Genre: Psychological/Thriller
Ratings: 4.7/5.0 Stars
Synopsis
Jo and Will are a perfect match. They are always there for each other. However, it has been exactly one year since Will is missing.
Did Will leave Jo? Did something terrible happen to him? Jo doesn’t know the answer. She is torn trying to understand what had actually happened with Will.
Louise, Jo’s best friend recommends her to house sit. It was not only a cheap option to the other alternatives but also a great escape for Jo from her husband’s nightmare. While scrolling through a website, Jo stumbles upon Will’s photo in someone else’s house.
Curious Jo pays a visit to the house, and she finds no trace of Will there. However, there’s a locked room in the house that piques Jo’s curiosity even more. She begins to wonder she will finally have the answer as to what happen with Will. However , It is all just a beginning.
Point of View
At first the point of view used in the story confuses me. There is Jo’s point of view, then there is Jo talking to herself, and there’s a third point of view. As the book progresses, the author continues with third point of view.
To narrate the story with third point of view is really very effective in this particular context even though it’s sometimes confusing. Why? It is because of a few reasons: First of all, Jo thinks to herself within the third point of view. There are paragraphs of her thinking of her thoughts about things. Also the story jumps from past to present in a single chapter. Even though the chapters are specifically characterized by “THEN” & “NOW” at the beginning of each chapter, it continues to loop back in the past which is confusing at times.
Plot
The plot is something that I could have never ever guessed. The plot somehow reminded me of “The Vow” by Debbie Howells , however there is not much similarity between the two. In the story of happy Couple, I really believed that my assumption about what happened to Will will come out to be true but there’s more than that though, and it’s such a huge revelation!
The ending is not only interesting and surprising but also worth a re-read. Who could have possibly guessed of such an ending. There are very few words I have to describe the ending i.e. betrayal, pain, and satisfying.
Thoughts Lane
I actually didn’t expect this to be good, let alone be so good as it is. The beginning, especially when Jo finds the house where her husband’s photographs are, seem to be very boring. Partly due to this reason, It took me days to finally pick up my actual pace of reading. The story becomes really intriguing when Jo is finally at Suzanne’s place (where she goes to house sit for a couple of days) where she goes on looking for clues about her missing husband.
All the time Jo is at Suzanne’s place makes me intensely nervous. I am really not a fan of Psychological Thrillers. Almost all my reviews of Psychological Thrillers have always been at about 3.0 stars on Goodreads. However, this book just proves me wrong! Despite it’s minor drawbacks I really liked it. Even though one might be able to guess some elements of surprise but there are many more that one won’t be able to.
I like how the author depicts different sides of Suzanne. It makes the story engaging and at the same time it’s also makes it very nerve-wracking!
Suzanne has Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and she doesn’t fail to make readers jump with shock. Her character is a perfect addition to the story to keep the readers engaged.
The story is unpredictable at some points and the ending made me really mad for all that happens with Jo. I feel sorry and furious for her , both at the same time. Jo doesn’t seem to deserve what happens to her, though, in the end it turns out really beautifully for Joe and I feel very happy about that.
A message to Jo:
Your curiosity builds up to your bravery and your hungry for answers is commendable. Without it you would have not known what was going on around you. You certainly don’t deserve all that happens to you and it’s certainly unforgivable.
All your anger is quite justified and anyone would have done the same if they were in your shoes. You really deserve happiness and I believe everything that you have to go through is a blessing in disguise.
A message to Louise:
How could you have done what you do? I adored you for being the best friend of Jo, but what you do is quite unforgivable.
A message to Suzanne:
Glad to know that your perseverance pays off. You definitely have a good heart and are a wonderful character.
Quotes:
“She’d never wanted to believe Will had left because they’d not been able to conceive, that her body wouldn’t fuse with his, making her worry they weren’t compatible.”
“It was one of the things I loved most about him, that he knew when to take time for himself, to reset his mind.”
“He was also everything her mother had warned her about, since she was young, that she should avoid in a man. Yet, ironically, it was everything she desired. And how many times had she been woken by his night-time sleep-talking to know he was scared, terrified, of feeling like a failure, of never quite being good enough and trying to live up to some blueprint of an idea he’d foolishly overlaid on his life? His sleep patterns had been affecting them both.”
“Frankly, not knowing anything is better than finding out he had an affair with Suzanne and that she’s somehow got rid of him. What if she–”
“Everything I’ve ever loved or wanted in life is all here, in this room. And yet none of it can ever be mine…”
What I like about the book:
-The cover reminds me so much about another title “The Vow” by Debbie Howells. They are very identical! Both are minimalist.
-The end is very unique and really worth the time.
-The characters are really well portrayed. I love all of them except for two. Obviously. (Roll eyes)
What I dislike about the book:
- Confusing point of view. Leaps from past to present in a single chapter.
- Predictable Outcomes. Few outcomes in the book are quite obvious and predictable. However it’s really hard to come up with new ideas and the predictability is somewhat expected.
Conclusion:
Is it enjoyable? Oh yes, it very well is! Would I recommend it? Definitely!
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Bookouture for approving me of this awesome book. A special thanks to Samantha Hayes for letting me read her work.
