I received this novel as an advanced copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
10 years ago, Nicolette Farrell’s best friend Corinne disappeared from Cooley Ridge. And Nic hasn’t set foot in her rural hometown since. Now she’s back at the behest of her older brother, Daniel, to tie up loose ends and care for her ailing father. So it comes as a shock when Nic is thrown into a series of events that reopens Corinne’s case. Everyone who was previously involved in Corinne’s investigation has since attempted to move on. But with the disappearance of Nic’s young neighbour, Annaleise, it seems as if old wounds will have to be reopened. Told backwards from Day 15 to Day 1, from the time of Annaleise’s disappearance, Nic tries to figure out what has happened to Annaleise. No one could have predicted the shocking truths that are about to emerge.
What intrigued me about this novel was this whole idea of it being written backwards. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book where the story starts at the end of the investigation and moves toward the beginning. After reading this novel, I can tell you that I am not a fan of this style. The author definitely did a good job in executing this style; everything flowed and made sense. However, I found it annoying to keep the timeline straight in my head and make all of the connections. I read my books on my tablet and having to flip back and forth can be really annoying; I hated doing that for my english courses in high school and university so you can bet I didn’t enjoy doing it now! I also found the story to be bland. I had to struggle to stay interested for about 50% of the story, and even when it got interesting, it wasn’t something that made my heart pound. Apart from my personal preference about the style of writing and my lack of excitement about the plot, I really didn’t like the characters in this story. Mostly because they have no personality. There is nothing special or endearing. There is nothing to make me hate them and there is nothing to make me like them. They just … exist. And they’re really boring, especially Nic. Sometimes there would be this constant monologue going on and I just could not care less about what she was saying. I just wanted something to happen, something other than her talking or thinking or driving around. Overall, this story didn’t cut it for me. I didn’t like the pacing, the style, or the characters; it didn’t do much in terms of a thrill either (my guess about the truth was pretty spot-on). I’m sure there are loads of people who will disagree with me but this is just my honest feelings on this novel.
Thought the same? Or did you have a different opinion? Send me a message through the comments, I’d love to know!
Happy reading ~
