Reviews with content warning for Confinement - Sometimes I Lie

First time in a while I've not anticipated the twists in a thriller. I was very happy when the initial tropes started to fall away. I get that some people don't like how complicated the plot gets but I much prefer a thriller that verges on unbelievable than something mundane!
Not sure it needed such graphic depictions of SA, and personally didn't love a little cliffhanger ending for a stand alone. Otherwise, very strong

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frances_frances's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This book had a ton of flaws and at times was laughably over the top. The Madeline plot felt haphazardly thrown in and Jo felt totally unnecessary. And there's a rape scene that I found gratuitous (especially after the ending was revealed). This book was also fast-paced and the prose flowed easily. I do appreciate Alice Feeney's writing style. Once I surrendered to the ridiculous/over the top aspects of the book, I actually enjoyed the ride. Far from perfect, but certainly engaging and entertaining. (Although I still feel icky about the way sexual violence was used)

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spelledlikesleigh's review against another edition

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dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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magellen's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

While the plot is twisty and really takes flight at about 75%, you spend most of the book bludgeoned by the phrase 'let herself go' or some adjacent negative assessment regarding every single woman in the book. Seriously it is exhausting, it rises in most chapters, whether it's a pov talking about herself, or her mother, or a coworker, just an endless loop of hate that doesn't add anything and makes the book feel particularly dated.

The book is a great example of unreliable narration but is likewise tedious in stretches where the mc walks forward and backwards through her thoughts with zero self trust and yes, toxic relationships do instill distrust in one's self, but it just feels like bloat in the narrative when it doesn't stop. Likewise it breaks your trust in all the narratives, breaks the momentum the book has built and becomes a muddle halfway thru. Intentionally done and layered as it is it mostly works but I feel like I only began enjoying the book in the last quarter and prior to that it was simply 'welcome to untreated paranoia'.

Matters did hit a hat on a hat level as the book progressed. An antagonist born of the antagonist born of the protagonist. Yes Edward is a successful red herring but god what a loose thread that could have not been in the book at all except for sexual violence. While I'm pleased for the mc cleaning up her psycho sister in the end (gotta think with your head and not your fists, well done taylor) the bracelet reemerging had me rolling my eyes. Just close it out, jesus christ.

Every character is unlikable, no one ever has an honest conversation and yes sure Sometimes I lie, but the inconsistency and internalized body judgement gets in the way of it being a truly satisfying read.

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elenatamsen's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

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ekmoore11's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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v171's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

Yuck.

The good: Paced how you'd expect a thriller book to be paced. The twists at the end were interesting.

The bad: I don't like the concept of an unreliable narrator being used as a plot device. It was burdensome to have to mentally track what was true and false throughout the entire story. I found all of the characters to be unlikable, but I think some were written in a way that I was supposed to sympathize with them. Shifting POV is fine when done well, but I found it to be disruptive in this book. However, the automatic 1 star for me was the multiple instances of rape and sexual assault. There are better, more creative ways to make me to hate a character than making them a rape a woman in a coma. I found it to be a lazy way to add shock factor to a story that didn't need i

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