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Review of My Brother’s Husband by Gengoroh Tagame

June 28, 2018 by Roger Hyttinen Leave a Comment

My brother's husband book cover imageMy Brother’s Husband was my first Manga, so I was really looking forward to delving into it. Though it did take me a little bit to get used to, I enjoyed the format and the story.

So the story follows Yaichi, a single father raising his young daughter, Kana. So Yaichi and Kana’s lives suddenly change one day with the arrival at their doorstep of a hulking, lovable Canadian fellow named Mike Flanagan.

Mike tells Yaichi that he was married to Yaichi’s deceased twin brother Ryoji, whom I believe Yaichi hadn’t seen for around ten years. Mike, who is still relatively raw with grief, is kind of on a quest you could say, to explore Ryoji’s past.

So he planned this trip to Japan and getting to know Ryoji’s family was the first step.

What follows is Yaichi slowly coming to terms with his feelings about his brother and his brother’s homosexuality, and we see his struggle as he tries so hard to accept something he doesn’t really understand.

There was tension between Yaichi and Mike initially, a lot of it subtle, which I felt the artist did an excellent job portraying. It portrayed relationships as messy and complicated — not as cut and dry as we may sometimes think.

I got a good feeling for how difficult it was for Yaichi because he doesn’t quite know how to welcome Mike with an open heart.

This graphic novel is a wonderful representation of homophobia — even subtle homophobia — and the still very closeted Japanese gay culture. Heck, it’s usually the subtle homophobia and racism that we see rather than the shout in your face kind.

Yaichi also has a quite a spirited young daughter who truly shines a light in every scene that she’s in. She still trying to understand what homosexuality is and the sweet, innocent questions she asks as she attempts to understand are illuminating and heartwarming. She’s also quite taken with Mike and doesn’t hesitate for a moment to refer to him as family.

So while there are twinges of homophobia, this story’s more about acceptance and how difficult it might be to actually open your heart to someone or something different than us. It was so endearing how this loveable Canadian man ended up touching the lives of everyone around him.

In summary, My Brother’s Husband was absolutely delightful and a pleasure to read. I’m so glad that I read it. There is supposedly a part 2 coming out — which will be released in September of 2018 — that I’ll definitely be checking out.

You can check out My Brother’s Husband Volume 1 here at Amazon or at The Book Depository

Filed Under: Book Reviews - All, Graphic Novels

Review of We Are The Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson

June 26, 2018 by Roger Hyttinen 1 Comment

We are the ants book coverBefore you ask: no, the sluggers have never probed my anus. I’m fairly certain they reserve that special treat for people who talk on their phones during movies, or text while driving. ~ Henry Denton

THE STORY

We Are The Ants follows Henry Denton, a teen who for years now has been periodically abducted by aliens, whom Henry refers to as sluggers, because they resemble slugs to him. There’s been no probing though — or at least that’s when Henry tells us (see quote above).

So after these abductions have been going on for quite some time, the aliens finally communicate to Henry that the world is going to be destroyed in 144 days. But not all hope is lost. All Henry has to do is push a big red button to stop it and Wham! Earth saved.

The kicker is that Henry isn’t sure he wants to.

You see, Henry’s not all that pleased with his life at the moment. A year ago, Henry’s boyfriend and first love Jesse committed suicide, for which Henry seems to be blaming himself. He is continuously tortured and bullied at school, with one of the bullies — a popular jock named Marcus — using Henry for sex (though he tries to assure Henry that he genuinely does care for him — but it’s up to the reader to decide whether to believe him or not).

Then there are the constant taunts at school with the students referring to him as Space Boy because Charlie, his jerk of a brother, told everyone at school about the abductions. But there’s more: Henry’s grandmother has Alzheimer’s, and Henry recognizes her less and less as each day passes — and his mother is an alcoholic.

So the more Henry thinks about it, the more the idea of wiping the slate clean sounds like a pretty good choice to him because right now, he’s not feeling like the world deserves to be saved. Though he doesn’t explicitly say it, I felt that perhaps Henry found the idea of finally escaping from his daily suffering alluring. But he hasn’t made his decision yet. He’s desperately trying to find a good reason for saving the earth and thus far, has been unsuccessful.

And then one day, a new boy named Diego Vega arrives at school. Henry and the boy connect, and an unusual relationship develops between the two of them.

Up to this point, Henry was almost certain he wasn’t going to press the button. But now, there’s someone he can confide in, someone to support him. So Henry begins to weigh his pain with his happiness as the days count down to when he has to make the ultimate decision.

