Book Review: Unraveling Oliver (Liz Nugent) @SimonSchusterCA

As I have mentioned before on Clues and Reviews, I struggle with serious cases of FOMO! As soon as I see other bloggers reading (and loving!) a particular book, I make sure that I arrange my schedule so I can add that book to the top of my TBR pile and dive in! This was the case with Unraveling Oliver by Liz Nugent.

When this one published last year, I was oozing with jealousy as I read reviews from other bloggers comparing it to some of my favourite books (You by Caroline Kepnes and Perfect Days by Rapheal Montes). However, this one released in Canada much later, so, when I was finally able to dive into this book, I was ecstatic and filled with anticipation. Was this a well-written book? Absolutely! Was it entertaining? Completely. A solid debut? For sure! Was it everything I thought it would be? Not exactly…

The novel follows Oliver Ryan, a handsome and charismatic writer who also happens to be a sociopath. After beating his wife, Alice, into a coma, Oliver reflects on his violent acts and, in the aftermath, his neighbours, acquaintances and friends of the couple try to understand what happened and what forced this man to unravel.

First and foremost, I did love the many differing perspectives and found that Nugent did an amazing job at ensuring that the plethora of characters did not become confusing. Her narrative voice remained fluid and even though there were multiple characters, it never felt disjointed. I loved the fact that all types of characters were given a narrative voice that represented all stages of Oliver’s life. I found this refreshing and a well-rounded and intimate way to discover a character. I truly did feel, by the end of the novel, that I knew Oliver inside and out.

The multiple characters were one of my favourite features and, at the same time, it was kind of where Unraveling Oliver lost me. I felt like this novel, unlike You or Perfect Days, was more of a character study. In the other novels, I was able to get a first hand, continuous look at how the protagonist/antagonist was feeling due to the singular, first-person point of view. I was able to get into the mind of a psychopath. In this novel, I was able to understand the character but it lacked the gritty and unsettling details. I also felt like halfway through, I started losing interest. I realized he was a sociopath, he was clearly a messed up guy but I just felt like it went on too long with the multiple perspectives.

Don’t get me wrong, I felt like this was a spectacular debut, it just wasn’t exactly what I was expecting. If you like a dark character study, then you will absolutely enjoy this novel. However, if you prefer something a little more unsettling, this may leave you wanting more.

4/5 stars.

Thanks to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for a digital copy of this novel; it was my pleasure to provide an honest review.

Book Review: Strangers (Ursula Archer and Arno Strobel) @MinotaurBooks

Lately, I have been feeling the need to expand my reading repertoire and read something a little bit different than my usual. So, when I received Strangers, a German noir novel by Ursula Archer and Arno Strobel, I was thrilled. Not only did this book fit into my Popsugar 2018 Reading Challenge (a book by two authors) and have an amazing cover but also the synopsis had me completely hooked.

A woman wakes up without any memory of the strange man who is in her home, claiming to be her fiancé. The ultimate he said/she said narrative style on steroids; Strangers had me feeling actual anxiety throughout my reading. I was so stressed out trying to figure out what was happening!!

Like many other domestic thrillers, this one uses the back and forth narrative style between our male and female protagonist. This style had me incredibly conflicted throughout my reading. I would hear from Joanna, fearing her safety as a strange man enters her home, and feel for her. Then, a chapter later, Erik would enter talking about how upset he was that Joanna didn’t remember him, and I would feel for his plight just as much! I was completely divided trying to figure out whom I could trust. You want a novel with an unreliable narrator? How about two!

Unfortunately, the momentum didn’t stay continuous throughout the text. About halfway through the novel, I started feeling as if the story was becoming a little redundant. I get it. They couldn’t trust each other. Then, the novel switched gears and gave more of a conspiracy vibe. I did like this bit of narration but I think I would have been completely content with the novel to be about 100 pages shorter and focusing solely on their back and forth narration.

Overall, I didn’t love the end and I didn’t love the final twist, but I did appreciate the bit of originality.

Regardless of my feelings for the end, I did feel as if this book was worth the read and feel that fans of domestic thrillers will enjoy this one. Especially if you enjoyed SJ Watson’s Before I Go To Sleep; they had a very similar vibe!

