Rating: 2/5

This book had potential, it had the recipe to keep me on the edge of my seat, however it just fell short at every single opportunity and all the reveals were flat and disappointing. The story felt simple and straightforward as there weren’t enough variables, detail or tension to keep me engaged and create any impact.  

Plot and Progression:

It started off strong with the mystery around the fire where Nichole was in hospital due to a psychotic episode and Aiden suffering from severe burns in ICU. I was hooked at the start and I expected lots of evidence and reveals but it only went downhill from there and never recovered. 

The first portion of the past to set the scene of the sister’s hard upbringing was essentially schoolyard bullying. Krystal and Nichole were always wary of what Veronica would do to them, but it wasn’t dark or sinister enough to create any suspense or build up to the first incident. It was just boring. Although all the incidents created some excitement and tension, they’re glossed over and resolved very quickly, including the twist. The events leading up to the twist fell flat and there aren’t many variables which didn’t leave much room to guess and be surprised. For example there are only a few characters to focus on and there was so little evidence or findings from the actual night of the fire.

Characters: 

Overall I didn’t love or hate any characters, they were quite simple. The only character that was really explored and I found somewhat interesting was Nichole as we learn about her traumatic past from her point of view and how it has affected her. Krystal, being the strong decisive sister, I did find her generic and unmemorable. We learn about Veronica and her mother through Nichole’s/Krystal’s point of view but there wasn’t enough detail about them to understand their character, behaviour and why they treated the sisters so poorly.

Outside of these 4 characters there was very little focus on the others and it was clear some were simply fillers. For example Whitney the school bully was so superficial and cliche. There was nothing memorable about the doctor, the detective or even Aiden! As Nichole’s husband and being involved in the fire I would’ve thought we’d learn more about him and his wealthy, powerful family but they were glossed over and so high level. 

Reccomendation

Overall this is a quick and easy read that I would not recommend as details are light, characters are unmemorable and disappointing twists.