So does Henry push the button?

WHAT I LIKED

I really liked Henry’s character — he was sarcastic, witty, and funny, and you couldn’t help but fall in love with him. He had a way of adding a light and humorous twist to otherwise serious situations such as his alien abductions. I also liked how relatable and believable Henry’s character was. I think many readers can relate to the bullying that Henry went through in high school as well as some of the difficulties Henry had to deal with in his troubled home life.

No doubt most of us have experienced a grim view of the world from time to time when we’re going through tough times, like our protagonist. I felt that the author did an excellent job of portraying Henry’s struggles and I liked how brutally honest Henry is with himself through the process. Perhaps many of us have even wondered at times whether the world is worth saving. While reading this story, I wanted so badly for Henry to find some beauty in the world, to discover the peace he longed for — and the reader can’t help but empathize with him.

I’ve read a few Shaun David Hutchinson books, and as is typical, things get a lot worse for the main character before they get better — which means that things do get better for Henry once Diego enters the picture. He’s a bright light in Henry’s dark world, and I couldn’t help but love this charming, lovable character. But Diego doesn’t end up saving Henry; it’s up to Henry to save himself. So though this story is heartbreaking in places, it heartwarming in others, and ends up being a hopeful story at the end of it all.

What I also liked about this book was that though Henry was gay, he was not struggling with his homosexuality. In fact, he was quite comfortable with who he is, which I found refreshing.

Now though it might sound as though this is a grim, somewhat dark book, it’s not. It’s actually quite funny in places, so in spite of the serious subject matter, it isn’t all doom and gloom. Along with the darkness, there is light. There is levity, and there is lightheartedness, which makes the story all the more unique and likable in my opinion. This is the kind of story that will make you laugh, make you cry, make you happy and make you angry, and only a truly talented author can pull this off with the adeptness that Mr. Hutchinson does.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE

There’s not anything that I didn’t like about this story. The only thing I was a teeny-tiny bit disappointed with was the sci-fi aspect of it — or should I say the lack thereof. Going in, I thought there would be a more significant focus on the alien abductions, but they actually played only a minute role in the plot line. This wasn’t really a science fiction novel at all and once I realized that, I was fine with it. Just a warning to those who are going in expecting a science fiction story — it’s not.

FINAL VERDICT

We Are The Ants ended up being quite an emotional rollercoaster of a book, so it was a tough one to read in places, as it dealt with some serious and complex issues such as violence, bullying, self-harm, abuse, rape, dementia and more. It’s also quite evident that Henry is broken — he’s depressed, grieving for his boyfriend and keeping every traumatizing experience he’s going through bottled up inside. So in this way, a lot of heartbreaking things happen to our hero, and it becomes clear that Henry’s not just some angsty teen, but he’s going through some serious shit. As a reader, I could feel Henry’s desperation pour out of the pages and because of this, the story was quite cringe-worthy at times as it veered off into some painful places.

But in spite of the serious themes of this novel, it ends with hope, reminding us that things won’t always stay the way they are now and that we shouldn’t allow the bad things to overshadow the good. It also illustrated nicely how it’s up to us to pull ourselves up out of the darkness by making the conscious decision to let the past go and to move on.

This is a beautiful, unique and memorable book and is so worth the read, IMHO. I ended up loving it. It’s beautifully written, and it asks some super tough questions, giving the reader plenty to think about well after the last page of the story. Additionally, all the characters in this book are phenomenal: complex, multilayered with each one being relevant to the story. I can state pretty truthfully that I will without a doubt be rereading this book in the near future.

Once again, Shaun David Hutchinson hit a home run for me. This was a brilliantly written, refreshing and unputdownable novel and I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.

You can check out We Are The Ants here at Amazon or at The Book Depository.

Filed Under: Book Reviews - All, YA Contemporary, YA LGBT Tagged With: bullying, lgbt aliens, lgbt contempory

Review of Jonny Appleseed by Joshua Whitehead

June 22, 2018 by Roger Hyttinen Leave a Comment

Jonny appleseed book cover imageI’m a huge fan of Two-Spirit literature, so I was delighted with Jonny Appleseed crossed my radar.

This story follows a witty, young Native American man named Jonny Appleseed, member of the Peguis First Nation, who has left the reservation to live in the big city of Winnipeg. There, Jonny reinvents himself and runs his own business as a cybersex worker, in which he fetishizes himself via webcam to earn a living. As the story begins, Jonny has just received the news that his Stepfather Roger has passed away and he has only seven days to earn enough cash to return to the Rez for the funeral.

