Thriller | Book Chatter

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.

The Swap
By Robyn Harding
Gallery/Scout Press, 9781982141769, June 23, 2020, 336pp.

The Short of It:

In a pandemic, you need quick, fast reads that take you out of your current situation. The Swap accomplished that.

The Rest of It:

Swallow, “Low” for short, is an awkward teen whose family is polyamorous. Meaning, she has more than a mom and dad. More like an entire support team who have agreed to live as one happy family. No jealousy. No competition. She lives on an island that is open to these types of relationships. She thinks it’s a little weird but kind of gets it too. As for herself, she has no idea what she wants.

In walks Freya. She’s blonde and beautiful and magnetic. She’s also a grown woman. After she posts a flyer about pottery classes Low decides she’s buying whatever Freya is selling. As their pottery sessions turn into more than a friendship, at least in Low’s eyes, Freya begins to pit Low against another close friend of hers and the two compete for Freya’s attention which begins a dangerous game of tug of war.

Harding knows how to tell a story. She loops you in no matter how far-fetched the plot is. I read this in two sittings. Had it not been for work I would have finished it in one day. It ended in a surprising way and was a little over-the-top but that didn’t prevent me from savoring those last few pages. Have you read Harding before? I really enjoyed The Party a few years back.

The Swap comes out June 23rd but do add it to your list.

Source: Review copy provided by the publisher.
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

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