and start the family they so desperately desire. For the children they hope to have, the Clements hire the famous Bayol to build a carousel, but as the carver and his apprentice work on the beautiful and whimsical creation, fate will entwine them all in unseen ways--for generations to come...

Present day, Provence. As Cady's research leads her to the dilapidated Chateau Clement and its fabled carousel that was lost to the ravages of World War II, she will uncover a shocking truth in a set of one-hundred-year-old photographs that could guide her in reuniting a family torn apart by petty jealousies over several generations.

First Impressions

The cover looks so magical and enticing and the summary sounded magical too. I read and enjoyed Blackwell’s previous novel, Letters from Paris, so I thought this one would be interesting too.

What I thought

Cady has just lost the closest thing to family that she has ever known. While stuck in her grief, she discovers a box hidden within an antique carousel animal that she was given. Her best friend Olivia, suggests going to France to learn more about what she found and also to photograph carousels across France. While in Paris, Cady discovers more than just the carousels that brought her there.

Similar to Blackwell’s previous novel, this story alternates between the past and the present. It’s a little confusing at first because the first chapter is from 1900 and the perspective of Josephine, then it goes to the present with Cady, then it goes to Yves in 1900, and then back to Cady, and then finally it starts to alternate consistently between Maelle in 1900, Fabrice in the 1940s and Cady in the present (with occasional flashbacks to her past). It’s definitely the type of story where you have to pay attention to the date and name at the beginning of each chapter. It took a little while for me to get into because it was hard to keep the story straight, but eventually it found its groove.

I found Cady’s character to be very interesting. She is an orphan who grew up in the foster system until she was taken in as a teenager by an older woman who owned an antique shop. She isn’t good with people and keeps to herself, but she wants to have relationships and a family. She’s self-aware and I appreciated that. I think she’s one of my favorite characters that I’ve read in a long time.

The story itself moves a bit slowly, and like I mentioned, the format makes it a little hard to get into. I didn’t find myself sucked in until about halfway through. Fabrice in the present, as a grumpy old man, is a fun character and I wish we had gotten a little more of him. Jean-Paul confused me a lot. He seemed like a good guy, but then Cady kept making comments questioning his character so then I found myself holding back from liking him.

I also enjoyed the mystery of the history of the carousel and the Clement family. The dynamics of the small French town were fun and I was completely sucked into the country life. Personally, I am not much of a Francophile, so I don’t know much about France or even have much of an interest in it. However, Blackwell really drew me in. I also liked that there was consistency throughout the novel about Cady speaking French. I know it sounds silly, but when I read a book in English that’s taking place in a country whose language is not English, it always bothers me a little. I greatly appreciated that Blackwell consistently acknowledged that Cady was speaking French and even threw in some French phrases.

This was an enjoyable read that will pull you from your home to the French countryside. You will find yourself drawn into the history of the Clement family and learning more about carosuels and Frnech history than you’d ever thought you’d want to know. The characters are delightful and the overall story is unique and entertaining. The format can be a bit tough to get into, which is the biggest drawback for me, but overall, I liked the story. I would recommend it, but don’t see myself re-reading this in the future. I do think I enjoyed it more than Blackwell’s previous knowledge and look forward to reading more of her stories.

The Boy at the Door

By: Alex Dahl
Published Year: 2018
Publisher: Berkley
Pages: 368

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I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This in no way shape or form influenced my opinion.

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): This riveting psychological suspense debut by Alex Dahl asks the question, "how far would you go to hold on to what you have?"

Cecilia Wilborg has it all--a loving husband, two beautiful daughters, and a gorgeous home in an affluent Norwegian suburb. And she works hard to keep it all together. Too hard...

There is no room for mistakes in her life. Even taking home a little boy whose parents forgot to pick him up at the pool can put a crimp in Cecilia's carefully planned schedule. Especially when she arrives at the address she was given
and finds an empty, abandoned house...

There's nothing for Cecilia to do but to take the boy home with her, never realizing that soon his quiet presence and knowing eyes will trigger unwelcome memories from her past--and unravel her meticulously crafted life...

First Impressions

Honestly, I’ve been a bit burned out on psychological thrillers lately, so I wasn’t drawn to this book at first. The cover isn’t great and didn’t catch my eye and the title is a bit bland. However, the summary sounded interesting and I have always found that Scandinavian mysteries are enjoyable, so I decided to give it a chance.

What I thought

When Cecelia is asked to take home a boy left behind at the swimming pool, her life changes. The boy ties to secrets from her past that she has spent years hiding to create the perfect life.

I always forget just how hard it is to review thrillers without giving anything away. I’ll try to focus more on the characters and the writing than the story itself.

Cecelia is a bit of what has become the standard female protagonist of a psychological thriller. By that I mean, unlikeable, unreliable, and hiding a deep dark secret. I did appreciate that she had enough dimension to her that I sympathized with her throughout the story. Even though I didn’t like her and disagreed with a lot of her actions, I still found myself understanding why she was acting the way she did.

I wasn’t crazy about the writing style. I found it to move slow and then once it did start to pick up, the chapters would switch perspective. Most of the time the story was told from Cecelia’s perspective. Chapters from Tobias’s perspective (the young boy that was left behind at the pool) were randomly interspersed throughout the story. Then, there were also diary entries from Annika, the drug addict who was in charge of Tobias. While I found the diary entries interesting, I felt they were a bit long. I didn’t find that they added much to the story itself other than to create a reader connection with Annika. It felt a little bit like reading two stories at the same time. I enjoyed Annika’s story on its own, but found myself skimming parts of it to get back to the main story.

When I did get back to the main story, I didn’t find myself completely sucked in. It was relatively predictable with only small parts that surprised me. The surprises weren’t even ones that made me gasp, more like a small “huh.” Dahl did hold my interest in the story as I was curious how it was going to wrap up. I wouldn’t call this an edge of your seat thriller, but it was an interesting story.

Overall, it was a decent read. I have relatively high standards for thrillers, and I found this one to be average. I will say that I did appreciate that it didn’t follow the new trope of a huge twist 50% of the way through. It unraveled slowly with small surprises here and there and I appreciated that. I hated the ending though, just as a bit of a warning. I don’t think this book would come to the front of my mind when someone asks me for a review, but if someone asked me about it, I wouldn’t discourage anyone from reading it.