Bath Haus by P.J. Vernon

Review to come! Thanks Doubleday Books for the gifted ARC.

March 31, 2021

i never really read thrillers. can someone tell me if the characters are always this unlikeable or if it's just this book? that said, i really enjoyed the ride with all its juicy drama and twists and turns (even if i knew what was around the corner 95% of the time).

4.25

Rating: ⭐⭐✨/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Characters: 1.75/5
Prose: 3/5
Plot: 1.75/5
Storytelling: 2.5/5
Overall: 2.5/5

Review:

What did I just read? The synopsis was intriguing AF, but this took a different turn. I was expecting an “on the edge of your seat” type thriller, and I was excited it's not a hetero-centric thriller. But then again, this was worse. It's SO stereotypical and that took me out of the story.

The story is about Oliver Park and Nathan Klein living together as husbands but they're not. Oliver drives around dark corners hungry for some action and inadvertently ends up in a bathhouse, aka Bath Haus. He goes in, and everything goes awry for our dude. Like REALLY BAD. From there on, the story goes downhill, mainly because of the characters.

The characters are so humourless, 2D, shallow, cheesy, and unrootable. Oliver is a hypocritical character despite his dilemma and behaves like a deer at a crossroads. He has zero survival instincts, and every decision he makes is passive. It made me wonder why the POV was from his perspective. It's explicit that he isn't supposed to be the main character. Doesn't feel like it. This would have been the dark thriller the author was aiming for if the MC was Kristian.

Enter Nathan, a surgeon who looks like the guy who's got his shit together. But as the story progresses, both MCs are in a relationship that clearly can't be a relationship. I read it to the end expecting character development and a more nuanced relationship between these two. I was wrong! It ends as it started.

Additionally, the writing style has the same tone. The author fails to differentiate in tones. For instance, Oliver, who lacks medical school knowledge, has a POV full of medical metaphors, analogies, and expositions. This caused a lack of characterization, likeable MCs, and an engaging plot.

All in all, this one was disappointing. I didn't have high hopes, but not this level of disappointment. And that ending? That kind of ending for Oliver sure as hell feels unearned! Just saying.