I received this novel as an advanced copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I like dares and I like to be bold and adventurous when possible. So when a novel warns me of its graphic nature and its disturbing content, I’m game to give it a go. When I saw this book on NetGalley, it had this disclaimer attached to it. The story itself sounded quite interesting, so I put in a request and was happy when it got accepted. Here is my review:
Karl’s sister, Stacey, likes to date and have fun. And there doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with this blind date. But when she comes back home the next day, Karl immediately notices something off about her. There is a coldness in her demeanor that makes her seem like a complete stranger. Karl confronts her about his suspicions, but she turns nasty and begins accusing him of being a pervert. Months later, Stacey seems normal, but then a harmless comment provokes a violent response. As she fluctuates in her personality, Karl becomes more convinced that everything is tied to this date. As he decides to investigate further, he realizes that he has stumbled onto something far more sinister than he could ever have imagined.
This novel started off in a very intriguing way. Yes, it was a little graphic, but I was more interested in the thrilling mystery behind the blind date. There are two storylines here of two different sets of characters, that eventually come together; I quite enjoyed that as I felt it helped make the story more appealing. However, as the story got closer to the ending, I found it a bit disappointing. While the story plot has great potential, it fails to hit the right notes in the climactic end scene. The ending itself was also quite sloppy. I wish it had been a little more clean in tying all loose ends, and I wish the author had spent more time providing details leading up to the big reveal – that would have made everything a lot more believable and chilling. This was a decent novel, but it definitely needs a bit more polishing (in my opinion)!
Happy reading ~