sophiesometimesreads's reviews
221 reviews

I went into this book expecting something very different to what I got, which was surprising but not bad. I expected more mystery around what happened to her daughter, but instead we found that out relatively early and focus was given to the events after the fact. It was more of a fiction with mystery elements than a mystery thriller, in my opinion.

The multiple points of view were interesting to see the different takes on what happened and how it impacted a range of people in and around the story; however, rehashing the main event of the story four or five times did get a little tedious in the end.

Definitely a good and interesting read and I was not expecting a lot of things that happened. I would recommend for mystery fans more so than suspenseful thriller fans, but it's an enjoyable and relatively quick read nonetheless.

Loved this book, even though it took me way too long to read for a sub 200-page novella. Damn you, reading slump! As a result, I really don't think I grasped everything I could've from this layered book, so I'll be looking to reread sometime in the future.

I had a good time with this book, though there were a lot of things going on in my personal life so I got through this book very slowly and I think it meant I didn’t connect with the characters as much as I could’ve. This is very much a me problem, and I think maybe if I were to ever reread this, it might get a higher rating.

I really enjoyed seeing the flow on effects of Ansel’s actions to the other women in his life, and how the story primarily centred around these women separated from him and his actions but still impacted by them in some way. In saying this, I did question throughout the book whether this would’ve been more impactful had we not had Ansel’s POV in the book at all, and I can already see this is debated in other reviews.

It was intriguing to me how you weren’t particularly made to feel one way or the other about Ansel. At times, I found him insufferable and horrid, but others I felt a little bit sorry for him, but then after reminding myself what he had done, I got over that pretty quickly. It was also interesting to see the contrast between Ansel and Saffy, having had similar childhood experiences but ending up in vastly different places, that also showed that his actions cannot be solely blamed on his upbringing.

Overall, this was a very interesting and thought-provoking read with layered characters that explores the wider impact of a man’s crime on the people and, more specifically, the women around him.

I'm going to need a moment to collect my thoughts, but this was a fun and wild ride.

I really really liked this thriller, it was an absolute rollercoaster from start to finish. Even though I did know the nature of the twist because I read a review not tagged as a spoiler, I still couldn't completely figure out how that played into it all and I kept questioning if that was really the twist. 

I was on my toes until the end, and actually gasped out loud at a couple of the twists. I fell right into the trap Riley Sager left and once I realised I had, I was absolutely mind blown and couldn't realise how I didn't pick up on it earlier, which I felt was a result of how subtly Sager wove it into the story. Everything felt like it should've been obvious when it was revealed but most of it I didn't pick up on at the time, which makes a good thriller in my eyes.

There's not much to say about this book that isn't a spoiler, but if you like thrillers with good twists, even if they are a little unrealistic, then this is for you!

I would've liked the ending to be a little more ambiguous and I think we could've done without the last twist, even though it did tie together a few of the loose ends. This was relatively minor in the end, though, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time reading this book.

Here's to reading all of Riley Sager's back list now, too!

This book had a pretty different vibe to the first, which surprised me. It got a lot more epic in nature than the cosy urban fantasy vibes of the first, but I still enjoyed it.

I liked the twist on traditional Greek mythology and how that was woven into the story and the magic system. I also really loved the discussion of adoption and Bri not having to choose between her blood family and her mums, because both can be family concurrently.

The story did feel a little info-dumpy at times, particularly in the first half of the novel, which made it a bit difficult to read. Bri was a lot more clueless in this book, too, which was also pretty frustrating towards the end.

In saying this, I did enjoy the storyline and thought it was a good conclusion to the duology.

This was an enjoyable and easy read. I really liked the magic system and the urban fantasy vibes of the novel. 

Bri's parents were hilarious, they were my favourite part about this book. Bri was very no-nonsense and her telling everyone to stop being so cryptic was hilarious because I thought the exact same thing. Even though I did like her character, she did feel a little clueless at times and took ages to piece together information I'd figured out a whole ago, which got a bit frustrating towards the end.

The ending was so emotional though, and it made me want to dive directly into the next novel. The pacing was overall relatively good, but some of the transitions between chapters or topics within a chapter felt a little clunky.

I'm still not sure how I feel about immortal/teenager relationships though, but that was a minor plot point in this novel.