Thanks to the author and the publisher for a copy of this novel; it was my pleasure to provide an honest review

 

Book Review: Poison (Galt Niederhoffer) @StMartinsPress

It is no secret that I am a huge fan of the domestic thriller genre.  Give me an unreliable narrator and an up-to-no-good husband and I am hooked.  So, when #cjsreads decided to read Poison by Galt Niederhoffer, I was thrilled.  It seemed like the exact type of book that would keep me up late into the night.

The novel surrounds a picturesque family and their suburban life.  Cass and Ryan make up a newly blended family with their three children.  However, Ryan has a dark side, one that keeps Cass looking over her shoulder, and when she confronts Ryan about his fidelity, Cass begins to wonder if her life is at stake.  As tensions rise, Cass’s sanity is questioned and she begins to worry her children are at risk.

As I began my reading, one of the things that stood out the most for me was the style of Niederhoffer’s writing.  I was drawn in immediately, almost as if I was connecting with old friends.  The prose was familiar and inviting.  It had me turning the pages.

One of the cleverest things about this novel was the use of the title and the ties to the plot; the jealous nature of Cass is poisoning her relationship and Cass believes that Ryan is literally poisoning her.  I loved this play and exploration into literal and psychological poison.  I felt captivated as I watched the story unfold.  Is she actually crazy?  Is she correct?  Who do I believe?

I really like novels with strong characters and Poison fit this bill.  Ryan was incredibly creepy and I found Cass to be very unreliable.    I also loved how Niederhoffer constantly called into question the idea of the unreliable female and the doubt that those in the legal system have with women as the victim.  I felt like this is extremely prevalent in today’s society and I found myself questioning my own judgments and assessment of Cass throughout my reading.

However, I did have a few issues with this novel towards the end.  About 40% of the way into the novel, I did find parts of the novel beginning to drag quite a bit.  The idea of the poison is brought to light very early in the novel and teased in the synopsis, so it was very clear that Cass believed she was being poisoned.  However, this was constantly drilled home for the next 30% of the book.  It felt very redundant.  Also, although I loved the little twist in the end, the final resolution left me feeling as if it had come out of left field.

Regardless of this, I did enjoy the easy prose and the compelling plot enough to finish this book over the course of a few sittings.  This novel really gave me a B.A Paris vibe and I feel like fans of this author will really enjoy Poison.  Poison is published today!  Be sure to add it to your TBR pile if you are a fan of the domestic genre!

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press, the author and Netgalley for a digital copy of this novel; it was my pleasure to provide an honest review.

I mentioned this was a #cjsreads pick; want to see what Jessica and Chandra thought of Poison? Keep reading to find out!

Hey You! Read This! (The Domestic Thriller Edition)

Confession time: I am a bossy book reader.  I read books and then force people around me to read them make subtle and kind recommendations to others.

I cannot help it, I want to share the book love. I want to chat about what I’ve read.

Hence, why I started my “Hey, You!  Read This!” feature. This feature hones in on books I have read and would recommend in different genres and subgenres. Last time I did this feature, I focused on abduction thrillers.

Today, I figured I would take a look at another one of my favourite thriller subgenres: DOMESTIC THRILLERS. One of my favourite things about domestic thrillers (or marriage thrillers, as I have heard them called) is how close to home they can feel (see what I did there?). There is nothing like reading a story about the possibility of our nearest and dearest having some brutal secrets or behaviour.

Now, the classic domestic thrillers that come to mind are Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn and The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins.   These are sort of the “OG” domestic thrillers that rebooted the genre and got everyone in a tizzy, so, for the sake of redundancy, I am leaving them off my list.

Interested to see what I did decide to throw on my list?

Keep reading to see what made my top picks….

Blog Tour: Lie To Me (J.T. Ellison) @thrillerchick @TLCBookTours

Good Morning and welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Lie to Me!  I am thrilled to be able to bring you a review of one of my most anticipated September releases!

J.T. Ellison is an author whose books top my TBR pile but never actually make it to my reading list; for whatever reason, I get distracted and put them off so I was thrilled to be able to make Lie To Me, the newest novel by J.T. Ellison, a priority for my September. Now that I have finished this book, I have a feeling I’ll be going back to binge read her other novels pronto; Ellison’s writing style is incredibly entertaining!

