Category Archives: Book Review

Review: In a Dark, Dark Wood

In a Dark, Dark Wood
By Ruth Ware
Gallery/Scout Press, 9781501112331, April 2016, 352pp.

The Short of It:

Not too many twists and not much going on in the woods but I still found myself glued to its pages.

The Rest of It:

Nora receives an invitation to Clare’s hen party, which is essentially a bride’s last hurrah at being single but what Nora can’t understand is why? Why her? She hasn’t seen Clare in ten years and it wasn’t all that great between them when they were last together. But when Nora sees that Nina, a mutual friend was also invited, she reaches out to her and they make a pact to attend together.

This was a quick, page-turner and yes, it’s a little predictable, but it was still enjoyable and Ware is good at stringing you along. Right from the beginning you know as a reader that this hen party is not a good idea. A small group, and some very strong personalities. Add to that a lot of drinking and foolishness and you just know it can’t end well.

Overall, I was very entertained by these characters. Some of their actions seemed a little over-the-top and could have used a bit more explanation but I was happily immersed in the drama of it all. That’s what we all need now. Drama that we can easily pick up and put down and drama that is not our own!

It’s being marketed as a thriller but I’d say it’s pretty mild in that department. It’s just a fun way to spend a lazy afternoon. If you’ve read Ware’s books before, I’d say this is one of the better ones.

Source: Purchased
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

Review: The Boy from the Woods

The Boy from the Woods

The Boy from the Woods
By Harlan Coben
Grand Central Publishing, 9781538748145, March 2020, 384pp.

The Short of It:

Eagerly anticipated this one but it just didn’t work for me.

The Rest of It:

The Boy from the Woods is the first Coben book I’ve read and as you probably know, he has many. I was curious about his books after watching and enjoying several Netflix shows based on his books. I mean, I could not get enough of them so when I realized he had so many books available, I decided to try his new one.

The story centers around Wilde, a boy who was literally found in the woods many years ago. As an adult, he’s close to Hester, an abrasive but witty lawyer who also happens to be a popular TV personality. Wilde was a good friend of Hester’s son who died in a car accident so he is more like family than an old friend.

In this story, a girl goes missing. Her classmate is worried about her and since that classmate is Hester’s grandson, she becomes involved as does Wilde, who is kind of a rogue detective of sorts. There is a lot of back and forth about the girl who is missing and then another classmate goes missing. What is going on here? Are the two cases related?

This was a disappointing read for me. The characters are one-dimensional but my main issue was the dialogue. It was so stilted and unnatural. You say this, I say this. You say this, I say this. Plus, the plot was so ridiculous. Before the big reveal, I almost gave up on it because I just didn’t care what happened to any of them.

Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this one. I heard good things about it so maybe those readers are die hard fans because I tried to enjoy it and was so looking forward to it but it was choppy and just not good in my opinion.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.