Litsy

Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore: A Novel | Matthew Sullivan

This post contains spoilers

I am super excited to discuss this one with everyone! 🤓🤗📚 This is the FINAL book discussion of #MatBIB. 📖. Comment below and let‘s discuss this #LitsyBuddyRead

Jess7, LitsyBuddyRead

Jess7 I loved the the way this one started. The clues in the middle annoyed me a lot, and the ending was a little far fetched for me. There were parts I really liked, but I had a hard time connecting with or caring about Joey.. What did everyone else think? 6y

Jennifer3 I definitely liked all the layers/characters involved in the story plus the fact it brought a part of Lydia‘s past and connected to the tragedy in her present. Although I made a couple of things out this read was enjoyable and hard to put down once it got going! 6y

Jess7 I guessed part of the ending, but I felt like the way it was laid out relied on a lot of thing having to happen for it to come together.. I‘m not sure I found it very believable. What did everyone think of the ending? Did it surprise you? Did you see it coming? 6y

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Jennifer3 @Jess7 I cared about Joey but I didn‘t feel we learned enough about him to have a connection with his character. It was more because Lydia cared about him that made me care. (edited) 6y

Jess7 @Jennifer3 I agree about the unputdownable aspect of the book. It was definitely suspenseful! I could have finished this in one or two sittings but for trying to spread it out for the discussions! 6y

Jennifer3 Agreed @Jess7 on the suspense. I guess the ending for me was just okay, I expected it to have a few more surprises. Also I wanted Moberg to be more involved. 6y

Jess7 Yeah that makes sense @Jennifer3 - I get that. I just has such a tough time believing that someone who didn‘t think he mattered and felt so much guilt to kill himself would have left such a complicated set of clues behind... I mean if Lydia would have not went to his apartment or decided not to look through those books, we would never have learned about his past. 6y

Jess7 I know! Me too. The mystery/Psychological thriller lover in me was really hoping it would go really dark and it would turn out that Lydia was actually psychotic and had killed everyone... that would have been super surprising. 😳🤓 @Jennifer3 6y

Jess7 @LazyDays - if you delete your comment from the “discussion begins now” post and move it to the comments here we can totally discuss it! 🤗🤗 6y

Jennifer3 Yes, it was definitely a complicated set of clues @Jess7 and you had to make a large leap regarding how much Lydia cared about him to get to the mystery part. I don‘t know who I wanted to be the actual killer but I felt you could have really opened it up to a couple more characters for another 100 pages or so to make it less likely for people to figure out. 6y

Jennifer3 What did anyone think of the boyfriend? 6y

Jess7 I agree with that. I also felt like Raj‘s appearance was super random. I know they were close as kids but hadn‘t it been like 10-15 plus years since they had seen each other? I felt like it was weird that he was so quick to be into Lydia and she was so quick to trust him and push David away. I didn‘t really get that part.. did you? @jennifer3 @LazyDays 6y

Jess7 @Jennifer3 - I thought it was really weird that David (the boyfriend) talked to Lydia‘s Dad without telling her, but I also thought it was odd how mad she got and how she pushed him away and just sort of fell into Raj. What did you think? 6y

Jennifer3 @Jess7 I actually thought I‘d the person hadn‘t seen so large to Lydia under the sink that it was Raj! Just because his feelings had been hurt by her and Carol. And yes, he and Lydia after so much time had passed slipped into a comfortable relationship too easily. 6y

Jess7 Yeah - I thought about that, but it felt like the killer would have had to be pretty tough to kill Mr. O‘Toole.. but maybe not if he had hammered the skull before the guy woke up... @Jennifer3 6y

Jennifer3 Yes!!! The whole I have talked to your dad thing was off-putting and weird but Lydia‘s response was so over the top. How could he not stumble upon the case somehow when it was so sensationalized with the name “The Hammerman”? 6y

Jess7 I also found it weird that Lydia got so mad at her dad that she left and wouldn‘t talk to him when she didn‘t start suspecting him until after taking to the detective. I just didn‘t really get that. I get being upset that he basically left her alone to deal with his grief but I‘m not sure I get the hate she had for him for so long. @Jennifer3 6y

Jess7 Riiight, I agree. It sounds like everyone knew about it. So that‘s odd to me that she was so upset with David over it. @Jennifer3 6y

