This is a hard one to review because Fennell does so many elements of this very well and I really enjoyed the opening and first part of this. I think the reason, I didn't end up enjoying this as much as I was expecting is because Fennell is juggling far too many elements. Without spoilers, all I will say is that we get a range of perspectives that are really quite detailed at times.
All of these elements are great when you look at them individually but when you put them all together to create a thriller, then the reader doesn't really get to the point where they're scared or excited or super hooked. There were moments where I thought, okay, this is a key moment, I'm going to be scared for whichever character but that feeling didn't really last long. The whole thriller/mystery aspect of the novel felt a bit anti-climatic after a point. We got all this build-up but I never really connected to a character enough to fear for them or be invested in their fate because we were dealing with so much.
Maybe the way Fennell chose to narrate the story also affected.
In conclusion, I think my problem with this book was that it was told to me, not really showed and that it felt far too anti-climatic. I also wasn't surprised with a key reveal and that's always disappointing. Would I recommend this? Maybe. If you like slower-paced thrillers where there are a lot of elements and quite a bit of build-up then you might enjoy this more than I did.
All of these elements are great when you look at them individually but when you put them all together to create a thriller, then the reader doesn't really get to the point where they're scared or excited or super hooked. There were moments where I thought, okay, this is a key moment, I'm going to be scared for whichever character but that feeling didn't really last long. The whole thriller/mystery aspect of the novel felt a bit anti-climatic after a point. We got all this build-up but I never really connected to a character enough to fear for them or be invested in their fate because we were dealing with so much.
Maybe the way Fennell chose to narrate the story also affected.
In conclusion, I think my problem with this book was that it was told to me, not really showed and that it felt far too anti-climatic. I also wasn't surprised with a key reveal and that's always disappointing. Would I recommend this? Maybe. If you like slower-paced thrillers where there are a lot of elements and quite a bit of build-up then you might enjoy this more than I did.