Seriously?

Seriously? I kept repeating this exclamation while listening to this audio book. The protagonist makes one stupid decision after another, right up until the predictable and stale ending. There was no growth, no aha moment, no pivot where she pulled herself together and found some inner strength to deal with the increasingly unbelievable situation (that frankly anyone would have walked away from long ago). I want those hours of my life back.

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3 people found this helpful

Said polly, polly said then rose said then polly said - disappointed with this book

So I average 1 audiobook a week however this one has taken me quite a while. I found the story very flat and found I was falling asleep half way through a chapter.

She said, said polly, polly said, Anna said,
Said Anna ..... badly written found it annoying to listen to

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2 people found this helpful

Big disappointment! !!!

I initially had good hopes for this book. It was slow to start, towards the second third I felt that it was actually heading somewhere, only for it to fall flat.

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1 person found this helpful

Could have been tetter...

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, I would, if I'm honest, party because I really like cass. She always delivers a brilliant performance in every book I've read that she's narrated, I've never been disappointed. The story, however? I'm not quite sure how to say what I think. If they asked will I enjoy it? I would probably say, "perhaps."

If you’ve listened to books by Julia Crouch before, how does this one compare?

I haven't.

What does Karen Cass bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

Great voice narration, and expression. She sounds like she's almost part of it.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me feel anger in some parts, I really dislike Gareth, for various reasons. I didn't much like Polly either. I could see points where Rose was clearly be emotionally blackmailed and taken advantage of. There were also a couple of points I thought were highly unrealistic, or unlikely to happen in real life.

Any additional comments?

So basically, I think the ending could have been better, and to get down to the core of what I'm trying to say, I was left feeling confused at the end of the book. I don't want to give anything away to you my fellow reader, but I was left thinking, "is that it? What's next?" It's one of those endings where you think, is it all going to happen all over again? I would have preferred a different ending to the one we have. I thought it was, to be frank, a little strange. I'm going to read "her husband's lover" when it comes out, and I'll see how it compares. You, on the other hand, may love it. If so, I genuinely hope you enjoy it, don't let me put you off, and happy reading!

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1 person found this helpful

Background noise.

This story was so disappointing, the only redeeming aspect was the narrator.
Unfortunately, as I finished the whole book, audible won't let me return it. If it was a physical copy I would give it to charity.

I ended up using the book as background noise as I just could not get hooked. I would listen intently, trying to focus on the dull story, for 2 minutes and end up just zoning it out. Maybe other people would have found it thrilling but I just couldn't get it into it. I couldn't even tell you what happened at the end, or who half of the characters were, it was that dull for me.
Maybe I should have read and paid attention to the other bad reviews.

Side note: the way the narrator says "duvet" really grated on me for some reason.

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Juicy and perfectly read

A rollicking good read ... I was gripped and entertained and now feel bereft to leave those well drawn characters. The reader was perfect too. Recommend!

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Unrealistic

The first thing I'll say, is Cass can't do american accents very well. There were times I could tell she was struggling with it, while trying to keep her voice deep to represent Gareth. Now on to the characters, to be honest, I ended up disliking all the adults, and I wanted to help the children. Gareth, just... Wow. I can't believe how quickly he changed in the way he did after what happened to Flossy. I can understand him relenting for Rose, but that was just not cool! I almost think he got what he deserved. Polly, she was cruel, calculating and emotionally blackmailing. Rose was a fool, not strong enough to stand on her own 2 feet at times. At least she wanted to protect her daughter, I'll give her that. I'm not surprised Nico and Yanice turned out as they did, with Poly as their mother! I found the ending a bit puzzling, and couldn't work it out. I could understand Rose wanting to protect the boys, but she seemed more upset about them, than what Poly did to Flossy. If that was my daughter, I'd be kicking her out the door. Gareth was justifiably angry at first, but he changed way too quickly, man only interested in his sexual desires. That really annoyed me. His daughter went through that, and he appears not to care later on in the book. I thought the performance was good, apart from the American accent, but the scenes I've just mentioned really lowered the book for me. I don't think I'd recommend this book to anyone if I'm honest. There were times quite a few of them I didn't like Rose at all. Drinks a lot, and really stupid, also I thought down right unpleasant.

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Great story loved the twist

I really enjoyed this book however it was slightly spoilt at the beginning by the boring dialogue between the small children. It added nothing to the plot and I was not at all interested in anything they had to say I also found the Greek accent for the boys very irritating. I do think there were missed plot opportunities for example I really wanted to know more about Nico’s death and how it had happened. I sort of guessed what was going on with polly but did not guess the twist at the end overall a good listen.

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Good listen

Slow start but couldn’t stop listening
Housework done ✅ thought the ending slightly disappointing but still enjoyed

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Could be better.

I quite enjoyed this book although the overuse of the words “duvet” “shudder” and “shivered” were mildly annoying. Also how old is her daughter supposed to be? I worked it out at 3 and a half ish. You would think she was about 12 with her vocabulary and actions.

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