His & Hers Review - Becca In A Book

Summary

So there is always two sides to a story, but only one of them can be the truth. Anna Andrews is a TV journalist assigned to cover a murder in her hometown. DCI Jack Harper is the assigned detective on the case. Both of them are familiar with the victim and both could be a suspect in her murder.

My Thoughts

I really enjoyed this thriller filled with unlikeable characters and a well built mystery. The idea of this book using two different stories to tell the same story in a thriller is so great and was really beneficial to the novel. The different perspectives allowed the mystery to continue on in a fresh new way.

Anna is such an interesting character. The story starts where she is going to start her job as a TV news presenter where it is suddenly taken from her right before she is going to go on TV. I was pissed for her and I started rooting for her right then. She actually reminded me of the main character from Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn because she is so hesitant to go back to her hometown. I was expecting it to be similar where there is a creepy little town; however, the town seemed completely normal. She is determined to get to her story and I really admire the tenacity she shows for her job, but it was so sad to think that was all she had. Before the story’s start, we are told she has suffered a grave loss and the fact she is still standing is an inspiration to us all.

The detectives assigned to the case were Jack, the other story’s perspective, and his partner. I unfortunately forgot her name because she is kind of a boring character. Jack is just a mess honestly. He should definitely not be a policeman, let alone a detective. He just misses so many connections and his know-it-all partner is constantly pointing them out for him. He’s also frankly kind of gross. I just imagine a man with a wrinkled suit and the smell of cigarettes. Despite his appearance, he was an extremely thoughtful and sweet man concerning the people he cares for. The way he took care of Anna’s mother made me really like him in the end.

His partner really grossed me out. She reminded of a perky cheerleader that was trying to impress and woo her teacher. It honestly made me feel uncomfortable about how much she cared about what he thought. I also did not buy that story when she had Jack come over just for a friendly dinner. She made this wonderful meal and spent the entire night flirting with him. Girl, just be honest, it’s obvious and it’s making us all uncomfortable!

Telling the mystery with two very different perspectives was so intriguing to me because we get to view the case in multiple angles and see things that we may not have noticed from the other perspective. I also felt that you saw characters from different perspectives so one chapter you wouldn’t suspect somebody, but by the next chapter you had a new one! I also felt that each chapter ended on a mini cliffhanger which gave the reader an urgency to keep reading.

I also really liked the mystery itself! I just love the idea of getting vengeance on the mean girls from high school! I felt so bad for high school Anna, but also could understand the guilt she suffered. Her urgency to impress her new friends clouded her judgment and honestly what teenager is going to think about how they would feel about their actions in the future. I was also intrigued, but deeply disturbed by her relationship with her childhood friend. She talked about it in a childlike way, like she still, as an adult, doesn’t understand what it was.

The only thing that I struggled with was the italicized sections in the novel. I still don’t understand who the voice was for those scenes!!! Was it the murderer or is it different characters to keep you guessing. I wish the author had more connections to the characters that could slowly be revealed.

Overall, this book was a very thrilling read with a perfect length to keep you reading!