I really enjoyed Strawser’s first novel, but this one didn’t quite hit the mark.
A group of neighborhood women gather, wine in hand, for a rare kid-free night. They drink too much and by morning one of them is gone. Each of the women have their own stories, which could fill a book all on their own, but this story focuses on Kristin’s disappearance. She vanishes without a trace with her twins, leaving her husband under the watchful eye of the police.
While I wanted to know what really happened to Kristin, I kept waiting for the “Wow!” moment, the twist that would make my jaw drop. While I was surprised with a slight twist at the end, it wasn’t enough. It was a “That’s it?” moment instead of a “Holy crap!” moment. Not That I Could Tell didn’t feel much like a mystery, but more like women’s fiction. Don’t get me wrong, women’s fiction isn’t bad, but I opened this book with anticipation of a mystery and I didn’t get that.
Despite my disappoint with the lack of mystery, Strawser has still written a good book and I look forward to her next.
Advanced copy provided by NetGalley.
Rating: 3.5 stars
Reviewer: Jennifer
Title: Not That I Could Tell
Author: Jessica Strawser
Release Date: March 27, 2018
March 26, 2018 at 6:11 pm
Great review! I feel the same – I was waiting for a Big Reveal or some unexpected twist, but it never came. I thought I was the only one, so it’s good to know that others felt this way too.
LikeLiked by 1 person