Mitch Oh man! The characters - all of them at some point - did stuff that just didn‘t make sense. Even Dad. I mean why go through your long lost daughters stuff whilst she‘s sleeping on your first night of reunion. I just couldn‘t believe in them 😩 6y

Jess7 I also didn‘t get or buy with the story was that the Dad loved his daughter so much and he promised her his wife‘s ring, but then after having an affair with Dottie (who it made it sound like may have been sleeping around with other people) he decided give her this ring while she was in the bath tub.. I mean did he not think finding out whether she was even interested in leaving her husband would have been a good question first.. @Jennifer3 6y

FantasyChick @jess7 I was SO hoping that there was going to be a huge twist at the end and find out Lydia was really the Hammerman. I wanted that sooooo bad. I almost threw my eReader when the truth came out. I felt it was way too predictable and easy. The book started out too good to end that way. Also, I feel that Joey's "clues" were just a pointless distraction. I was curious, but now feel like the book could have done without that. 6y

Jess7 Yeah I totally agree @Mitch - See my comment about the ring thing and his weird proposal to Dottie in the bathtub... also did anyone notice the part of that scene where the Dad asks Dottie if Mr. O‘Toole is there, and she responds something like yes, we want you to come in.. or something like that? When I read that part I was like what?! Is this book about to have a threesome, but then it wasn‘t - it was just Dottie and then the Dad gives the ring 6y

Jess7 Yes, I agree @FantasyChick - did you see my graphic on the discussion begins now post - one of them I my bitmoji throwing the book - haha I figuratively did that! Haha I read it on my paperwhite too. I was like WHHHHATTT? About the last 1/4 of the book.. 😂😂 @Mitch @Jennifer3 @LazyDays (edited) 6y

Jennifer3 @Jess7 I agree about Dad too! It was more that he abandoned her after it happened that I could see her feeling isolated from him. But the anger and suspicion would have been more convincing after Moberg conversation. 6y

EsquireGirl @Jennifer3 agreed. Moberg deserves closure too. And what about the Lydia‘s dad? What was his reaction? 6y

Jennifer3 @Jess7 and @Mitch I am wondering why I was able to read it so fast and like it when really these characters had such superficial relationships!!!! 6y

Jess7 Right, I discussed this with Mindy last week and we both felt like maybe the author decided how he wanted it to end and then sort of threw things together to get to the outcome he wanted. We thought maybe that‘s why some of it felt underdeveloped or really random. @Jennifer3 @Mitch @FantasyChick @LazyDays 6y

Jennifer3 @EsquireGirl Dad too! You are so right on that! I felt like the ending was rushed and left me without closure!!! 6y

Jess7 Yeah - I had the same thought. I think I read it so fast bc I wanted to know the ending so much. If it wasn‘t for the suspense, I wouldnt have liked this book very much @Jennifer3 6y

Jess7 @EsquireGirl - agreed. The detective randomly appeared in the story, and Then was out of it as fast as he came into it. 6y

LazyDays I cant believe it was Raj dad! 6y

EsquireGirl @Jess7 I also didn‘t understand why Lydia was so mad at her dad. As a child maybe she wouldn‘t understand his grief. But as an adult she should have appreciated the sacrifices he made for her. 6y

EsquireGirl Also, the whole ring thing was weird. Tomas finds his daughter in the midst of a mass murder scene but has the presence of mind to get the ring back?? Uh no, that‘s stretched reality! 6y

FantasyChick @Jess7 Yes! I saw that post and it was perfect! I remember coming to the part in the book, and waking my bf up because I yelled so loud. If I would have had the physical book it would have went flying. I agree that the ending was rushed and the character development was poor but I didn't really notice it until the last 1/4 of the book @Mitch I felt cheated. There was so much promise there. 6y

Jennifer3 @Jess7 that is probably true what you discussed with Mindy. I hadn‘t thought of that. 6y

Jennifer3 Now that we are discussing I wish I could throw the book but I gave it to my mom to read!!!! 6y

EsquireGirl Also, as soon as I knew Joey was Raj‘s brother, I knew Rohan was the Hammerman. It took too long for the characters to figure that out. I also wanted someone to kill Rohan and get away with it! (edited) 6y

FantasyChick I also don't get the whole David thing. Like was it really a big deal that he knew who Lydia was this whole time? This was a huge crime...it can't be that much of a surprise. I think Lydia was just using that as an excuse to leave him and get closer to Raj. Also...I just want to point out the corniness of the last scene. Really...a paranormal reality show? THAT's what you decide to do with it? Come on 6y

