Lisa
Thanks so much to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
3.5 stars: I went into this book thinking it would be much more intense than it was, more like an extreme thriller. The first half feels like a fiction novel, which I actually really liked! I loved reading about Ji-won and her family as they deal with their mother's new boyfriend. Some of the food imagery near the beginning was particularly good. As the story progresses you really feel for the character and side with her in her actions.
The action really picks up in the last third of the book, and it was pretty fun. I especially liked the last little bit and the thoughtfulness behind it. George's death and how Geoffrey was framed for it was a great cinematic moment!
I didn't care for all the dream (well, nightmare) scenes that took place. As we got closer to the end there were more and more, and they kind of took me out of the story and left me a little confused on if it was really happening.
The writing is really good and immersive, I'm excited to read more from this author!
Not sure if this author is for me. I DNF'd Pretty Little Wife and was struggling to get through this one. It took me halfway through the book before I could finally distinguish the characters. I really enjoyed the “book notes” chapters way more than the story. It was written in a completely different style to where it didn't seem like the same author. The mocumentary-behind the scenes viewpoint was great! The last chapter twist took me off guard, but was probably the only thing to surprise me. Maybe this would be better as a movie?
Made me feel slumpy. Would have loved to get to the horror parts but did not enjoy it enough to keep going. Much more sci-fi than I had expected
Really loved the first half. I liked seeing the behind the scenes good and bad aspects of fame. This book had a lot of social commentary to say about women in the industry, and the men in charge of it all. I liked the flashback chapters and the mixed media. Once the flashbacks stopped, it went downhill for me. I just think this went on for a little too long.
I really did not enjoy this at all. I could not get on board with the writing style, hated the characters, and the plot twist was not great. This book was so slow and the ending was not worth my time. The only reason I finished it and didn't DNF was I heard the ending was good, but I should have DNF'd.
First book by this author, and enjoyed it! Read it all in one day. Though it wasn't particularly super twisty and shocking, it kept me reading. The only drawback was that it kept me confused the first 1/4 of the book keeping track between the different mothers and their families. They all read very similar and couldn't remember who their sons were.
I did not like this. The first 100 pages were really good, and the prologue actually shocked me! But then it got very confusing. There were too many different timelines to follow that were hard to distinguish between. I couldn't tell if plot points were genuine or dream sequences. This book was also far too long. There were way too many storylines that the author tried to incorporate, instead of just focusing on one or two. The romance was so unnecessary and the chapters at the end about the Goddess Game origin could have been interesting if we had some chapters thrown in here and there of them instead of all at the end.This book was not at all what I thought it would be, but maybe I'm just not the target audience.
I feel like I'm liking the artwork better in each book, but this story didn't improve much seeing it visualized. I missed the Sphinx and did not like Calypso's interpretation.
Wanted to love this, but too many characters and I could care less. Everyone was one dimensional and they were killed just for the sake of being killed. There's a way to do it where it's still fun, but not this.
WOW now this was exactly the book I needed to get out of a reading slump. Short chapters, dual perspective, and major twists make my perfect read. I was so impressed with this book. The last third of the book gave me whiplash with the amount of twists, all the way until the very last line. It has been a long time since a thriller has blown my mind this much and truly shocked me. I never ever would have suspected that Peter was cheating on Ainsley with Seth! That was the first shock. Then to find out that Ainsley plotted the whole thing, and that Peter was the rapist with a secret room the whole time! That last little bit reminded me a lot of “My Lovely Wife,” which is one of my favorite thrillers of all time. I immediately want to reread it to see everything now that I know all the secrets! This was my first book by this author, and I cannot wait to check out her entire backlist.
Such a mediocre thriller. I kept reading because I wanted to know what was gonna happen. As short as this book is, it felt very long. The payoff wasn't great. I love a shocking over the top twist and this didn't even feel like a twist to me.
This was just alright, my least favorite Swanson. I loved idea behind it and all the incorporation of bookish things, but the plot fell flat. I wasn't shocked by anything that happened, and I kept reading for a big twist to come and blow me away. Maybe because I wasn't attached to any of the characters. (except the cat Nero!)
I really enjoyed this book. It was such a fun read, I loved the carnival setting! At the beginning I had a tough time keeping all the characters straight, because they read very similar. The death scenes were way more brutal than I had expected. The killer was not who I thought, but their reasoning was very silly. I didn't take the book too seriously, and that's the point! Very campy and very fun
I only liked the swimming one and the one about the teddy bear. All others I sped through
I'm going to reread this once I have the audiobook because I think it will be much more impactful. I read this in one sitting. It was powerful, raw, and so emotional. I loved the format of different POVs and mixed media, but I think it would shine and be a little less confusing for me if I listened to it while reading. This book will always be in the back of my mind.
This reminded me of The Island (which I also didn't like). Exciting at first, but I could not stay engaged. Books like this work out much better in film format. Could not suspend belief.
This reminded me of the movie Escape Room. I thought it was fun, the deaths were creative, and I liked how the rooms connected to the people. I didn't like the ending, but I usually don't like that trope. not a fan of rituals and cult-like corporations making a sacrifice and that reminded me of Cabin in the Woods
Was a fun concept and not as brutal as I expected. It was gross, especially the infamous page 40, but clever. this reminded me of Jigsaw in how a group of people go through different traps until there is a victor. I liked having alternating chapters of the parent's view, and the illustrations were thoughtful, though I wish there were more to show the playground equipment. Sometimes I had a hard time picturing it. Also the revenge story was an interesting approach, I felt sympathy for Rock and was glad he got to “play”
Had no expectations and absolutely loved this. What a fun, quick read of revenge and female empowerment!!
I loved this book so much I rushed out to get the sequel before I was halfway through. I loved the small town of Wakan and how the people of the town felt like a family. Alexis and Daniel were so sweet, Daniel is one of my favorite love interests ever. Everything about this was so charming and cozy, but yet so deep. It tackled real-world issues and really had me feeling for all the characters, even the minor ones.
Way too all over the place. The concept normally would be a great pick for me but this was just too confusing, everyone read the same and it strangely switches character POVs. Would be much more enjoyable if there was a layout of who the characters were at the beginning.
This was a perfect book. A sweeping look across 4 different perspectives of the Holocaust. I loved following each of them throughout their lives and how the event changed their course. The best part of the book was how they were masterfully woven together through the narrator Truth. The ending came together in the place where the story began. I loved how images of the gravestone and the beads came back throughout the story. Once it's revealed Truth was Fannie, I was a wreck. A new favorite.