What follows is a brief, non-linear peak into Jonny’s life as he recalls memories of his strong, no-nonsense Kokum (his Grandmother), his mother, his homophobic stepfather, and his relationship with Tias. During the novel, we flash back and forth from Jonny’s life back on the Reservation to the present where he is working as a sex worker and maintaining his romantic yet complicated relationship with Tias, with whom he’s been friends/lovers with since childhood.

Through Jonny’s first-person narrative, we explore such issues as racism, anti-gay violence, friendship, love, loss, Native American identity, trauma, the challenges of being “Indigiqueer” (identifying as both Indigenous and queer), sexual awakening and most of all, survival.

In this way, the story is sometimes a bit harrowing and cringeworthy, while other times tender, funny and beautiful. This is a real, relevant, and eye-opening book — an intense yet beautiful story written for voices that need to be heard. Jonny Appleseed is a sincere, honest story about a person’s growth despite sometimes seemingly suffocating racism and homophobia.

I especially enjoyed the intimate passages where Jonny reflects upon his life with Tias — how they met, how they became lovers and friends, and the somewhat strange relationship they maintain in the present day. There was also plenty of laugh-out-loud humor in this story, especially revolving around Jonny and his Kokum.

Overall, I found Jonny Appleseed to be a refreshing, brilliant work that’s gorgeously expressive and poetic yet with a certain rawness to it that makes it real and relatable for the reader. I felt that the author does a superb job taking us back into the mind of our two-spirit protagonist. I also liked how the story came together in the end, with everything wrapping up nicely during the last few pages. Overall, an impactful, diverse and important book from a great author. Recommended!

Warning: Given that our protagonist earns a living as a sex worker, there are quite a few graphic descriptions of sexual situations and profanity — so more sensitive readers be warned.

You can check out Jonny Appleseed here at Amazon or at The Book Depository

Filed Under: Book Reviews - All, YA Contemporary Tagged With: lgbt contempory, lgbt native american

Review of Social Intercourse by Greg Howard

June 13, 2018 by Roger Hyttinen Leave a Comment

“If I would have known losing my virginity would be so nerve-racking, I would’ve stayed home and watched the Golden Girls marathon with my dad.” ~ Beckett Gaines

Social intercourse book cover imageTHE STORY

Social Intercourse is a romantic comedy that follows Beckett Gains, an out and proud gay teen living in a conservative town in South Carolina with his father. When his father begins dating the recently single (and supposedly lesbian) mom of former bully, Jaxon Parker, Beck is not amused. His father is emotionally fragile after Beckett’s mother left them and Beckett doesn’t want to see his father get hurt again. Jaxon (Jax) isn’t happy about the situation either and is willing to do whatever it takes to bring his two moms back together again.

Putting aside their past differences (and there is one serious one), the two boys form an unlikely alliance and concoct a plan to break up their parents. During their scheming, however, the boys begin to grow closer and the situation becomes even more complicated and confusing. And of course, nothing goes according to plan, leading to much drama and comic hijinks.

WHAT I LIKED

First off, this story was hilarious! This was a wild and fun romp whose witty and sarcastic lines had me laughing out loud nearly to the point of tears on more than one occasion. Beckett’s inner running commentary was especially humorous, and I liked him more and more with each page. The Golden Girls references were also a lot of fun. In the story, Beckett called his father “Rose,” the naive character on the Golden Girls whereas Beckett’s father called Beck “Dorothy,” the tough, more cynical character. The nicknames actually fit the characters quite nicely.

The story is told from the dual first-person point of view of Beckett and Jaxon, and it was fun seeing the world from each of their perspectives. I especially loved Beckett’s character – he was witty, sassy, irreverent, sarcastic, self-confident and absolutely lovable, and his snappy one-liners kept me laughing. I liked how he looked out for his dad and did whatever was necessary to ensure that his dad didn’t end up getting hurt. Speaking of relationships, I thought the positive portrayal of each boy’s relationship with his parents was sweet and refreshing.

I also enjoy Jax’s character. Though everybody thought of him as “The Great Jaxon Parker,” he was as insecure and unsure of himself as any of us, as he tried to find his place in the world. Not only that, he’s begun to question his sexuality and whether he is genuinely the hard-core heterosexual jock that everyone believes him to be.

So underneath his womanizing jock exterior, he was actually quite a likable character, and we see how one cannot tell what a person is really like from outward appearances.

