This book got such great reviews from so many people that I'm wondering, are we all reading the same book?
The book is structured so that it's told in past and present times in alternative chapters. That works in the first half of the book, but once the "past" in later parts of the book become later than "present" in earlier parts of the book, it doesn't work anymore. It feels like the author pretty much did it as a superficial means of increasing the suspense in the book. Speaking of suspense, the book's not really suspenseful or a thriller. And it's not really a mystery because you can guess what the book is about just by reading the book jacket.
*** Minor spoilers below (aka what you can guess just by reading the book jacket) ***
The two main characters in this book are just ridiculous caricatures of their roles in this plot. Grace is incredibly submissive even though she has gone toe-to-toe with her parents about her sister and has built up a fabulous career that involves her flying around everywhere. Jack is the most over-the-top villain, to the point where he never comes across as menacing but more as cartoonish. I'm surprised he didn't reveal his real name as Jafar and bust out his serpent staff.
Everything about their relationship is just silly. At one point, Jafar--I mean Jack-- pretty much said "I don't love you and I'm going to abuse you mwahaha" and Grace's response is along the lines of "I must have heard wrong. You don't mean that". It's hard to care about characters like that. I did enjoy some of the minor characters, including Millie and Esther, as they seem to have their wits about them.
The first two-thirds of the book feels really dull and slow to me as not much happens other than what you can already guess from the book jacket. I was glad to reach the climax of the story, partly to see what happens after all that setup and also to finally reach the merciful end to this unrealistic story.
Readaroo Rating: 1 star
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