frances_frances's reviews
295 reviews

My first B.A. Paris book and I'm not impressed...I mean it hooked me enough to finish it but it was also just a quick, easy read.

As a protagonist, Alice was underdeveloped; her motivations too flimsy and inconsistent. Nothing about her thoughts and actions throughout the book support her apparent need to be punished. I kept expecting the book to turn into a Woman in the Window kind of situation in which Alice turns out to be an unreliable narrator who also posses vital information no one else does. Nope, turns out she's just very shortsighted and naive. Her inconsistency as a character wasn't an intentional choice by the author, it was just poor writing.

There were lots of eye roll moments in this book but the one that annoyed me the most was at the end when she says she was jealous that Leo got to "atone" for his misdeeds (a real bootlicker fantasy in my opinion). Even people who feel deep trauma or guilt over the harms they've committed don't want go to the hell on earth that is prison. And if Alice really felt that horrible about her past, why didn't she do something else to punish herself when the judge refused to incarcerate her??

There were just so many weird choices and missed opportunities on B.A. Paris's part. Rather than clever or twisty, all the red herrings were badly executed and did little to create true suspense or tension.

I almost didn't finish this book once it became clear that there would be little to no thrill or suspense. Early on, you basically know the who, what, when, where and why of the main crime in question. However, after I let my original expectations go, it turned out to be a worthwhile, though flawed, read. There were issues with pacing and transitions that gave me a bit of whiplash (but not in a psychological thriller kind of way). The lack of physical description of both people and places made the book feel somewhat flat and surface-level. What I liked most about this book was how the dynamic between Jean and Glen was written.

The author did an excellent job of portraying what coercive control and psychological abuse can actually look like in a marriage. Rather than overtly violent or dominating, Glen's hold over Jean is subtle and insidious. Even so, it doesn't take long to recognize how truly unbalanced the power dynamics are. Glen calls all the shots and regularly makes Jean feel stupid, guilty, and dependent. And the fact that he does this primarily through gentle language and under the guise of looking out for her, really adds to the abuse. Jean felt authentic to me. I didn't agree with her choices but I understand why she did the things she did. She was basically groomed by an older, more experienced man who took advantage of her naïveté. Glen isolated Jean and manufactured a situation in which she is powerless and ill-equipped to face life on her own. This dynamic was upsetting to read about but felt very real.

I would have enjoyed this book more if it was tightened up and had faster pacing. There were many beautifully written lines, the relationships between the characters were compelling, and there were some unexpected twists at the end. I just wish there was more of that suspense and tension throughout the book. There were some repetitive moments and a few sequences that went on too long for me (the stuff with the black Camry for example). And Naomi's self-loathing, "I'm a horrible liar" mentality got old quickly. Still worth a read and one that I'd probably recommend to others.

Pretentious, incredibly long and yet nothing happens, and creepy grooming/pedophilia being passed off as romance. Don't bother with this book.

It was a day after reading this book that I realized how much I enjoyed it. On the surface, not much happens, but really a complex tangle of ambiguous emotions and intergenerational dynamics are playing out. I especially love how the relationship between Bron and Ray is depicted. It's messy and loving and felt so authentic. This book is beautifully drawn and so thoughtfully written.

Like its predecessor, My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness, this book contained many interesting insights regarding mental health and navigating relationships. Plus, the illustrations were delightful, funny, and impactful. That being said, this book was much harder to get into than My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness. It meanders and discusses events that are still unfolding. The uncertainty is realistic to life but not as compelling to read. I still really appreciate Nagata Kabi's artistic voice and will be checking out her other books.

This book felt like a rough draft. I wanted a lot more out of it. For a psychological suspense story, the climax was a bit of a let down. Everything needed to be turned up a few notches. It was an easy read with decent writing. The concept was interesting despite the sometimes mediocre execution. I was compelled enough by this book to finish it but wouldn't necessarily recommend it.

Delta is an interesting character and narrator but again, I wanted more. The author was trying to slowly and subtly drop insights into her past but I was hoping to learn more about her personal and professional relationships prior to meeting the Straub family. Why did this particular family appeal to her? Did she have a specific plan from the start? Had she ever tried to insert herself into another family or individual's life? Why does she do what she does? I want more of an answer than "She's crazy so she does crazy things".

The other characters felt rather flat. We don't really know where their motivations come from or what they really think of Delta. Fritz was particularly hard to understand or care about as we get very little to work with. It didn't make sense to me that Fritz and Amelia accept Delta from the get go or that they so readily involve her in the most intimate aspects of their lives.