Backlist Briefs – Mini Reviews for DARK MATTER and THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW
/30 Comments/by SuzanneAlso by this author: Recursion
Published by Crown on July 26th 2016
Genres: Science Fiction, Thriller
Pages: 342
Source: Purchased
Amazon
Goodreads
GOODREADS SYNOPSIS:
“Are you happy with your life?”
Those are the last words Jason Dessen hears before the masked abductor knocks him unconscious.
Before he awakens to find himself strapped to a gurney, surrounded by strangers in hazmat suits.
Before a man Jason’s never met smiles down at him and says, “Welcome back, my friend.”
In this world he’s woken up to, Jason’s life is not the one he knows. His wife is not his wife. His son was never born. And Jason is not an ordinary college physics professor, but a celebrated genius who has achieved something remarkable. Something impossible.
Is it this world or the other that’s the dream? And even if the home he remembers is real, how can Jason possibly make it back to the family he loves? The answers lie in a journey more wondrous and horrifying than anything he could’ve imagined—one that will force him to confront the darkest parts of himself even as he battles a terrifying, seemingly unbeatable foe.
From the author of the bestselling Wayward Pines trilogy, Dark Matter is a brilliantly plotted tale that is at once sweeping and intimate, mind-bendingly strange and profoundly human—a relentlessly surprising science-fiction thriller about choices, paths not taken, and how far we’ll go to claim the lives we dream of.
Review:
Dark Matter is a fast-paced sci-fi novel that, at its essence, explores how far a man will go to get back to his loved ones. It follows Jason, a man who has a pretty decent life. He’s got a wife who loves him, a great teenage son, and a job as a science professor at a local university in Chicago. One night Jason goes out to buy ice cream and his entire world turns upside down. He is abducted at gunpoint, drugged, and wakes up in a world that he doesn’t recognize. It’s still Chicago, but it’s not his Chicago. In the version of Chicago Jason wakes up in, not only does he not have a wife and child, but he’s also an award-winning physicist who has been working on and apparently testing a way to travel in the multiverse. His theory is similar to time travel, except that instead of actually traveling through time, you can travel to an unlimited number of parallel universes, each of which were created at key moments in one’s life when choices had to be made. Jason quickly realizes that someone has used his invention to steal his life and deposit him here in this alternate version of his world and begins a desperate race to find his way back home to his family.
I loved pretty much everything about this book. I thought the premise was unique and I thought the author did a brilliant job of incorporating many complex scientific ideas like string theory, while still making the storyline entirely accessible to even a reader who isn’t into science or science fiction. I thought the pacing of the book was fantastic as well. It was an incredibly suspenseful read and the pacing never lagged. It actually just got faster and faster until it reached a breakneck pace each time Jason tried and failed to find his way back home.
It was definitely a plot-driven read, although I thought it also posed some very deep philosophical questions, the main one being how far would you go to be reunited with your loved ones…Would you kill someone if it meant you could have your family and your life back?
I’m probably the last person on the planet to read this book, but if you’re looking for a wild ride that will keep you turning pages way past your bedtime, Dark Matter will not disappoint! 5 STARS
The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn
Published by William Morrow on January 2nd 2018
Genres: Mystery, Thriller
Pages: 427
Source: Purchased
Amazon
Goodreads
GOODREADS SYNOPSIS:
Anna Fox lives alone—a recluse in her New York City home, unable to venture outside. She spends her day drinking wine (maybe too much), watching old movies, recalling happier times . . . and spying on her neighbors.
Then the Russells move into the house across the way: a father, a mother, their teenage son. The perfect family. But when Anna, gazing out her window one night, sees something she shouldn’t, her world begins to crumble—and its shocking secrets are laid bare.
What is real? What is imagined? Who is in danger? Who is in control? In this diabolically gripping thriller, no one—and nothing—is what it seems.
