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mseil24's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
mcmotherpants's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
trmccl15's review against another edition
4.0
wooow i will never get over how ashley audrain writes a woman's experience with motherhood. its so raw and real but also dark and resentful? it just really makes you think about what it means to be a woman and a mom and a wife and how that can feel like youre losing youre identity? but it can also provide other woman with a sense of identity that maybe theyve never had before?? i really enjoyed the multiple povs for each of the woman in this little neighborhood. it was a little hard to separate all of them in the beginning but as it went on i got hooked! definitely a must read!!
jbyesh04's review against another edition
2.0
Somewhat of spoiler below. I read The Push by this same author and really enjoyed that horror book. Even the ambiguous ending. I thought I would enjoy this one too. Problem 1: I listened to it on audiobook. They should have had different women narrating their POVs. It took me an embarrassing number of chapters to have the characters sorted in my head. Problem 2: the timeline also jumped around a bit between present day and before the fall. Problem 3: there were so many chapters that dealt with the various minutia of their lives (eg: what was the point of Mara???) that I struggled to pay attention. Finally: spoiler….
Problem 4: All this only to not really get a definitive ending. Again. You find how he fell but not what he remembers, and what he’ll do with it.
Problem 4: All this only to not really get a definitive ending. Again. You find how he fell but not what he remembers, and what he’ll do with it.
briana_summers's review against another edition
4.0
3.75 stars. This was a slow burn and not as good as the author’s other book The Push but was still worth the read. She has definitely mastered the dark side of the parent/child relationship.
katierenne1994's review against another edition
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
readerjim's review against another edition
5.0
Ashley Audrain’s new novel is an examination of the complexities of motherhood told through the lives of four women, Whitney, Blair, Mara, and Rebecca. Initially you aspire to place them in stereotypical categories, but they all are so much more. The story starts at a party one evening at Whitney’s luxurious house (all the women are neighbors), where Whitney’s facade of being the perfect mother is challenged by something the attendees overhear. Audrian chooses to sideline the men a bit, and the story is stronger for it. In fact, men should read this book to understand the depths of challenge women face. This book seems right up Reese Witherspoon’s alley and should be made into a movie. Stay until the ending of this novel, and be rewarded with a final sentence that will blow you away.
dmg13's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
piyali's review against another edition
4.0
I held my breath while reading this book. A page turner but very disturbing.