Coming in hot with more book reviews. I finished Just Like The Other Girls by Claire Douglas and am finally getting around to processing the book. I have very mixed feelings about it and need to vent about them, so spoilers ahead!
The aspect of the book I loved most was the entire vibe. It was a dark concoction of Gothic, cozy mystery but with a deeply unsettling feeling that remains throughout. Think Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware meets The Girl Before by JP Delaney. I was gripped until the very end.
BUT….(spoilers ahead)
This is where I had my issue: the viewpoint character dies halfway through. Now, I find this trope VERY jarring and I’m not a fan, but I will say, this is an uncorrected proof so the story may have changed before publishing. Also, the death raises more questions that I wanted answers to, so I was definitely still interested. However, don’t kill my main character unless it’s a horror story…please.
My last complaint would be that I found it easy to guess who our villain was. Again, this could be because it was an uncorrected proof, or maybe I’m a huge nerd and study plots too much, but I pinpointed the villain very easily.
Otherwise, I found the story gripping and mysterious! If you’ve read this book and it has changed after publishing, let’s chat!
Summary: At loose ends after the devastating death of her mother, Una Richardson responds to an advertisement for a ladies’ companion, a position that leads her into the wealthy, secluded world of Mrs. Elspeth McKenzie.
But Elspeth’s home isn’t the comforting haven it seems.
Kathryn, her cold and bitter daughter, resents Una’s presence. More disturbing is evidence suggesting two girls lived here before her.
What happened to the young women?
Why won’t the McKenzies talk about them?
What are they hiding?
As the walls begin to close in around her, Una fears she’ll end up just like the other girls . . .
Books and Bites with Brooke 