Jennifer3 @EsquireGirl I forgot about that part! That does make this whole thing weird! Maybe the author thought these weird pieces would prevent us from solving it ahead of the conclusion? 6y

EsquireGirl @FantasyChick yes, Joey‘s messages weren‘t clues at all! Did Joey even know about the Hammerman? The thing with the cut out holes and two books was so clever but then the author just showed us Joey was really sad. We already knew that!! 6y

Jennifer3 @FantasyChick your last comment is spot on for me! 6y

Jess7 Haha! Yes! The paranormal reality show made me laugh too! I was like —what?!! @FantasyChick @LazyDays @EsquireGirl @Jennifer3 6y

FantasyChick @EsquireGirl Right?? Like why even bother? Worst scavenger hunt ever!! 6y

Jess7 Thanks for moving that over 🤗🤗🤗 @LazyDays - who did you think it was and who did you want it to be? 6y

Jess7 I didn‘t get joey‘s clues at all either. It‘s like if Raj hadn‘t reappeared randomly then this whole thing wouldn‘t have been solved. Also what kind of clue is joey wearing a suit?!! 😂 @EsquireGirl (edited) 6y

FantasyChick @Jennifer3 I think that was the point I really started to hate Lydia. I mean, I get wanting to keep your past secret, but if she really wanted the whole Hammerman incident to stay hidden from the man in her life....you would think she would have moved somewhere other than her hometown...where it happened!!! The girl has no right be mad at David. At all. 6y

AmberWB @FantasyChick I was thinking the same thing- I am glad I had this on my Kindle, otherwise it would have gone flying! I was so frustrated by this book! I was really enjoying it and then it just fell apart. I knew early on that it was Raj‘s dad who was the killer. I was so mad at how easily she let go of David- that made no sense to me. I HATED the “paranormal” ending. There was so much potential for this book!! 6y

FantasyChick @Jess7 I could have forgiven the reality show if they would have done the research. There was photo evidence that Lydia survived. Everyone knew that. But no...let's make it all dramatic like she does under the sink and her soirit is still there. "Little Lydia" give me a break ???? 6y

dgingo It was a page-turner, but I agree that the characters were a little lacking in their development, motivations, etc. I guessed that Raj‘s dad was one of the possibilities for the Hammerman because of the foreshadowing with his strength protecting the diner, but I didn‘t figure out about reason he killed them. 6y

Mitch “Throwing my book” 📚📚📚in support of those that read on Kindle! 🤣🤣 6y

Jess7 Agreed! I thought this was a good idea for a book with poor execution. The potential was there, but so many things fell short for me. The ending especially. @AmberWB @FantasyChick @LazyDays @Mitch @Jennifer3 @EsquireGirl - I hope so people that loved this one comment on here. Im interested in hearing a different perspective too! 6y

Jennifer3 @EsquireGirl @AmberWB @Jess7 I think the worst part is how much potential this book had and how easily it was wrapped up, it was like the author had a deadline and was like well this will have to do! 6y

MissAimz_55 I did feel the ending was far fetch but I did call 2 things. 1. That nettys dad was having the affair and 2. The killer was bc of an affair, i just got the wrong affair lol . However the Joey thing was so so out there I never would have gotten that. Overall I really liked the book and especially how much of a quick read it was. 6y

Mitch And don‘t get me started in the Vital Records Lady! 6y

julesG Well, you've pretty much summed up what I thought. Lydia was strange. Is this a case of a male author writing a female MC? But no, all the other characters were strange too. Except Plath. I liked her. 😉 My book has a sticker thing saying, not for the faint-hearted. I honestly was waiting for the dark gruesome part and kept asking myself when I turned into the Snow Queen. 6y

Jess7 Agreed. I mean I guessed there was probably some sort of affair, but I didnt suspect Joey was Raj‘s brother until the book flat out told me. @dgingo - I thought that part of it wasn‘t a bad twist 6y

LazyDays @Jess7 no problem I didnt know there was a spoiler section😄 I knew it wasn't Tomas, I was thinking it May have really been some freak accident. The author was really vague and tried to push Tomas to had. Then I thought it was David!😄But when Joey showed up and the affair with Tomas and Debbie came up I knew right away it was rohan. 6y

Insightsintobooks I liked the book overall, but did feel it was too easily wrapped up as well. I wouldn't say I loved it though. 6y

