I wanted to like this book. I'm a fan of thrillers and true crime podcasts and things but this was quite a struggle to get through.
I felt that Carolyn didn't come across as a particularly likeable character - often stating her (perceived) personality traits for the reader. I.e. "I am a very strong/positive person", which were often at odds with the way she was behaving - she spent most of the book in a state of deep depression and despair, long after Mark was out of her life.
One of the main reasons Mark got away with the extent of the fraud he did was due to his charismatic character. From the very first meeting it was clear that he was a bit of a creep and she'd have been best off staying well away from him. I felt those parts were written with the benefit of hindsight and she really failed in her quest to make the reader truly understand what it was that had drawn her to him in the first place - and what made her stay.
There were also some quite frustrating aspects of the book too. She makes a really big deal about how she doesn't want to be painted as the 'divorced woman' as this comes with some negative connotations - yet it's the beginning of the strap-line in the front of the book - which I presume she signed off on. She also expresses her frustration with the GPs she saw who insisted she needed antidepressants and therapy and she didn't want either. I really don't understand what else she wanted from them, what else could they offer?
The second part of the book which covered the investigation was easier to get through and a bit more interesting - perhaps because it was less about her. All in all, I won't be recommending this to anyone unfortunately.
*I was given a free copy of this book in return for an honest review.
I felt that Carolyn didn't come across as a particularly likeable character - often stating her (perceived) personality traits for the reader. I.e. "I am a very strong/positive person", which were often at odds with the way she was behaving - she spent most of the book in a state of deep depression and despair, long after Mark was out of her life.
One of the main reasons Mark got away with the extent of the fraud he did was due to his charismatic character. From the very first meeting it was clear that he was a bit of a creep and she'd have been best off staying well away from him. I felt those parts were written with the benefit of hindsight and she really failed in her quest to make the reader truly understand what it was that had drawn her to him in the first place - and what made her stay.
There were also some quite frustrating aspects of the book too. She makes a really big deal about how she doesn't want to be painted as the 'divorced woman' as this comes with some negative connotations - yet it's the beginning of the strap-line in the front of the book - which I presume she signed off on. She also expresses her frustration with the GPs she saw who insisted she needed antidepressants and therapy and she didn't want either. I really don't understand what else she wanted from them, what else could they offer?
The second part of the book which covered the investigation was easier to get through and a bit more interesting - perhaps because it was less about her. All in all, I won't be recommending this to anyone unfortunately.
*I was given a free copy of this book in return for an honest review.