Rating: Good
Source: Publisher
Description: Seeking women ages 18–32 to participate in a study on ethics and morality. Generous compensation. Anonymity guaranteed.
When Jessica Farris signs up for a psychology study conducted by the mysterious Dr. Shields, she thinks all she’ll have to do is answer a few questions, collect her money, and leave.
Question #1: Could you tell a lie without feeling guilt?
But as the questions grow more and more intense and invasive and the sessions become outings where Jess is told what to wear and how to act, she begins to feel as though Dr. Shields may know what she’s thinking… and what she’s hiding.
Question #2: Have you ever deeply hurt someone you care about?
As Jess’s paranoia grows, it becomes clear that she can no longer trust what in her life is real, and what is one of Dr. Shields’ manipulative experiments. Caught in a web of deceit and jealousy, Jess quickly learns that some obsessions can be deadly.
Question #3: Should a punishment always fit the crime?
From the authors of the blockbuster bestseller The Wife Between Us comes an electrifying new novel about doubt, passion, and just how much you can trust someone.
Genre: Mystery
Why I Picked This Book: I haven't read nearly as many psychological thrillers as I'd like and this sounds really good.
My Impression: This is one of those books that I can't quite wrap my mind around how I feel about it. I didn't really care for any of the characters and I did feel frustrated at times at the pacing but at the same time I just couldn't stop reading it. I'd think "when I turn on my Kindle I'm going to find something light and fun to read and take a break from this one" but somehow I found myself reading this one every single time and what's more I had to make myself put it down. Yes, I wanted the plot to go faster and while I didn't care about any of the characters I found myself needing to know just what happened next. I also found myself incredibly relieved that I never participated in any of the studies that the psychology department were always advertising in college.
Jess and Dr. Shields were both incredibly frustrating. Their decisions were puzzling and maddening and I never felt particularly connected with them. Since I typically read character driven books this took some getting used to. However, I felt compelled to find out just what was going to happen next. I liked the changing POVs - especially with Dr. Shields' chapters feeling like journal entries. This was a compelling read that kept me reading far into the night even when I didn't like any of the characters in it.
Would I Read More of this Series/Author? I would. While this isn't a book I really loved it was one I really enjoyed reading and I'm curious to see what other kinds of craziness the authors can come up with.
Would I Recommend this Book? If you enjoy a slow building psychological thriller and don't mind not liking the characters then this is a good read that will keep you turning pages.
* I received this book in exchange for an honest review. As always my opinions and impressions are completely my own. *
I have this one. I'm hoping to get to it next month. I'm glad you liked it even with some issues. Great review!
ReplyDeleteThis wouldn't suit me-the slow bits and frustrating characters would drive me mad!
ReplyDeleteOoh I see this around quite a bit. A lot of books get called "psychological thrillers" but this one sounds obviously like it really is one!
ReplyDeleteI don't have to like the characters, especially in a book like this (I kind of expect not to). This sounds like an addicting read. I've come across books like this--that I'm not loving, but I don't want to put down either.
ReplyDeleteI would say that since you found yourself coming back to this review so often that it had a good story overall. Unlikable characters aren't really my thing either. I'd probably be frustrated with them too. I'm kind of interested more than I was in the past. Your the first review I've read of this books and I'm curious how other found it as well.
ReplyDeleteThis one certainly had some kind of magic to keep you reading it despite some of your "dislikes".
ReplyDeleteI like the last book by this author so I'd read this one. The other book also had unlikeable characters but, I loved the audio version.
ReplyDeleteYes, I read the previous book last year too. And it was good on audio. The things you mentioned are some of the reasons why I've had to take breaks between these types of books (or even take a step away toward the end of last year). I got to where I would immediately get frustrated and then quite annoyed with the characters. They are designed to keep your interest and keep you turning the pages - which is not a bad thing. As I like to have at least one character to 'bond' with, it is not a type of book that I can read one after the other. I'll be trying this one. Just not sure when. As I said, spacing them out now. :-)
ReplyDeleteLove the cover and the concept of this book--I'm a huge psychology geek so that drew me in immediately. However, not connecting well with the characters is a little off putting. I'm still going to give it a try I think. Thanks for another solid review (and your honesty) and hope you enjoy a good weekend!
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