What’s interesting, is that Jax and Beck’s rocky past brings up an important issue of how one should react when someone is being bullied. As we learned from this story, sometimes doing nothing when there’s abuse or bullying going on can cause even more harm than those who are actually doing the bullying. In this way, the story causes us to take a good hard look at our actions — or inactions — and how they can affect those around us.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE

For me, there wasn’t too much to dislike about the story. My only real niggle was the familiar and often clichéd trope of the characters. For example, Beck was a choir-singing geeky gay kid, Jax was the super-hot star quarterback, JoJo was the extremely masculine lesbian, Tiffany, the “mean girl” cheerleader who is dating the football jock, and Shelby, the fat best friend. I would have preferred to see characters without the standard clichéd over-exaggerations.

I also didn’t care for the way that Beckett referred to Jax’s mother as “Big Titties” throughout the story, which really bothered me. From Beck’s inner monologue, it’s easy to see that he has a low opinion of her solely because of the fact she’s dating his dad. It would have been nice for Beckett to soften his view of her as the story progressed — perhaps give him the opportunity to get to know her a bit, which, unfortunately, never happened.

FINAL VERDICT

The couple niggles aside, I ended up loving this book! This was a fun, lighthearted and somewhat messy romance that brought a wonderful grin to my face during the final pages. Though this book was quite funny, it also dealt with some serious issues such as parental abandonment, bullying, bigotry, and divorce.

This was a quirky and poignant romance with plenty of humor and complex, well-developed characters. Nothing feels rushed in this story, so I enjoyed everything this enemies-to-lovers book had to offer. It was a truly captivating read that I didn’t want to end. I hope the author gifts us with a sequel to this story in the future because I’d love to see more of Jax, Beck, Shelby and all the other lovable secondary characters. Recommended!

You can check out Social Intercourse here at Amazon or at The Book Depository

Filed Under: Book Reviews - All, LGBT Romance Tagged With: bullying, ya lgbt fiction

Review of Undead Girl Gang by Lily Anderson

June 11, 2018 by Roger Hyttinen Leave a Comment

Undead girl gang book coverOnce I read the quirky synopsis of this story, I was instantly hooked and couldn’t wait to get my hands on this book. I was not disappointed and loved this story from beginning to end.

The Story

When Mila’s best friend Riley shows up dead in a nearby creek and police label her death a suicide, Mila is beside herself. Though devastated and stricken with grief, she knows deep in her heart that Riley would never kill herself and repeatedly insists to her parents as well as school administrators that Riley was murdered. Moreover, Riley’s is the third death at her school in the past week, which smells like too much of a coincidence for Mila.

Mila and Riley were both Wiccan and up to this point, had done some minor spells together. But when a curious ancient grimoire that contains a resurrection spell appears on Mila’s doorstep, she can’t resist the temptation. Given that none of the authority figures in her life believe her theory about Riley’s death, she decides to take matters into her own hands and cast the spell. It’s the only way to find out what really happened to her friend.

The spell, however, not only brings back Riley but also snobby mean-girls June and Dayton, her two classmates who had supposedly hung themselves a week earlier in some sort of suicide pact. Unfortunately, none of the girls can recall the specifics of their death, but they are all certain that they would never commit suicide.

Now with only seven days until the spell wears off meaning that the three girls will return to their graves, Mila along with her three undead friends race against the clock to find out how murdered them before he can find his next victim.

WHAT I LIKED

I enjoyed having a Wiccan main character in the book which I found fascinating and refreshing. I thought the author did an excellent job in portraying Wicca and delineating the difference between Wicca and Witchcraft. One of the tenants of Wicca is the Law of Three in which everything a witch does — especially spell work — comes back to them threefold, for good or ill. So I found it especially clever that Mila, instead of bringing only her friend back to life, ended up restoring life to all three of her recently deceased classmates, a humorous nod to the Law of Three (though we do learn at the end of the book why June and Dayton came back to life in addition to Riley).

I loved our main character Mila — a plus-sized snarky Mexican witch who could care less what other people thought about her and who did whatever was necessary to find justice for her friend Riley and her two undead compatriots. Her confidence and determination were impressive as was her devotion to Riley and her two new undead friends. That being said, Undead Girl Gang was an exploration of not only grief and loss but also friendship.

