My review
This was a family drama of sorts jacketed as a thriller. The story has 2 time lines with 3 versions. One was way in the past in the year 2013, where the main character Caroline, goes through turbulence in her marriage, with her prescription pill addict husband and so has an affair. The second version was Caroline in the present, year 2015, when she is on a holiday with the same husband Francis, trying to save the marriage, on a house swap, where the stranger’s house has reminders of her past. The third version is by a stranger who has house swapped with Caroline and is staying at her place. There is the occasional POV of her husband, Francis. This story sounded so exciting when I read the synopsis.
Whom did Caroline and Francis house swap with? Why are there reminders of her past in this home? What is the stranger doing in Caroline’s home? What is the purpose of the rampage and destruction the stranger is on?
But the delivery of the story is pretty slow, the characters self-obsessed and undeveloped, and the whole plot too flimsy. Caroline occupies the major storyline, yet is shown selfish most of the times. The husband had a prescription pill addiction, the reason for that or the support given to him was almost nil in description.
Where is the thrill, the suspense, the twists, if this is a thriller? Where is the race to the ending and the heart pounding finish?
This book is quite unbelievable, but as I am told that is creative license, the characters are unlikable, but I am told that works, the story is extremely slow but I am told that is the new trend. Caroline is supposedly hot but that is because I am told repeatedly how sexy she is in her short dress and skirts. There are lots of erotic scenes during affair, but none with the husband, and they don’t add to the ‘psychological thriller’ aspect.
The only character who drew my emotions out was the child Eddie, who had the mother rushing through his bedtime to meet the lover, and the father in his pill haze. He had my full-on sympathy.
The first emotion evoked was disinterest and the last emotion was happiness — thank God the book is done, and I can delete it from my kindle. It very nearly became DNF. Took me 5 days to read.
This is Rebecca Fleet’s debut, and unless the writing improves, I wouldn’t be reading anymore by her.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and publisher Random House UK, Transworld, and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.
P. S. The story lines were 2013 and 2015, that led me to think that it was written ages ago and published now, as this is the trend of slow moving thrillers.
My rating : 2.5 stars
Book blurb
When Caroline and Francis receive an offer to house swap, they jump at the chance for a week away from home. After the difficulties of the past few years, they’ve worked hard to rebuild their marriage for their son’s sake; now they want to reconnect as a couple.
On arrival, they find a house that is stark and sinister in its emptiness. Then, gradually, Caroline begins to uncover some signs of life – signs of her life. The flowers in the bathroom or the music in the CD player might seem innocent to her husband but to her they are anything but. It seems the person they have swapped with is someone she used to know; someone she’s desperate to leave in her past.
But that person is now in her home – and they want to make sure she’ll never forget.
Product Details
Publication date : 3rd May, 2018
Publisher : Random House UK, Transworld, Doubleday
Language : English
Available on Amazon
No thriller, just mind numbingly boring
58 Responses
Blah… Self-obsesssed, under developed characters?? No thanks!! I’ve read enough of those recently!! 😖😕
Hey Nicole, yeah and the dates in this was 2013 and 2015? Mewonders and methinks old book released now. What say you?
Definitely! That is strange that the dates are so long ago!!
Yp, that’s why I thought maybe not developed well
Definitely… I wonder what took so long to get the book out?? Or of those years were chosen for a reason? … Hmmm… A new mystery?? 😉😉
Oh girl, I didn’t think in the mysterious manner.
Then you should know I didn’t find anything about the author in goodreads or amazon. Mystery deepens
Ooo… The mystery DEFINITELY deepens!! We’ll have to look into this, for sure!
Yp… I had the acknowledgement page at the end of the book and nothing more. Is she English or American? She must be from UK as it is a UK publisher
Eerie…. Maybe, she’s neither. She’s routing her book through different place to throw us off the trail…
Is she a ghostwriter, maybe that’s why she is anonymous?
She is more ghost than writer
Now, I definitely need to know more!!
Read the book, lotsa erotic scenes… Lotsa lotsa
So… A horny ghost??
