carolesrandomlife

This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life.

This book ended up being just okay for me. Based on the description, I thought that this was going to be a completely different book than it turned out to be. If you are a reader that does not enjoy any kind of paranormal or out of the ordinary in a story, you will want to avoid this one. I do like those things so it wasn't a deal breaker for me although it was unexpected.

I thought that the story moved rather slowly at times and it was never the kind of book that I found hard to put down. That being said I did want to know how everything would work out. I really had expected this book to fall nicely into the mystery category but I found that it was really more focused on the characters. There was some mystery to be found but the focus was different than I had expected.

I never connected with any of the characters. Carrie seemed too controlled and distant. As the book progressed, I found that I never really felt anything towards Carrie. Her backstory was interesting but it never sparked any kind of emotion from me. This is a story where bad things happen to a tiny boy and I didn't any kind of emotional reaction. Carrie's husband was even more distant and he was very controlling. I really didn't connect with him at all and his behavior actually made me question Carrie more since she didn't see any problems with it.

It was a story that took some big risks and unusual turns. The story unfolded in a manner that made me want to see it to completion. I wanted to know everyone's secrets and see their reactions even if I didn't feel any connection to the characters. I liked the idea behind the story but had problems with the characters and pacing of the story. I also thought the ending of the book was rather lackluster and had hoped for something a little more meaningful.

I do think that some readers will really enjoy this book. This is the first book by Kelly Simmons that I have read and I would be willing to read more of her work in the future.

I received an advance reader edition of this book from Sourcebooks Landmark via NetGalley for the purpose of providing an honest review.

Initial Thoughts
This book wasn't anything like I thought it would be. It took a weird paranormal twist and the characters weren't very likable. I am not even sure what I think about this one right now.