Sutton and Ethan have built their life on lies; this idyllic couple is not as they seem. With a plethora of betrayals and financial trouble, the couple’s passionate nature and tension filled relationship comes to a boiling point when Ethan wakes up to find Sutton missing and a note stating she has gone away and does not want anyone to look for her. As Ethan’s worry mounts and the police become involved, Ethan finds himself at the center of the investigation. Did he kill his wife? Is he being set up? They appeared to be the perfect couple…

The beginning of this book felt like a lot like Gone Girl to me initially; a missing wife, a husband confused that finds himself the lead suspect and police on the case. However, after about the first one hundred pages I was pleasantly surprised to see how Ellison flipped the typical domestic noir/thriller narrative and brought something so much more original to the plot. I loved the multiple layers, the characterization and the different character POV. It made this one incredibly easy to binge read.   I found myself completely consumed as Ellison through out twist after twist.

Told through alternating POVs (a majority through the eyes of Ethan and the police investigator on the case, Holly) and also through alternating time periods (then and now), the reader is privy to their complicated relationship between Ethan and Sutton and the police case that unfolds. Characterization is a strong suit of Ellison’s writing and I was so impressed with his ability to develop these characters in such a way that I really felt something. I found myself hating Sutton, a character I really didn’t know and feeling conflicted about my feelings for Ethan. This book had me all over the place on the emotion scale.  By the time I got to the end, I was a disaster.  I didn’t see any of that coming; I was shook!  Ellison caught me by complete surprise.

I also really liked the tiny touches in this book as well; each chapter is named. I appreciated that! It is so rare now to have cleverly titled chapters.

Overall, if you are a fan of the domestic thriller style novel, you will love this book. In all the books I have read that have been compared to Gone Girl, this is as close as it gets! 5/5 stars from me!

Thanks to the author, the publisher and TLC blog tours for a copy of this novel; it was my pleasure to provide an honest review!

This book was a #cjsreads pick for September.  Want to see what Jessica and Chandra thought of this one?  Keep reading to find out!

Book Review: The Good Widow (Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke) @LizandLisa ‏@LittleABooks

The Good Widow, a novel written by the writing duo of Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke, was one of my most anticipated releases for June. I had heard several of my blogging friends (notably Amy from Novel Gossip and Chelsea from The Suspense Is Thrilling Me) singing its praises. Well, those ladies had it correct. This read is the perfect one for a summer at the beach or to binge read in your PJs. From the first pages, I was completely hooked.

The novel opens an unnamed couple driving off into the sunset. Flash forward, we meet an elementary teacher, Jacks, getting the news every wife fears. Her husband, James, is dead. He died in a car crash in Maui. The problem is, James was supposed to be in Kansas on business. As Jacks receives more information surrounding his death, she is absolutely shocked. He was in Maui with a woman. A woman he was having an affair with. As Jacks learns her marriage is not as it appeared, she finds herself connecting with a man, Nick, who knocks on her door and is, ironically, the fiancé of the James’ lover, Dylan. The pair decides to head to Maui and find answers but the ones she finds, may not be the ones she is ready for….

Book Review: Obsession (Amanda Robson) @AvonBooksUK

How often have you been in a relationship and asked your significant other, “Do you think she’s pretty? Are you attracted to anyone else?”   A simple question, a little game and in Obsession by Amanda Robson, this is the question that destroys many lives.    The novel surrounds two married couples. Rob and Carly share a happy life with their close friends Jenni and Craig; however, nothing is so simple. Can a woman’s husband ever be just friends with someone else’s wife? Pure friends? With no ulterior motives?  This novel calls into question the simplest blocks of relationships.

 

Book Review: Her Husband’s Lover (Julia Crouch) @thatjuliacrouch @headlinepg

What a wild ride!

Her Husband’s Lover, the newest release by Julia Crouch, had me confused, on edge and baffled. By the time the plot was unravelled and all the secrets were exposed, I was left in awe of Crouch’s writing ability.   This was a seriously twisted domestic thriller.

Book Review: The Girl Before (JP Delaney) @RandomHouseCA

Emma, dealing with a traumatic break in, is looking for a fresh start. Jane, after a stillbirth, needs a place to start over. Both women find themselves at One Folgate Street, a house that is an architectural masterpiece and a minimalist’s dream. Years apart, each woman applies to be a tenant and each woman develop their own relationship with the man behind the design, Edward Monkford. When Jane finds out that years earlier, the previous tenant, Emma, died in the home, she begins investigating the death. Untangling a web of lies, she follows down a similar path and soon finds herself in the same danger as the girl before.