Reviews with content warning for Stalking - Sometimes I Lie

Reviews tagging 'Stalking'

Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney

164 reviews

vjlp22_reader's review against another edition

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dark mysterious 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

5.0

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katiehuns's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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

3.25

TW: S/A
I'm giving this book a solid 3-3.5 stars. Would I recommend it as a thriller? Yes. I have to say, I enjoyed the tension of the plot of being paralyzed in a coma and only able to hear what's around you-- and even that is unreliable at times. I also found that the holes that the unreliable narration gave the story some depth also. However, I feel like the author could have had packed the same punch but with less twists. I really felt like I was getting whiplash and there was too much effort behind trying to shock the reader. There were a lot of stretches trying to make this all work. I enjoyed reading the timeline jumps with the diary readings too, and the fact that the diary entries weren't what they seemed was a healthy twist.

I had some difficulty suspending my disbelief. The whole Edward plotline was unbelievable. You mean to tell me that there was an intubated and sedated patient and this porter was able to get into the medications and administer them to a patient in an ICU setting? I don't think so. I also think we could have done without the whole revenge on Claire thing. I understand that Amber was in the situation she was in, but I think it went a little too far.

Ultimately, these are all just my preferences, but it was a very engaging audiobook from the beginning to the end. I also liked that we were given a sliver of a cliffhanger at the end as well.

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librariangeorgia'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

3.5

This was an absolute mind-twist of a novel - and being a debut novel as well, it's rather impressive.

There's 3 perspectives that we follow: Amber in present day post-accident, the run up to said accident and diary entries from 25 years earlier. There's just so much that happens across those 3 perspectives that it doesn't seem like they link up to the accident. However, it's around 3/4 of the way through that it starts to unravel and become clearer just what has happened. And nothing is what it seems...

I quite enjoyed this book, just like Feeney's other novels. However, I feel like I was left with more questions than answers by the end.

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aselin's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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cervinlibrarian's review against another edition

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dark 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

4.5

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nataliebootlah's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

Amber Reynolds is in a coma, her husband doesn’t love her anymore, and sometimes she lies. She’s hovering between being awake and comatose, able to hear what’s going on around her when she’s not being swallowed into the darkness of her dreams.

Even though it was a page-turner, some twists I figured out as I read and some left me more confused than anything. I think the premise was interesting, but it just didn’t hold up for me. I am excited to hear what my book club thinks about it through!

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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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