I am so frustrated by book reviews!
My last two reads were Behind You by Mike Omer, and Twenty Years Later by Charlie Donlea. They have 4.3 and 4.4 stars on Amazon, respectively.
I really enjoyed Behind You, although it wasn't perfect. But, overall a really solid book, and quite engaging/suspenseful. I did have some notes, and wished I could have edited it. But worth 4.3 stars, I think!
Twenty Years Later, on the other hand, was absolutely dreadful. Multiple times the writer repeated the same phrases and ideas, literally word for word, but from different characters' POV. As if they were all magically having literally identical thoughts. I mean, literally copy-and-paste.
The whole premise was totally improbable, especially the twist ending. I mean, I don't read thrillers for realism, but there's a line for me where the outlandish plot points just stop being fun. Like, come on.
More than anything, though, the whole book was just emotionally tone-deaf. The way it used 9/11... The fertility-destroying abortion (really?)... The total absence of any assessment of right and wrong... I hated this book!
I know everyone has their own tastes and all, but this book was just blatantly bad. Badly conceived, badly written, badly edited, typos and all!
I've been so frustrated, lately, to find that so many well-reviewed books are absolute duds. And some are great! What on earth is going on? And how do you pick and choose?