Mitch I did like the cabin that dad lived in. Books again as sad motifs, which was a shame. But I thought the settings were really well realised. 6y

Jess7 Yes the quick pace kept this book at least a so-so. I could never rate a book a pan if I can tear through it. 🤗🤗 @MissAimz_55 6y

MissAimz_55 For me I don't really need an ending to be believable as long as it's a good ending. I had mixed reactions about the ending by i did like it. And yes I loved the suspense and did end up finishing it way early which made it difficult to not reveal spoilers in the second discussion . I think Joey wanted Lydia to find out about who his mom was bc of her relation with Raj . 6y

Mitch It was because of the really good bits that I think I felt so strongly about the bad bits. In a more mediocre novel I might have been more forgiving. 6y

Jess7 Hahaha @julesG - I‘m thinking that warning was probably bc the cover makes you think it‘s going to be nostalgic about the love of books - a feel good type book, but in reality the book involves a suicide, a murder by hammer, and severe depression... but I agree, I didn‘t really think it was dark. When I think dark — I think Gillian Flynn with Sharp Objects - that story line was dark (and I loved it!!) 6y

julesG I knew who did it pretty early on. The sleepover thing, the Hammerman being surprised by the kids' presence and only killing Carol was a giveaway. Then I just skimmed the book to get the story behind Joey and see whether I was right with my guess. 6y

LazyDays I did like it, when I first finished it. Now that ive had time to think about it, its a little more so-so then pick. Only because there was alot of strings to tie up and I feel the author rushed it. They could have made the book longer or maybe written it in two parts. Maybe let everything fall naturally together. In the end though i did like the book. I feel Tomas deserved my help and credit. He was a really good father 6y

Mitch Sullivan worked in a bookstore in Denver - wonder what the customers and staff thought of the book? Anyone from Denver?? Been to Tattered Cover Book Store?? 6y

MissAimz_55 In term of her becoming all familiar with Raj again and so quickly is bc her childhood was ripped away from her and it gave her the ability to maybe try to gain some of that back or closure. I also feel like that was the reason why she so quickly pushed David away and I got it to a point 6y

Mitch I agree @LazyDays Tomas was a good Dad 6y

Jess7 Yes, I agree. I thought the wrap up was rushed. It felt like the author came up with the concept of the ending and threw some things together to get there, and maybe didn‘t pay enough attention to the development of the how or why that resulted in the ending to make us care more @Insightsintobooks 6y

FantasyChick @julesG Yes!!! I loved Plath! I'm not sure what role she played in the book other than loaning her car but she was my favorite!! @Jess7 I hear ya. I would love to hear someone's different thoughts. It seems most people are in agreement on the ending. I feel bad about it, because it was sooooo good for the first 3/4. A different perspective would make for great discussion 😊 6y

LazyDays He really loved his daughter. Raj mother needed more inaight and help, the detective just got stuck on Tomas and kinda ruined everything. 6y

LazyDays Insight* 6y

julesG @Jess7 - I have to read that one. I had expected something like Mo Hayder, or early Karin Slaughter (Blindsighted was dark). Ah, well. Another book off #MountTBR. 6y

Jess7 I love that you said that @LazyDays because that‘s the same conclusion Mindy and I came to when we discussed it over the phone. She finished it first and when I finished it we discussed, and then both decided it wasn‘t as good as we thought after diving into some of it. To us the best part of the book was the suspense or the quick pace. @LazyDays 6y

Mitch Plath should have an off shoot series @FantasyChick ! I feel she‘s got a lot to say and would be a great host! It is cool how the author gave us that on so little. 6y

Jess7 Ohhh Karin Slaughter is too dark for me or at least she was in Pretty girls! Too much graphic depiction of rape/torture. @julesG 6y

julesG @LazyDays When I read the ending I just thought, this woman could have spared herself and everyone around her so much grief if she had gone to the police in the first place. She could have kept Joey. 6y

julesG @Jess7 Then I should not recommend Jillianne Hoffman - I love dark thrillers. The ones that make me leave the light on at night. 6y

MissAimz_55 @Jess7 yes that part about the dad giving her the ring he promised his daughter pissed me off so much and seemed so juvenile. Oh and ya I thought the same thing about a 3some 😂😂 I guess I couldn't hate Lydia bc dealing with something as traumatic as she had to and then the sucky aftermath of her childhood is bound to screw someone up for the rest of their life 6y

