Amanda Roberts has it all.
A loving, successful husband, two adorable children, a designer home in a perfect location, and a writing career filled with adoring fans.
But when her world starts crashing down one piece at a time, you, Reader, will have to figure out– Who is the real villain of Amanda’s story?
First of all, I don’t really read a lot of thrillers! They bore me most of the time, which is the exact opposite point of thrillers, lol. So, this was a nice little refreshing adventure for me! I don’t venture here often.
Let’s go with things I really, really liked first!
This is a dual-POV book where you don’t know exactly who the other narrator is for a very long time. The mystery and intrigue is really well done. The need to know who Shady Lady (this is her official nickname, thanks Kip) is really drove me through the first half of the novel. Not only that, but you can’t be sure Shady Lady is ever telling the truth. She’s a very unreliable narrator because she’s an absolute genius when it comes to disguise. You can’t trust her, you can’t even really like her, to be honest, because she does some shady stuff!
But she’s better than Amanda! It’s hard for me to read a book where I genuinely don’t like the main character. But from the get go, I despised this woman. She is so ungrateful and so uppity, for lack of a better descriptor. Amanda genuinely, wholeheartedly believes that she’s better than everyone around her, and that’s not true. So, I was stuck on–Did I like hating the main character or not? Turns out, I loved to hate her. I loved watching all these bad things happening to her, and I loved her suffering.
Tone down your evil, Amy. People are watching!
Either way, that being said, I think the characters and very, very well designed. I have absolutely no qualms about characterization or plot progression. Everyone and everything had a purpose.
Now, on to things I was sort of iffy about.
The pacing at the beginning nearly killed me. I had to force myself through. I think this comes down to me being an impatient reader and not really enjoying this genre. Personal preference! But honestly, this is my only issue!
And the crowd gasps in shock and awe.
I know, I know. 😛 And the end MORE than makes up for it. I audibly gasped when reading, and I never do that. This book had me shaking my head and staring at the ceiling like wtf just happened? It was that freaking good.
Final Ratings
Overall Rating: 4.5 / 5
Pacing: Slow-ish towards the beginning, picks up at the end.
Intended Audience: Thriller fans!
Content Warnings: None that I remember. Some racism?
Buy link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B091662WCC
Amy Johnson Writes 