And the fact the Mila is fat has nothing to do with the plot, and the story doesn’t dwell on this fact at all. So in this way, I found the representation in this book refreshing. There’s also a scene in the book where the characters are called out for implying that “normal” is white. Though this was a small scene, it was one that especially stood out for me. The exact quote is below:

“And, for fuck’s sake, stop using ‘normal’ as code for ‘white’,” I snap. “Your life isn’t the ruler that the rest of the world gets measured against.”

I thought this book was wildly creative. There was one stipulation of the spell which I found clever and which made the three undead girls especially frightening should anyone encounter them. I loved the author’s original and entertaining take on the zombies in this story. Instead of giving us terrifying brain-eating zombies, we get three cranky and snarky undead teenagers who, much to Mila’s chagrin, are impossible to control and think nothing of walking down the street during broad daylight in the town where they were killed or even showing up to terrorize people at their own memorial.

That being said, it was also fun watching the girls interact with each other. It’s worth mentioning that Riley and Mila were not on friendly terms with June and Dayton while they were alive, so there were some major personality clashes going on in the story, which resulted in some great humor. The snarkiness, feistiness, sarcasm, back-handed insults and cattiness had me laughing out loud on several occasions. The interaction of these four girls was so much fun and warmed my heart, especially when unlikely friendships develop between them. It’s at this point the reader discovers that the book is not just about zombies and a serial killer, but it’s also about the complex relationships between teenage girls.

In addition to the outstanding humor, I found the magic system especially intriguing. I enjoyed reading about the different spells as well the materials and rituals necessary for the spells to work. It was in the magic system where the difference between Wicca and Witchcraft came into play. We learn that though Mila adhered to the Wiccan faith, the magic she was now using from the old grimoire was not Wiccan magic at all but rather a darker, more ancient magic, and as is the case with most magic systems, magic always comes with a price.

The mystery aspect of the story was well done, and the story took several exciting twists and turns until the killer is finally revealed. As the clocked ticked down, I found myself entirely invested in finding out who killed the girls and though I did suspect the murderer’s identity, I wasn’t quite sure, and I was still surprised when it all unfolded. The big reveal at the end was perfect, I felt, with the story being nicely tied up at the end.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE

There honestly wasn’t a whole lot that I disliked about this book. There were a couple of pacing issues with the book, I felt. The middle of the story dragged a bit for me, and the ending felt rushed.

I also wished the book would have gone into more detail about the Wiccan faith. It would have been interesting to learn more about how Riley and Mila got into Wicca and their past experiences with it. A little more in-depth explanation of the differences between Wicca and Witchcraft might also have been helpful.

The undead girls were also extremely stereotypical — the mean girls who rule the school trope. There were a couple of times when I felt their depiction was a tad over the top and initially, the girls felt more like caricatures than real people.

There was also one little thing that bugged me. Mila’s sister gives her a rubber hair band that she’s supposed to snap against her wrist whenever grief overcomes her, and she does so on several occasions. The idea of harming yourself or causing yourself pain to overcome grief did not sit well with me at all, and I found it rather disconcerting.

I’m also not sure if I’m entirely on board with the murderer’s reasoning for killing the girls. It seemed far-fetched and perhaps more than a bit unbelievable.

FINAL VERDICT

Zombies, witches, serial killers and a mystery to solve — what’s not to love? This was a fun, light-hearted yet serious look at friendship, redemption, grief and moving on. It was a fast read with a whole lot going on that kept me turning the pages. Though there were a murder and mystery elements to the story, it was about so much more than that. We have here a candid social commentary on high school hierarchies, on keeping up appearances, on belonging, and on friendship, with a particular focus on relationships. This is one of those books that keeps you thinking long after the last page is turned. This was a story with depth to it.

Though Undead Girl Gang deals with some serious topics, it does so in a humous over-the-top way. This may have been one of the funniest books I’ve read so far this year. The four girls ended up being wholly lovable and relatable, and I loved how they all came together at the end. It was also satisfying to see the depth each character had by the end of the book and the growth that took place for each of them.

This was a clever, charming and entertaining read with a beautiful ending and an engaging plot. The author really brought her characters to life in this story. So overall, I ended up loving this book, and I give it 5 stars.

You can check out Undead Girl Gang here at Amazon or at The Book Depository.

Filed Under: Book Reviews - All, YA Fantasy/Urban Fantasy

Review of The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn

June 8, 2018 by Roger Hyttinen Leave a Comment

Woman in the window cover imageTHE STORY

The story follows Anna Fox, an agoraphobic child psychologist who is holed up in her home, unable to leave the house for the past ten months. Separated from her husband and daughter, she passes the days drinking too much wine, taking too many pills, chatting online with other people living with Agoraphobia and watching old black & white movies. She also has developed the bad habit of spying on her neighbors, using her Nikon camera’s zoom lens.