Suelizbeth I read this a while ago, but I loved it. I guess I wasn‘t savvy enough to figure out the ending, because I was surprised. I was willing to just take all of it in and accept it for what it was. To me, it was a twisty mystery and very satisfying. I‘m not saying it was a great book, but it was different enough to get a top rating. 6y

FantasyChick @Mitch I would read that book! She was such a treat and I'm thrilled the author added her in. She reminds me of someone I can't place though and it's been driving me nuts haha. @julesG well you just gave me some new reads!!! I have some KS books on my TBR but now I'm adding Jillianne Hoffman too! I adore dark thrillers. The twistier, the better!! 👏👏 6y

LazyDays @Jess7 @Mitch @julesG in the end I really do blame Raj mom...she could have done so much. Path should have her own book! I really enjoyed when she showed up. 6y

Jennifer3 @Jess7 we might have scared off the people that liked it!!! 😳 I actually felt like it did get me out of a reading slump because it was a page turner and because I had hopes of it becoming dark and twisted. If you need some simplicity and an easy read to capture your attention. This was perfect for that. (edited) 6y

julesG @Jennifer3 You should put that into your review. 6y

julesG @FantasyChick Glad to be of help. 😉 6y

Jennifer3 @JulesG great idea and I did! 6y

Jennifer3 @Suelizbeth I am usually able to that myself as you did, but for some reason I was reading into it more. 6y

EsquireGirl @FantasyChick 😂 right? 6y

EsquireGirl Sorry guys had to stop to cook lunch. Overall I did like this book but prefer stuff much darker! I‘ll check out Hoffman. 6y

Bren912 @julesG ok. You got my interest perked up. So i had to go find a book by this author and the storyline grabbed me! The city she based her story in is actually one i used to live in and now only live a few miles away. Thanks for referral!! 6y

Laughterhp @FantasyChick I completely agree with you. I was so annoyed that she was so mad at David for knowing who she was. The book was already a so-so for me and that just confirmed it for me. 6y

julesG @Bren912 @EsquireGirl - Caveat, this is dark stuff. TW: rape 6y

Pamwurtzler I just got here & I would agree with pretty much everything. I really liked the first two thirds of it, & then it seemed like the conclusion was just thrown together. 6y

staci.reads @Jess7 I had that same thought that it may go really psychological and turn out Lydia had killed them and her dad had covered for her. 6y

dgingo I think the whole novel was a bit tepid. The characters and their relationships, the plot lines, etc. I liked it, as it kept me turning the pages, but I expected more of the pieces and how they would come together in the end. @Jess7 I agree—the more we talk about it, the more flaws I see. I wasn‘t really buying Lydia and David either—they seemed like roommates—he was nice, but they seemed to live separate lives for the most part. 6y

staci.reads @FantasyChick @Jess7 I had the same reaction to the predictability. I kept feeling the author was making certain things too obvious and so must be cleverly trying to mislead us (like her father and Dottie's affair, like Raj's dad being violent). Then it turns out, no, the answers were just obvious. 6y

staci.reads @FantasyChick yes, the paranormal TV show at the end was just lame. It didn't work with the tone of the story. 6y

staci.reads @Mitch right?! The vital records lady giving out that info was annoying. 6y

staci.reads I'm still annoyed with how ridiculously unbelievable it was that Joey got sent to jail and just happened to end up with Tomas as his guard, who just happened to have a photo of his daughter with her two best friends, who just happened to be Joey' s long-lost brother and dead sister. 6y

DanaManiac Ugh. So many feelings. First of all, Raj‘s mom- what she said to Joey to keep him away made my heart break for him. I felt like it took sooo long for the Hammerman to be revealed, and then the epilogue was just so rushed and random. 6y

DanaManiac I definitely couldn‘t put the book down, but I have a hard time believing that after having a brute like Rohan for a husband, she‘d just up and have an affair and blurt out that she was pregnant. Also Tomas asking Dottie to marry him?! 🤢. You could tell from the time we were introduced to her what kind of person she was. How did he misread that? 6y

Coleen_Nieto I agree with what everyone is saying. I thought the end was a little too coincidental and it felt like it took a long time to get to the hammerman. I really loved the setting, because I'm from Denver and I always like to read about places I know. Overall, this was a very entertaining read and I look forward to his next book! 6y