Hahaha… Oh yeah… Possibly and this was a psychological thriller… Hmmm which part?
It has to be a psychological thriller romance… Perchance the horny ghost finds love?? 😉
Nahhh this was horny ghost in an obsessive affair. Is it love or lust is left to you to detect
What took so long? It was that bad???
I have this one coming up and the low reviews are scaring me a bit…. can I hope to be the oddball that loves it instead?
Yes, I think you will like it. You are kinder and more forgiving than me. This has a lot of sex scenes too. Don’t expect it to be a thriller, then you would be good to go. A mystery family drama would be apt with sexy scenes
I do like a wider variety really so even if one is marketed as a thriller and it doesn’t really live up to that I still may potentially love it. But then again I’ve been the one complaining all by myself too when everyone else loved something… see my review of The Last Thing I Saw for an example. LOL
I will just do that.
Girl you write 4 reviews per day, you are awesome. I am left thunder struck. I literally counted. Where is this post?
LOL! I’ve been doing two a day trying to get myself back ahead because I was seriously pushing my publication dates. Pretty much audio on all the time to keep up. 🙂 But it hasn’t been that long ago…. https://carriesbookreviews.com/2018/04/11/the-last-thing-i-saw-by-alex-sinclair-bookreview-thriller/
Haha I found it on goodreads. Easier to search there.
As you can see I’m seriously in the minority on that one though.
But you have reasoned it out so well, so it is understandable. Well written review. Loved it
Thanks, I told you I try to just list my reasons and not go on a rant knowing the author did put a lot of work into them even when I don’t care for them and obviously a lot of other people are disagreeing with me but there might be a few who see my dislikes and avoid it too.
I understand, I understand the author putting in the hard work. What I don’t understand is the editors and publishers who publish this book without telling the author to rewrite certain portions. It takes a couple of lines or paragraphs to be tweaked for the story to read better. That’s what I rant about.
Every single time I visit your blog, I see soooo many reviews that I can’t decide!!
And the only question that lurks above me, How? How do you manage to do this????????????
Nooooo they have all decreased hahaha I have not read many books in this month, I have been a bit busy with other stuff.
And look who is talking, a wedding planner who deals with bridezillas and is studying and working. How do you manage to do it??
Hahahaha,
Well, I manage it by being a neurotic and a person with 1000 different moods in a day.
Go figure 😀
See…. There you go… You have 1000 different moods too…. How do you manage them all???
Hahahah, I don’t manage them, instead they manage me, and when I lose it I pay for it 😉
Well, I heard some book reviewer cum doctor was trying to search for me, To what do I owe this great reminder then ?
Haha I have been missing you, and couldn’t see you anywhere in the comments, so when I did chance upon you, I grabbed the opportunity to comment on that
Hahahah, you could have visited my blog,
You’d have found something new 😉
Hahaha I agree. But then I have been busy trying to manage my time and you don’t come in my reader when I am online. So it just went on slipping. Then I caught you in the comments section
I understand..
So how’s life going ? All good?
A bit hectic this month, due to a lot of catching up of stuff at home
What about you
UUUUGHHHHH
Juggling… It has been hectic this entire year,, I really need to be a little free from now on since I have my semesters in June.
Oooh you are studying too… And you juggle too – how many articles do you juggle 4 /5 /7?
Mataphorically speaking I guess minimum of 4-5 :!!
And really speaking can you juggle??
In my dreams !!!:
Haha in my dreams I am juggling guys 🤣😂😂
Hahahah
I am done with that..
Since it is just dreams and not real, I am not done
Hey did you read my online flirting with the author? In my new post?
Now, I will now 😉
Nice review.
Thank you Vijay
You’re welcome. How did interview go.
I think the post has come out well. I have been laughing reading it
Oh great
Reblogged this on Die Erste Eslarner Zeitung – Aus und über Eslarn, sowie die bayerisch-tschechische Region!.
Thank you
Ah, it’s so disappointing when a book has a really promising premise but the execution falls so short! Better luck next time. Thanks so much for sharing your honest review!
Thank you so much. Now I am in a slump. No idea what I want to read 🤔