She becomes especially intrigued by the Russell family — Jane, Alister and their teenage son Ethan — who recently moved in across the street. Much like the characters in a Hitchcock film, Anna becomes obsessed with her new neighbors until one night while spying at the Russell’s window, Anna sees something she shouldn’t have. Or did she?

From this point forward, Anna’s world quickly crumbles around her as we learn that nothing is as it seems. Now she has to convince everyone around her that though she was heavily medicated and drunk, what she saw was real and not a hallucination.

WHAT I LIKED

I listened to this on audiobook, and as the story unfolded, I felt as though I were listening to a Hitchcockian thriller with a modern twist. There seems to be a strong Hitchcock film influence here, and the entire story felt quite cinematic to me. In fact, the plot line did make me think of Rear Window. The story unraveled slowly (much like poor Anna’s supposedly safe world) and the numerous twists, turns, and direction changes all added to the story’s element of suspense. I also especially enjoyed the countless old movie references peppered throughout the story.

I found Anna to be a simply enchanting protagonist. The detailed depiction of her struggle with Agoraphobia was compelling and mesmerizing, and because of this, the book was unputdownable for me. The story was told in a diary style from Anna’s first-person point of view, and I found the peek into her mind fascinating, especially once she began to doubt her own sanity.

Because of the drinking and drugs, we come to realize that Anna is an unreliable narrator, making the story even all the more compelling when we’re not entirely sure that what she sees or believes is real. Not only is she an unreliable narrator, but police also consider her an unreliable witness. She is such a complex character, one moment clear and sure of herself, while other moments muddled and dreamlike. Though we’re not sure whether to trust her — especially given that she appears to be a compulsive liar — Anna’s character is likable, sympathetic and for many of us, relatable (I mean who doesn’t drink wine and spy on their neighbors?) So though she’s flawed, she’s also incredibly complex.

I found the intrigue surrounding her family especially fascinating. Though Anna has regular phone conversations with her husband and eight-year-old daughter, the reader doesn’t know why they are separated. We do know that some horrible — possibly tragic — event occurred to cause Anna’s Agoraphobia, causing us to suspect that this same event was responsible for Anna’s estrangement from her family. As Anna’s story unfolds, flashbacks slowly reveal bits and pieces of what brought Anna to the point in her life where she’s a drunken, pill-popping recluse, unable to leave her house.

The secondary character development was phenomenal as well. Though we suspect that Anna is delusional and an unreliable narrator, we’re not quite sure because most of the other characters in the book are kind of creepy or otherwise off-putting. So we definitely have a case of not knowing who we can trust.

What I especially liked is that I did not guess the ending. Just when I thought I had the story all figured out, the author went and changed the entire storyline, and I found myself on an entirely different path. I also could see no plot holes or inconsistencies in this story — everything made perfect sense to me, and I felt it was brilliantly plotted.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE

I enjoyed the second part of the book much more than the first, probably because of the pacing. The first part was more on the slower to moderately paced side as it set the scene for the faster-paced more intense second half. Though it didn’t exactly drag — because the characters became more developed and intriguing as the story progressed — it also didn’t move as quickly as the second half. There was also a fair amount of repetition in the first half which became more and more evident as the novel progressed.

We learn as the story unfolds that Anna did something “big” to cause her separation from her family. When we finally learn what that was, it just didn’t feel right to me. It felt out of character for the person we’ve come to know throughout the story. So because of this, I think a little more buildup and backstory would have been helpful, perhaps explaining why Anna did what she did. As it stood, it just didn’t feel like something her character would do.

FINAL VERDICT

This is a strong, character-driven suspenseful story that I found engrossing and suspenseful, especially once the pace picked up during the second half of the book. The prose was lush and beautifully written, and because of that, this superb tale was a treat to read — or should I say listen to. I’m so glad that I listened to this in audiobook format as Anne Marie Lee is one hell of a narrator!

The Woman in the Window was a highly emotional and truly captivating tale that I didn’t want to end. It was a rich, riveting and intoxicating novel with gorgeous tension-filled scenes that sucked me right in.

I’d recommend this novel to anyone who loves suspense, psychological thrillers, old movies and tales with a little darker twist to them and I ended up giving it 5 stars.

You can check out the book here at Amazon or at The Book Depository.

Filed Under: Book Reviews - All, Suspense/Thriller

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