Coleen_Nieto @Jess7 I thought the same thing! That we were going to find out Lydia was somehow responsible. 6y

mcipher I‘m one who really liked the book - but I overlooked a lot of incongruous and silly stuff to get there. I wanted the cutout books to really mean something, so they made me sad that they just stopped mattering. I didn‘t really like any of the characters (for reasons you guys all mentioned) but I still felt like I couldn‘t stop reading, even once I figured out the end. 6y

Melissa_J I‘ve just finished. I liked it. Not the world‘s greatest mystery, but I‘ve read much worse! I didn‘t particularly like the characters, but I didn‘t think it was necessary to like them for the book to work. As for the epilogue, i after it was a little strange, but I think it was meant to reflect that the person Lydia had been died that day. She was never the same again (understandably). 6y

Melissa_J I also wasn‘t expecting the book to be quite so serious. I don‘t consider it dark, but the title gives off the impression that the book would be more like a cozy mystery. 6y

Jennifer3 Thanks for doing this wonderful online discussion @Jess7! 6y

mrp27 I agree with @mcipher I had to overlook a lot of stuff to get there but I really enjoyed it. For me I loved the bookstore atmosphere and the book frogs. I worked in a big box book store and I think the author was spot on in depicting the job of a book seller, in the kind of people that work there and in describing the customers that spend their days there. Made me a bit nostalgic for my book selling days. 6y

MeganAnn I've had a busy day and just now am checking in and reading everyone's comments. I agree with many of you. I figured out that Joey was related to someone early on. At first I thought it would be Lydia, but then I figured out it was Raj a little before they told us that. I also thought David seemed more like a roommate rather than a real relationship @dgingo Overall, this was so-so for me. @Jess7 6y

erzascarletbookgasm I‘m just reading everyone‘s comments and agree with some of you. This was a so-so for me, could have been better. Started out strong with the clues left to Lydia, I kept turning the pages, but later I found the cut-out clues unnecessary. The flashback parts about Lydia‘s past were good and dark. Didn‘t like the ending and the fact Raj just turned up in Lydia‘s life after all these years. The ending seem cheesy to me. 6y

GatheringBooks so sorry for the late check-in - and so stoked to be reading everyone‘s comments. like most, it was also a so-so for me, but i like the fact that i breezed through it without any problem. i found the dialogues too expositional, with the author struggling to explain too much in the characters‘ conversations rather than allowing the reader to make her own inferences/deductions 6y

GatheringBooks i just felt a bad taste in my mouth with the revelation of raj‘s father as the killer. blame the coloured person. i know that it may be an unfair assessment and that the author may have thought absolutely nothing of it, i get that too - but i just found the characters to be more like caricatures rather than fully fleshed out human beings. 6y

melissa.drake @GatheringBooks That aspect made me a bit uncomfortable with the ending too. I already had a raised eyebrow after it ended up that all the explicitly POC in the book are also all related to each other and then having Raj's father be the killer seemed to be playing into stereotypes in a big way. 6y

GatheringBooks @melissa.drake i‘m relieved to see that i was not the only one. i don‘t see myself as easily taking offense, or even being overly-sensitive, but even the portrayal of raj‘s mother seemed like a caricature, without any real sense of agency. plus the main character, Lydia, struck me as shallow, easily swayed, and with a limited sense of self-determination - and how awful was she to her boyfrien. felt that she played the victim card waaayyy too long. 6y

ofbooksandme I'm here a day late, but I see that I'm definitely not alone in my thoughts as I read your comments. The way the relationships are laid out in this book was a bit weird and lazy. I didn't feel like I really knew what was going on between Lydia and David, or Lydia and her dad. The last quarter of the book was way to explicit, like it explained things you could figure out 10 pages before. And for the last chapter I only have 1 comment: WHAAAAT?! 6y

ofbooksandme At first I loved it and I was willing to let go how random the actions had to be for the plot to develop. Then the connection Dad-Joey-Raj was a bit too much but towards the last quarter (I would say maybe since Raj appeared) everything was batshit random. 6y

cajunsyd Overall it was a decent read, definitely not my favorite mystery. I get what others are saying about the Indian murderer, etc. but I didn‘t nitpick it that much. She ended up with a person of color in the end. I just don‘t think she looked at them that way. I didn‘t love the end, the way that it just fell off. And I think that Thomas was a sad character. I felt most badly for Joey and the way that his mom spoke to him. I wish that she did more. 6y

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