Krysten’s Review

I’m on the fence about this book. On the one hand, it was was an easy-to-read mystery with a couple of decent twists, a carefully plotted dual timeline, and a pretty diabolical baddie. (This should come as no surprise, given Ryan is a USA Today bestselling author and the founder of Mystery Writers of America University.) I also liked the little clues that were sprinkled throughout, in both timelines, that came together in the end. And y’all know I’m a sucker for stories featuring journalists!

On the other hand, I didn’t care much about any of the POV characters: Lily is self-centered, phony, and paranoid; Greer is bitter and two faced; and Cassie is gullible, naive, and sometimes downright stupid. I got weary of reading their inner monologues, which were repetitive and selfish and all around just made me dislike them even more.

I also found their actions and motivations to be a bit flimsy in places, making it difficult for me to suspend my disbelief. It felt like the crux of the mystery rested on a few coincidences that were just a little too coincidental to hold the weight of the story.

And someone please tell me why Greer’s POV was written in first person, while Lily (supposedly the main character) and Cassie’s were written in third?

I went into this expecting a thriller, but to me, it’s more of a mystery… which is fine, but I went into it expecting the pace and danger of a thriller, leaving me a bit disappointed in the end. That’s not to say it wasn’t a good book by any means. Bottom line? It was an enjoyable read, and I’d pick up another of Ryan’s books in the future.