Thanks for the buddy read Jen! I had so much fun discussing theories and ranting! :). Check out Jen's great review here!
What I LOVED
• Up until the twiThanks for the buddy read Jen! I had so much fun discussing theories and ranting! :). Check out Jen's great review here!
What I LOVED
• Up until the twist this book is a 4 star. It was a quick and easy read that was hard to put down, I was hooked from the first chapter. It was an interesting case and I wanted to know more!
• I enjoyed the cat and mouse game between Robert and Gwen, attorney vs psychiatrist! And the way they analysed and tried to figure each other out.
• The part of the twist I did enjoy was (view spoiler)[the fact that Gwen was actually talking to the BH killer all along. (hide spoiler)]
What I did not enjoy. Immensely. (Sorry to be a negative nancy)
• The twist and ending. It essentially made me question the point of the whole book
• Robert. Where do I begin. His actions were in no way justified or plausible. I've got many points in the spoilers below!
• Gwen’s relationship to Rob. Despite being a psychiatrist, she was definitely not the sharpest when it came to Rob, how could she have possibly overlooked and accepted his actions?!
• This was such a short book and in hindsight I feel like there were some wasted pages.
Specific eyebrow raising moments, there’s a lot. Did you have any? (view spoiler)[ • When I play back Rob’s actions they made no sense whatsoever and were in no way justified. Rob was convinced that Gwen knew John was the BH Killer and therefore his intention was to make her confess and then kill her. BUT WHY?! There was nothing to gain by going through all that trouble to hire Gwen and get close to her. I wish he was unsure about whether Gwen knew or not and for it to become a cat and mouse game with Rob trying to find out the truth. Or even make him psychologically unstable and that he just wanted to toy with her, anything!
• Why on earth did Rob treat Gwen so well given his intentions to kill her? For example he gave her a ring that meant a lot to him. Did anyone else raise an eyebrow when Rob gave Gwen the ring, slept with her and then questioned her about John?
• During the reveal Rob had come to kill Gwen but he was interrupted by the detective. I was scratching my head wondering why she did not say anything and turn him in.
• Gwen’s thoughts on whether Randall was guilty or not got a bit drawn out. It was too clear to the reader that it wasn’t him, so it made Gwen’s bias seem more silly to me rather than interesting. I was thinking, omg just realise it already!
• The incident with Luke and the stolen keys didn’t add much to the story because we find out from Rob anyways that Randall’s MO was young girls. And the lost keys only led to Gwen running to Rob. I understand the need to throw red herrings and distractions but this didn’t really add anything to the story overall.
• What happened to Rob’s dead wife?! I thought there would be a huge revelation or link but it seems the main purpose was to give Rob a sad backstory.
• I've never studied law but the conflict of interests between Rob and Randall seemed too farfetched for Rob to be his attorney. Though I was willing to overlook this. (hide spoiler)]
My Recommendation Overall this is a decent, quick and easy read. If you can suspend belief then easily a 4-5 star read. I can suspend belief on crazy plots, but not so much on people’s actions.
Thank you to Medha for buddy reading this with me :).
What I enjoyed:
This is my first time seeing a mystery-thriller that deeply expRating: 2 or 2.5.
Thank you to Medha for buddy reading this with me :).
What I enjoyed:
This is my first time seeing a mystery-thriller that deeply explores the themes of institutional racism and with a great representation of LGBT characters. In an article Àbíké-Íyímídé mentioned:
“I think a lot of these institutions, whether it's university or a high school, they often are prestige because they have a history that is rooted in a kind of subjugation of Black people”
Perhaps I live under a rock but I had no idea that such inequality is so deeply rooted in history of many schools (for example slavery and racial heirachy). I love Àbíké-Íyímídé’s intent to highlight the struggles in which people of color go/went through and raise awareness. Both the protagonist’s experiences and thoughts felt real and I felt empathy for Dev and Chi, especially knowing that the author was drawing from her own experiences as well.
What I didn’t enjoy: While I loved the message and intent of the book, I didn’t like the story itself - I’m sorry!!
• The plot behind Aces. (view spoiler)[It was so big and elaborate I found it too much as the whole school and even media networks were in on this game. However, after doing a little bit of research, I realise it was the author's intention to make it so big for shock factor and to highlight that racism is everywhere and deeply rooted. Similar to how slavery and racial heirachy existed in many schools, for Niveus, it is Aces. However, I wish there was more explanation in the history of Aces itself and draw parallels to real life history to give it more context. Otherwise, it was a very eyebrow raising twist. (hide spoiler)]
• Overall I didn’t like the mystery or thriller component. The first half of the book was boring, the messages from Ace felt like gossip that created soapy drama instead of tension or curiosity. Chi’s memories created some mystery, however there wasn’t enough build up and (view spoiler)[ I found it completely unrealistic that the hit and run was a setup as well. (hide spoiler)]
• The only reminder I got of Gossip Girl was Aces. There wasn’t enough world building for me as I wasn’t transported to the lives of the glamorous elite.
Joanna Chu (The ChuseyReader)
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