Review: Only Daughter by Anna Snoekstra

Image source: Goodreads.com

Only Child by Anna Snoekstra

Publisher: Mira Books

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Publication Date: September 20^th, 2016

Rating: 4.5/5

This is one of those books that the less you know before reading, the better it is! So I’ll try to review it without giving much away…

In 2003, Rebecca Winters, a sixteen-year-old went missing. Eleven years later, in 2014, a girl dodging a shoplifting arrest decides to take her place. The “new” Rebecca does her best to assume Rebecca’s old life. She learns to fit in with the family and Bec’s old best friend, Lizzie. The plot is told from the viewpoints of Rebecca in 2003 and fake Rebecca in 2014.

This book sucked me in from the first chapter and kept me guessing until the end. Although some parts were a bit predictable/unbelievable, this is an incredibly solid debut novel. I’ll definitely be checking out the author’s new books. I did have a few issues with it…The biggest is how the tone changed at the end and didn’t match the rest of the book. Throughout the whole novel the book does not delve into graphic gore; it focuses more so on being a psychological thriller. However, towards the end there are a few scenes that are rather graphic and not good for the faint-at-heart, or animal lovers (like me!). Although crucial to the plot, they just didn’t seem like they fit with the overall tone of the novel. That being said, I can deal with a couple of scenes that felt off in exchange for a thrilling, quick, read. It was very fast-paced and you can definitely read it in one sitting. After reflecting on the ending, all my other issues disappeared after finishing the book. Without giving anything away, all my qualms definitely made sense keeping the ending in mind. I would definitely recommend this book!

Review: The Deal of a Lifetime by Fredrik Backman

Source: Goodreads.com

The Deal of a Lifetime by Fredrik Backman

Publisher: Atria Books

Genre: Short-story

Pages: 96

Publication Date: October 31^st, 2017

Rating: 3/5

Summary: This is an illustrated short-story written by the same author that wrote A Man Called Ove. The story is from the point of view of a man telling his son a story on Christmas Eve. He opens by telling his son that he has taken a life, but will not say whose life yet. A week before this story telling takes place, the father met a little girl with cancer in a hospital. As he describes this girl, he ends up describing more about himself, career, family, and legacy. He eventually is given the chance to save this girl’s life, but before doing so he wants to tell his son the whole story.

Pros:

·       The illustrations added a nice amount of whimsy and contributed to the Christmas setting.

·       I love how the story gives the main character a chance at saving another person’s life; I can’t say much more about that without spoiling the story. But I liked the mechanics of it.

·       It’s Fredrick Backman. So far, I have loved his writing in all of his books. He has the ability to be straight-forward, pull you in, and play with your emotions.

Cons:

·       I know it is supposed to be a short story, but it was too short! I read the Kindle version, which told me I was only 56% done when the story ended. The rest of the Kindle version was a preview of his book Beartown.

·       I feel like some of the points could have been explored so much more; perhaps this was the author’s intent? It left me with more questions than answers. I suppose this is both good and bad; I’m still thinking about the story weeks after I read it!

·       Something just felt like it was missing; I’m not sure if it is due to the length, or the word choices…It just felt like it was missing the mark.

Final Thoughts:

·       As a fan of Fredrik Backman, I enjoyed this short story. Although, I wouldn’t bother buying a physical copy of the book. Renting the e-book from my library was sufficient. The story definitely made me think, but led to more frustration because I feel like I’m missing something. Definitely check it out if you want to read all of the author’s works, but skip it if you aren’t already hooked on his style.