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After going through a bit of a lull with my reading, I decided to find a book that I could really get into and something that would hold my attention. After seeing rave reviews about this and reading the plot, it sounded like it was going to be a tense, edge of my seat read.
At 480ish pages, it is definitely not a quick read, which I hadn’t realised until I started the book! But I do feel that the length of the book allows you to fully get to know each of the characters and begin to make your own guesses as to what the various twists and turns will be.
Logan’s writing style is sophisticated and I loved her effortless way of depicting a scene perfectly. The story surrounds a group of friends who are bringing all of their families on a once in a lifetime holiday to celebrate the fact that each couple are turning or have recently turned 40. Within the first few pages, Logan describes the exquisite setting of Provence and I found myself reading on just to enjoy the scenery; ‘Vineyards heavy with fruit lined the road, ranks of low green vines marching off into the distance under a deep, blue Mediterranean sky’
The description and setting make this a perfect summer read and the story itself is intriguing but definitely a slow burner to say the least. The intricate traits of the characters are woven cleverly in to the story and I found myself many times wondering where the story was going. Completely unpredictable and constantly leaving you guessing, it is certainly worth investing your time in.
Although it takes time to be introduced to each of the characters and assess possible motive or hidden agendas, I found the story quite bizarre in the fact that there seems to be 400 or so pages of slow build up and the final 80 are fairly frantic and fast moving. The conclusion reached a satisfying ending with all loose ends tied up and no questions left unanswered but I couldn’t help but feel that the story was disproportionate in its journey.
I enjoyed how the story was told from multiple perspectives as I think this can be a difficult skill to master. Many writers who try to do this in their books often result in a confusing story with the reader losing the thread and therefore never becoming fully invested. Logan was able to use the multiple perspectives successfully without it ever hindering the story and in actual fact, it prevented the read from becoming stale.
Overall, I did really enjoy this and I would highly recommend purchasing the audio-book to go with it. It is narrated by Laura Kirman who has a voice like caramel and it makes the reading experience even more enjoyable.
This will keep you guessing right up until the last page and leaves you with the unnerving question…’Can we ever just trust our gut and intuition?’