It's hard for me to say much more about this as I read the second immediately after and now they both blur into one in my mind, but I would recommend this if you like plants and fantasy.

Look, I'll be honest and say I did enjoy the first 60 to 70 percent of this book. The writing style was good and I was having a good time. But the ending really ruined this for me.

I don't particularly like the tropes used in this, but I could handle the miscommunication part until there was this really weird, unbelievable cheating trope thrown in there. If you don't mind or even enjoy these tropes though, then this book may be for you, this rating is very much a "not for me" rating and doesn't suggest that it's a bad book.

The more I read about Elliot, the less I liked him, and what's the point of a romance where I don't like the MMC? He was very immature in the present timeline and had no empathy then with a drop of a hat changed his tune and suddenly wanted to hear what Macy had to say. Also, he cheated but never took responsibility for that cheating and thought that him saying it was an accident was enough? At least grovel a bit and blame yourself, then I might be able to look past it. But it just seemed unnecessary when the actual major conflict seemed to be Macy's dad's death and the depressive episode she went into following that, not the cheating. The conflict leading up to her dad's death could've literally just been him getting annoyed she didn't say yes to his marriage proposal, refusing to speak to her at the party then asking her to leave and then the same events could have transpired, the cheating was unnecessary and it just made me not like Elliot or their relationship. 

Edit to add: I have since realised how poorly written the cheating trope was, even for the cheating trope. He was drunk and thought he was with Macy but wasn't, which is borderline SA/rape but this was never confronted or talked about and just used as a device to break them up then get them back together? Maybe if the cheating had been taken out OR we had delved into this SA part of it more as reasoning for why he believed he wasn't totally in the wrong, I may have enjoyed this ending more. But, as it was, I didn't like it and it didn't make me think they should be together.

Also there was a really weird detailed, semi-explicit sex scene between teenagers in the past timeline that was completely unnecessary. Fade to black when they're minors, please, and leave the detail to the adult timeline.

Overall, I liked the writing and Macy's character, particularly her in the current timeline, but the ending and the conflict that lead to the loss of communication for 11 years just seemed unnecessary to me. If you can look past the tropes, or if you enjoy them, then this book may be for you but it wasn't for me. I've liked 50% of Christina Lauren's books though, so I'll definitely give another a shot.

Some possible minor spoilers so read at your own risk.

Wow, what a powerful and intense read, but if you are intending on reading this PLEASE check the content and trigger warnings before going into it, because it's definitely not for everyone. I also want to preface my review with the fact that I am not a survivor of sexual abuse, so take my comments on the representation and depiction of this and it's repercussions with a grain of salt.

This book was an intense experience. I didn't want to keep reading but I couldn't stop reading at the same time. It was intense and eye-opening and made me reflect on my own experiences and things that happened with teachers and older men throughout my high school years.

Vanessa, as a character, was frustrating at times but you can't help but feel so sorry for her as the past timeline progresses and you see how the abuse she suffered impacted her view of events and of Strane more than 15 years after the fact. I also absolutely hated Strane and it was so difficult to read every scene he was in, but this was obviously the point.

I think this book did a really good job at presenting abuse, both sexual and power imbalance, the long-term impacts of this and how it permeates through an entire person's being, without being overly preachy, for lack of a better word. I think the portrayal of every aspect of Vanessa, and not sweeping over her negative traits but also highlighting that these were a result of grooming from a young age, was done really well. I don't know if I explained that very well, though, but I hope you understand what I mean.

Though the story was powerful and most things were done well, in my opinion, there were a couple of threads of the story that I felt weren't followed as much as they could. There was a bit of insinuation regarding the nature of Vanessa's friendships with Jenny and her public school friend, whose name I have forgotten, which I felt was dropped partway through the story and could've been explored alongside the abuse and how the grooming impacted her ability to understand herself. The ending touched on her character growth, and moving through what happened, but I felt like I would've liked that to be fleshed out a little bit more as it felt a little bit rushed once she reached the realisation that what she and Strane had wasn't love.

Overall, a very powerful read that has stayed with me for the last couple days since I read it and will stay with me for a long time. It's definitely not for everyone and I do recommend doing your research into this book and it's trigger warnings to see if this book is for you.