Review:
The Woman in the Window is a riveting psychological thriller that follows main character Anna Fox, a child psychologist who has been forced to retire because she was recently diagnosed with agoraphobia and is afraid to leave her home. Because her whole world is now confined to her house, Anna has minimal contact with actual people. She has standing appointments with her psychiatrist and a physical therapist, who are willing to make house calls, but aside from that, Anna spends much of her time online playing chess, taking French lessons, and taking part in an online agoraphobia forum where she, ironically, counsels others who are suffering from her condition and helps them move forward with their lives even though she has been trapped in her home for 10 months now. When she’s not online, Anna spends the rest of her time either drinking wine, popping prescription pills, or standing at her window with her camera observing her neighbors. She knows all of the comings and goings of her neighbors, and takes a special interest in the new neighbors that move in across the street. When she accidentally witnesses what appears to be a crime one night while staring at their house and no one believes her when she tries to report it, it turns her entire world upside down to the point where she doesn’t know what is real and what isn’t anymore. Did she imagine it? Is there danger across the street?
One of the mysteries of the book that I found most compelling was that there are hints that Anna has suffered some kind of horrific trauma that has led to her agoraphobia, but we must follow the clues throughout the story to get to the truth about what has happened to her. I actually guessed this plot twist fairly early on, which on the one hand, was a little disappointing, but on the other hand, it also made me feel tremendous empathy for Anna, which I might otherwise not have felt. This also helped me to better accept why she is such an unreliable character and it made me very invested in wanting to see her get better.
The story of what happened to Anna, coupled with getting to the bottom of what actually happened across the street, made for such a gripping read. I literally could not put this book down. At one point, I even had my Kindle propped up next to the stove while I was cooking so that I could sneak in a few more pages. It’s always such a treat to find a book that grabs my attention like that, so with that said, if you’re looking for a suspenseful and twisted thrill ride that will have you questioning what is real vs. what is imagined, I’d highly recommend The Woman in the Window. 4 STARS
About A.J. Finn
A.J. Finn has written for numerous publications, including the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post, and the Times Literary Supplement (UK). A native of New York, Finn lived in England for ten years before returning to New York City.
About Blake Crouch
Blake Crouch is a bestselling novelist and screenwriter. He is the author of the novel, Dark Matter, for which he is writing the screenplay for Sony Pictures. His international-bestselling Wayward Pines trilogy was adapted into a television series for FOX, executive produced by M. Night Shyamalan, that was Summer 2015’s #1 show. With Chad Hodge, Crouch also created Good Behavior, the TNT television show starring Michelle Dockery based on his Letty Dobesh novellas. He has written more than a dozen novels that have been translated into over thirty languages and his short fiction has appeared in numerous publications including Ellery Queen and Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine. Crouch lives in Colorado.
The best way to stay apprised of new releases is to follow him on Facebook and Twitter.
Can’t Wait Wednesday – Spotlight on WHAT IF IT’S US by Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera
/34 Comments/by Suzanne
“Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, which encourages fellow bloggers to spotlight upcoming releases that we’re excited about. It is a meme that I have loved participating in for over a year now, but as Jill is no longer actively posting, from now on I’ll just be linking to Can’t Wait Wednesday, hosted by Tressa, which is a spinoff of the original WoW meme.
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My selection for this week is What If It’s Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera. I actually just heard about this book for the first time yesterday and got so excited about it that I bumped the book I had originally planned to spotlight today. It sounds like it’s going to be a super-cute read. Plus, it’s set in New York, which is always a bonus for me, and Becky Albertalli is an auto-buy author for me. I’ve actually not read a book from Adam Silvera but I have They All Die at the End on my Kindle so hopefully I’ll at least get that one read before this comes out since I always hear such wonderful things about his books.
WHAT IF IT’S US by Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera
Publication Date: October 9, 2018
From Goodreads:
Arthur is only in New York for the summer, but if Broadway has taught him anything, it’s that the universe can deliver a showstopping romance when you least expect it.
