I started out liking this book. The main character was relatable, despite having survived a difficult childhood, and the recent pandemic was accurately depicted. Then I got a little worn down with the repetition of dreams that seemed real, to the point I wasn’t sure what was supposed to really be happening in the story. I’m still not clear on what Grace’s life as a child was really like. Then her mother got really whacky and bizarre, the dreams got ridiculously dramatic, and I felt like a lot of other reviewers who wrote that the dramatization was just too much, and the reaction of our protagonist was waaay out of character to the point of being non-believable. I thought the book was reading like an underfunded B-grade horror movie. I was both listening to the story and reading, and it seemed to me even the narration began sounding over dramatized and silly. But I rolled my eyes and decided to keep reading, deciding that I might as well finish the book.
I’m glad I did! I got to the very end of the epilogue, and the last paragraph brought it all home for me. I won’t create a spoiler here, but it did explain why Grace acted so out of character…why the dreams were so vivid and odd; even why the mom could seem to have it together, then became completely psychotic.
So it did turn out to be a really good book. I’d still like to know what Grace’s childhood was truly like, but I can fill in with my imagination since overall, it’s a semi-minor part of the story. I encourage everyone to pay attention at the end. I was pleasantly surprised.
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Reviews with images
This one didn't work for me
Unfortunately, I didn’t love this one. It reads like a descent into madness and normally I love that! But I was so confused about the ending and what was really happening that it became a let down for me. I don’t want to HAVE to research explanations for books I read but it feels like something I’ll need to do for this one. Is it a genetic family trait? Is it COVID? Is it cabin fever? Are we meant to not know as readers? There are just too many questions rolling around in my head and that makes me feel quite indifferent. Not only that, at the beginning of the book and the end we “meet” a therapist who is working with her. But we only get a few pages of his GLEE that he has a case like this. It would have been really cool if this was integrated more in the story. I think it would have made it feel so much more tense and suspenseful to have his thoughts thrown in. Just being in the prologue and epilogue seems senseless. Finally, this book doesn’t read like a horror novel or even a suspense novel. It felt more like a psychological drama to me.𝗠𝗬 𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ⭐⭐
Top reviews from other countries
Bookwormgirl
Unsettling, confusing & fascinating!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 6, 2023
Shannon Whitwell
Confusing and frustrating
Reviewed in Canada on April 30, 2023
Shannon Whitwell
Reviewed in Canada on April 30, 2023
I’ve read a few books now that have the unreliable narrator trope and I’ve started to realize that I’m not that into it. I generally find the characters really irritating and the story becomes confusing and frustrating.
I enjoyed the writing and some of the story elements but I was really distracted by how annoyed I was with the main character. This book also has a pandemic element to it which was sort of interesting but honestly I just found this book really confusing.
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Christine
Intense and Captivating
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 10, 2023
