The Social Potato Reviews

An ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review. This did not influence my review in any way.

Upon further consideration, I think this book, for me, is more of a 3.5 than a 4. It's still not bad, though, especially since I kind of enjoyed this novel (which I initially thought was a book about a dysfunctional family). I think what set it apart from other mystery thrillers was the way the story was portrayed and played out; we got to see the events unfold in the eyes of four characters, giving us not only a sneak peek into the psyches of the individuals, but also a chance to see the various angles and versions of the story. That, I believe, was the book's strongest point: the painting of the bigger picture by laying out the deceit, betrayal, confusion, and misunderstandings piece by piece, POV after POV. I honestly thought it was a nice touch overall, and it successfully created a chilling atmosphere perfect for a thriller with a killer.

I do think, however, that there were times it felt dragging, especially during Darcy's POV. We're given great and overwhelming details of his early life, and his transformation: from being a socially inept person into someone successful in order to get back to his detractors... or so he thinks anyway. I couldn't help but skim a few pages every now and then, skipping the long narrative of his plans to do this, his plans to do that... etc. etc. I skimmed a huge chunk of Rowan's part as well, and I still got the story anyway without missing anything vital. I definitely think this could have been shorter.

However, even though it was sometimes tedious, I think it was able to surprise the reader of its twists efficiently. I mean, I was given the huge spoiler of who the current Darcy was early in the book, but it was only later that I connected the dots, with a matching, "What the fuck, it was him?!?!" Hah, and to think I pick up on these stuff easily. So, I'd like to applaud the author for that. Ahh, the beauty of multiple POVS done right!

All in all, I think it was a decent read. I'd recommend this to those who'd like to consume something with an amazing narrative (as long as you don't get easily overwhelmed, as I did) and with an even more spectacular mystery. It's my first from Erin Kelly, but it definitely won't be my last.