Ben thinks the universe needs to mind its business. If the universe had his back, he wouldn’t be on his way to the post office carrying a box of his ex-boyfriend’s things.
But when Arthur and Ben meet-cute at the post office, what exactly does the universe have in store for them? Maybe nothing. After all, they get separated. Maybe everything. After all, they get reunited.
But what if they can’t quite nail a first date . . . or a second first date . . . or a third? What if Arthur tries too hard to make it work . . . and Ben doesn’t try hard enough?
What if life really isn’t like a Broadway play? But what if it is…
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I’d love to hear what upcoming book releases you’re waiting on this Wednesday? Leave me your link in the comments below and I’ll stop by and check out your CWW selection for this week. 🙂
Top Ten Tuesday – Ten Characters I Hate in Books That I Love
/45 Comments/by SuzanneTop Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Top Ten Tuesday has been one of my favorite memes ever since I started blogging, so huge thanks to Jana for taking over the hosting duties!
This week’s TTT topic is Characters I liked That Were In Non-Favorite/Disliked Books. I completely blanked out when it came to books that I didn’t like so I decided to flip the topic and do Top 10 Characters I Hate in Books I Love.
Top 10 Characters I Hate in Books That I Love
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1. DOLORES UMBRIDGE from HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX
What a horrible, horrible woman. I loathed her just as much as I loathed Lord Voldemort, especially after the awful things she did to Harry when he had detention.
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2. MISS TRUNCHBULL from MATILDA
This lady could be Umbridge’s evil sister. She’s just plain evil, clearly hates children, and has no business being the headmistress of a school.
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3. PRINCESS SOPHIA from THE BELLES
I just finished this book last week and couldn’t get over how awful Princess Sophia was. She’s cruel and sadistic, using the Belle’s powers to make those she doesn’t like ugly and deformed. When she forced a Belle to transform a woman’s nose into a pig snout, I was beyond done with Sophia.
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4. JOFFREY BARATHEON from A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE series
Is there anymore of an ass in literature than Joffrey? He’s’ nasty, spoiled rotten, and I’m pretty sure he never had a single redeeming moment throughout the entire series. When he finally got what was coming to him, I could have danced for joy.
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5. GEORGE WICKHAM from PRIDE AND PREJUDICE
Wickham almost had me fooled in the beginning of this novel since he was just so much nicer and more charming than Darcy. Funny how things quickly changed though and Darcy became my favorite, while I thought of Wickham as little more than a rogue.
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6. DRACO MALFOY from the HARRY POTTER series
I guess I probably had a few moments in this series where I didn’t want to throttle Draco, but those moments were few and far between. For the most part, Draco was an arrogant little jerk and I cheered when Hermione punched him in the face in one of the books.
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7. THE WHITE WITCH from THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE
What a cold and calculating woman! I mean, seriously, what kind of person uses their power to stop Christmas from coming? She’s like a more attractive version of The Grinch.
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8. PRESIDENT SNOW & PRESIDENT COIN in THE HUNGER GAMES series
Yep, a two-fer here. I totally hated both of these characters, Snow for perpetuating the Hunger Games so that he could stay in power and Coin because she tricked me into thinking she was the good guy and I don’t like to be tricked. They’re both just rotten leaders who sees the citizens as expendable as long as it furthers their agenda.
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9. AMY DUNNE from GONE GIRL
Amy Dunne was so unlikable and manipulative that even though I enjoyed Gone Girl, I got to the point where I just didn’t care what happened to her. It was just disturbing to follow her. I think she was an actual psychopath.
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10. JOHN WILLOUGHBY from SENSE AND SENSIBILITY
In many ways, John Willoughby reminds me of Henry Wickham from Pride and Prejudice. When we first meet him, he is charming and very handsome, sure to win all the ladies’ hearts and the reader’s. And then we find out he’s a philandering pig; the charming good guy routine is just an act.
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