The story was interesting and covered some interesting topics, sadly it lacked something. It was a book I found easy to put down and pick back up again and would be perfect for reading on holiday but the pace of the novel was somewhat slow and failed to keep me hooked. I will say I managed to get most of the way through before I peeped ahead to the end and by the point I did so it really didn’t spoil much. The characters were well written and had the tempo of the novel been faster paced I am sure it would have got more stars.
It is a story about love not the straight forward love of romance novels but the complicated relationships that come about through secrecy and dishonesty. Everyone has secrets they are hiding and the victim at the centre of this web of deceit does herself no favours in gaining the readers symapthy. She is well aware not all is as it seems, she is warned but chooses to dismiss advice as jealousy. I don’t want to give to much away as you never know someone may wish to read it. Lets just say the family dynamics are definatly awry. In many ways this is a book about the ways people try to deceive themselves, see only what they want with no regard to the feelings of others. The reader as the outsider looking in can see the impending train wreck that their lives will become long before the characters reach the final and in one case fatal collision. As I say the charcters are well written that doesn’t mean they are likeable and I put this book down finally with a slight sense of they all got what they deserved. I think the book could have been improved if the summary of the back story last few chapters had been revealed slowly throughout the book instead of as an explanation at the end maybe the characters would have been more engaging as individuals if I known how they reached the point where you already feel no empathy for them. Although it was a disappointment it had great potential and a good plot somehow it just failed to quite deliver.
If you want something different from the usual slushy holiday read then pick up this book.If you are looking for something deep and meaningful then sadly give it a miss
Paula Acton 