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bethanylilywu's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
najoseph501's review against another edition
3.0
Liked the podcast elements and the way she goes about writing on a deep subject matter especially how it is viewed in court. However, the book just felt a little boring to me and dragged on too much in my opinion.
mooreamyd's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
redentrapy's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
book_obsessedmagpie's review against another edition
4.25
The kind of mystery thriller I really enjoy. The whole premise was super intriguing and the audiobook did a great job of also keeping me interested.
kenzieshea24's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
thewrittenadventure's review against another edition
3.0
Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s for my copy in exchange for a review!
Alright, I know, I know, don’t yell at me for this rating. I LOVED The Escape Room and loved all the juicy twists and turns. This was NOTHING like that book. I think going into this, I expected that same level of excellent writing. Instead, she went more realistic with this book.
She definitely went in another direction with this book. It was more based off of real life events, like the Brock Turner trial. And had to do more with women’s rights, and the current climate in the American court systems. This was a very timely novel. However it didn’t captivate me as much as her first even though the writing was just as strong.
There are two different stories intertwined into the one. There is the current trial with K, a victim of sexual assault, and Jenny, a girl who died in the ‘90s. It was only at the 60% mark that we realize how these two stories were intertwined. I would’ve loved to see more connection at the beginning so that it didn’t feel like we were learning about two separate cases at two separate times. I was missing the inherent drama, that thrilling action, that was in The Escape Room. I just didn’t see it in this one which was really disappointing compared to how packed full of plot twists the first novel was. It wasn’t enticing to me and I think comparing it to her first was my downfall to reading this.
Of course this is still one of my favorite authors, and I would love to see what she comes up with her with her third book. I’m hoping that it’ll be more like The Escape Room than The Night Swim.
Alright, I know, I know, don’t yell at me for this rating. I LOVED The Escape Room and loved all the juicy twists and turns. This was NOTHING like that book. I think going into this, I expected that same level of excellent writing. Instead, she went more realistic with this book.
She definitely went in another direction with this book. It was more based off of real life events, like the Brock Turner trial. And had to do more with women’s rights, and the current climate in the American court systems. This was a very timely novel. However it didn’t captivate me as much as her first even though the writing was just as strong.
There are two different stories intertwined into the one. There is the current trial with K, a victim of sexual assault, and Jenny, a girl who died in the ‘90s. It was only at the 60% mark that we realize how these two stories were intertwined. I would’ve loved to see more connection at the beginning so that it didn’t feel like we were learning about two separate cases at two separate times. I was missing the inherent drama, that thrilling action, that was in The Escape Room. I just didn’t see it in this one which was really disappointing compared to how packed full of plot twists the first novel was. It wasn’t enticing to me and I think comparing it to her first was my downfall to reading this.
Of course this is still one of my favorite authors, and I would love to see what she comes up with her with her third book. I’m hoping that it’ll be more like The Escape Room than The Night Swim.
i_dont_read_blurbs's review against another edition
4.0
4 ⭐️. If you like Podcasts and court drama you'll likely enjoy this one. The audio was done really well. I enjoyed the dual POVs and the short chapters. I felt for Hannah. It definitely will pull on your heartstrings and the injustice will piss you off. I'd definitely listen to Rachel's podcast if it was real. The Night Swim kept me engaged and pulling the audio up whenever I got a chance.