whitneydaniell

by: Emma Rosenblum
Published: May 23, 2023
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Fiction
272 Pages, AudioBook ARC from NetGalley (HH:MM) 08:45
GoodReads Link

It’s giving, One of Us is Dead or The Hunting Wives… way too many characters, way too much going on, and way too much to follow.

Scandal. Affairs. Frenemies. And tennis. As Summer approaches, the four couples descend to Fire Island to escape the misery that they live the other 9 months out of the year in New York City. With all the gossip and secrets flying around this island, we get the point-of-view of all characters involved; the Nanny and Bartender included.

With all the many stories and characters to follow, this got really tiring for me and I lost interest halfway through. Here are my takeaways:

• Too many characters to follow. For me, when there are multiple POVs and he’s sleeping with her; and she’s sleeping with him, it becomes confusing. I was already 6 characters/chapters in when I realized that I should’ve been taking notes but, I did not go back and actually take notes 😦
• Lots of side stories that actually have nothing to do with the plot. Just things to throw you off, I guess. That’s usual.
• Tennis! Lots of tennis. I’m guessing this is what the rich do in their free time.
• I guess Sam needed some drama to light a match to his inner turmoil but, his job “situation” I felt was unnecessary and fell flat.

Final thoughts: Cool, I guess. I could see some version of this whole story being a mini-series on Netflix or something. It gives very much so, Big Little Lies or Pretty Little Liars vibes.

One-Word Summary: Boardwalk