The Other Girl

This book was a roller coaster ride for me, starting out strong and then proceeding to go all over the place before ending at a bit of a low point. I didn't feel any connection to the characters and much of the plot felt contrived. I kept guessing what was going on just before our protagonist did which got frustrating after a while - I found myself yelling “GET ON WITH IT ALREADY” several times as she proceeded to stay in the dark about several obvious clues. This was made all the more frustrating because we're told over and over again that she's a fantastic detective, except she's slow to figure out what's going on and does several stupid things that end up hindering her own investigation. The flashbacks to her childhood were strangely intrusive in the beginning, though they became less so as the novel progressed, and I did end up liking her in the end. By then, however, it was too late to salvage the disinterest I felt toward her as a character and the ending was so unbelievable that I was just glad the book was over.

(Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.)