Book Review: Forget Me Not by A.M. Taylor

Description

WHAT HAPPENED TO NORA?

When Maddie met Nora, their friendship felt as easy as breathing. And when Nora disappeared, all the air went with her. Without her best friend, Maddie’s life became impossible. Ten years later, Nora is still missing and Maddie is still searching. People have been questioned. People have even been accused. But no one has managed to find Nora.

Then, in the same spot where Nora went missing, the murdered body of Nora’s little sister is found. Convinced this is no coincidence, Maddie resolves to uncover the killer and find Nora – dead or alive. But will she be able to cope, when we learn what really happened to Nora…?

Review: 2.5  Stars

This book is a slow burn for sure. It is not a fast paced book. It’s a mystery but with a lot of emotional dwelling added to it. The story is about how deep the friendship between Nora and Maddie was and how Nora’s disappearance impacted Maddie. It was not just about what happened to Nora. I enjoyed the subtle psychological analysis that came up all through the book. The past vs. present format of storytelling is helpful to establish the emotions of the story. However I could not really connect with the book. To me there were too many gaping holes in the plot. The outcome was something I could figure out before i was even half way through with the book. 

There were way too many characters being introduced in to the story and a lot of them were entirely unnecessary. This lead to many smaller storylines potentially developing but going nowhere. It only contributed to creating confusion that was entirely avoidable. The story is told from Maddie’s perspective in some places and in others it’s being relayed when Maddie isn’t in the scene. This made it harder to follow and keep track since you can’t associate the plot with a narrator very easily. 

While the plot is in interesting the book doesn’t grip the reader the way it should. Partly to blame is the writing style. It is unnecessarily descriptive, gets boring and at times is even annoying. This book could easily be at least 25% shorter! I would expect better editing especially since it’s debut novel.

To sum it up- would I recommend this book? NO

Would I read this author again? Maybe if I was certain that the next one is edited much better than this. 

Thank you Killer Reads and NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. O

Book Review: The Perfect Liar by Thomas Christopher Greene

Description:

A seemingly perfect marriage is threatened by the deadly secrets husband and wife keep from each other. Susannah, a young widow and single mother, has remarried well: to Max, a charismatic artist and popular speaker whose career took her and her fifteen-year-old son out of New York City and to a quiet Vermont university town. Strong-willed and attractive, Susannah expects that her life is perfectly in place again. Then one quiet morning she finds a note on her door: I KNOW WHO YOU ARE. Max dismisses the note as a prank. But days after a neighborhood couple comes to dinner, the husband mysteriously dies in a tragic accident while on a run with Max. Soon thereafter, a second note appears on their door: DID YOU GET AWAY WITH IT? Both Susannah and Max are keeping secrets from the world and from each other —secrets that could destroy their family and everything they have built. Thomas Christopher Greene's The Perfect Liar is a thrilling novel told through the alternating perspectives of Susannah and Max with a shocking climax that no one will expect, from the bestselling author of The Headmaster’s Wife.

Review: 4 Stars

This book is a great read...it’s fast paced, mysterious and intriguing. It’s broken up in to 6 chapters only which really helps people like me ‘I’ll stop after this chapter’... sure, it’s only 40 more pages! This book is a true psychological thriller. In today’s day when every other book comes with a tag line of being ‘twisting gripping taut thrilling...’ this one actually is all that...without the tag line! The book speaks for itself. What makes it a really compelling read is how well the characters are developed. There are layers to each of them no matter how small a role they seem to play. Each character is vital to the story. The secrets Max and Susannah keep are dark. We know Max’s secret from the start but we don’t know much else. The plot keeps you on the edge yet when things are revealed it’s surprising. The anticipation of twist is beautifully crafted and every reader will succumb to it.
I enjoyed the introspection done by Max and Susannah a few times, it gives you great insight in to their devious minds. It makes you wonder who is playing whom and who the ultimate ‘perfect liar’ is. The book depicts the transformation of Susannah from a strong willed and rebellious young girl to a mellow routine-following homemaker. But you can catch glimpses of her real personality. Max on the other hand is a selfish ruthless man right from the start and there is no way you can like him. The fact that he is such a strong negative character draws the reader’s attention away from everyone else in the plot. Very little time is spent on giving us insights to Freddy and his relationship with Susannah- this is the only flaw of this book. I think a little more background or interaction between them would have helped the plot better.
The writing style is pretty easy to follow. At times the narrative shifts from Max to Susannah or vice versa pretty abruptly but their voices are distinct enough for the reader to follow.
Dolores plays a nice role as the investigator and I have to say that I was a little disappointed with the way she handled the situation in the end, highly questionable! It’s a bumpy ride but worth your while. The book actually releases in Jan 2019, but it is one that you should put a reminder for, you don’t want to miss it. I’ll definitely be looking out for more books by this author.
Thank you St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.