Member Reviews

I love everything Mary Kubica. I loved LOVED The Good Girl and I enjoy her reviews of others book.

But this book wasn't making sense to me. You read from 2 different POVs at two time periods. The current time for Jessie was really.... weird. she was "normal" during the day but then was a crazy insomniac at night who turned back to normal in the morning. The whole story otherwise was interesting and was leading up to something crazy...... But like a lot of people said, I hated the twist. It left my feeling like, why did I just read that?! I know some movies/TV shows that do that too, and I hate it 100% of the time.

Was this review helpful?

What a creative and interesting psychological thriller. Author Mary Kubica is unbelievably talented.

The beginning of the book kind of threw me at first. It starts like two separate stories about two characters with two different timelines. The story unfolds and weaves to become one story. This is so creative and unique. Full of twist and turns. Just about the time you think you have the story figured out, it has a unexpected surprise ending.

This is my first book by author, Mary Kubica and will not be my last. If you enjoy a psychological thriller this is an excellent read. Could not put it down, a true page turner.

Thank you Netgalley and Harlequin-Trade Publication for an advanced read for a honest review.

Was this review helpful?

Kubica constructs a tense novel of identity and deceit.. A twisty, captivating, edge-of-your-seat read recommended for the beach

Was this review helpful?

When The Lights Go Out is a story about a girl named Jessie, whose mother is dying. Jessie is struggling with the idea of her pending death because her mother is the only family she has. Jessie feels that she is no one without her mom.
The story is fast paced and grabs your attention from the start. It moves quickly and makes you wonder how it is all going to end. Then it changes course at the end, leaving you to feel a bit surprised but also a little let down because the ending is a bit cliche.
All in all, it is a good story even if you feel like you have read it before. Thanks to Netgalley for providing this advanced copy of the book, the opinions are my own.

Was this review helpful?

This book caught my attention when I saw Mary Kubica's name. I knew the book would be good but I had no idea how it would take over my time and attention once I started reading it. To me the difference beween good and great writing is the ability to tell an interesting story without giving away what really connects the characters until just the perfect moment. Mary Kubica has a lock on telling great stories. I hope you've already had the pleasure of reading one of Ms Kubica's books, if you haven't When the Lights Go Out is a great place to start. Publication date is September 1, 2018.

Thank you Hanover Press, NetGalley and Mary Kubica for this Advanced Readers Copy. It was a pleasure reading and reviewing this book. #WhentheLightsGoOut#NetGalley

Was this review helpful?

It took me a minute to read When the Lights Go Out. I was captivated by Eden’s storyline but stalled out with Jessie’s. I could feel Eden’s angst throughout. The desperation, the fear, the uncontrolled thoughts... were all so very real. I did empathize with Jessie, however, I felt that her storyline dragged on. I found myself skipping paragraphs, hoping each page turn would bring me back to Eden.

What to rate this book? Hmmmm... I’m torn. The writing was excellent - up to Kubica’s standards. Was it a thriller? No. Was it an interesting read? Yes. Was I engrossed with every page? No. Was I surprised? No. Did I skip parts? Yes. Therein lies my dilemma. After pondering this for a bit, I’ll give it a strong 3.5 stars.

I am honored to have received an ARC of When the Lights Go Out from the author Mary Kubica, and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Was this review helpful?

Another good job at keeping us guessing until the end! Great story and characters. You will really feel for these characters and what they are going through.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you Netgalley, the publisher and Mary Kubica.
This was the first time I read a book written by this author. I enjoyed the beginning and the middle of book. It kept me interested and involved in Eve and Jessie lives. I found Jessie and her sleep deprivation long and at times even boring. I skipped some sections.
I continued with the book because I wanted to know who Jessie was and was disappointed with the end.
I was so looking forward to reading this book and was disappointed, I’m sorry but I can only give a rating of 3.

Was this review helpful?

I found myself very disappointed in When the Lights Go Out. On one hand, the dual storyline was interesting and kept me involved, but Eden's storyline was much more engrossing and I often found myself skimming through Jessie's storyline because after a point it bored me. After so many hallucinations and other ill effects from lack of sleep, there's nothing new to say....

Then the ending. No. Just no. It was a cheap way to end this book and felt like the author got to the end and didn't know how to wrap up the story.

I'm sorry to leave a review like this because I'm very careful to only request books from Netgalley that I'm pretty certain I'll enjoy. This one just did not do it for me.

Was this review helpful?

Thanks to Netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am shaking my head at this one. I was really enjoying this book, flying through it at a good pace. I liked the alternating points of view, getting the current day from Jessie, who is questioning her identity after finding out her social security number belongs to a dead child, and Eden who was longing to have a baby around 20 years ago. I thought I had it figured out a bunch of times only to find out I was wrong. And I like being wrong because I want to be surprised by an ending. I was surprised, alright, but not in a good way. This was going to be about a 4.5 star review, but the way this ended made me feel like the bulk of what I read was a waste of time.

Was this review helpful?

This kept me up at night!!! This story is my favourite of hers to date! Nothing is more scared than a mother/daughter relationship. It also shows what lengths a woman will go to be a mom. Such a page-turner!

Was this review helpful?

I first requested this book on Netgalley and never heard back from them... then I entered a contest that [author:Mary Kubica|7392948] was having on Twitter and I ended up winning an ARC - thank you, Mary! I'm a huge fan so I was thrilled. Then, about two weeks later, I unexpectedly heard from Netgalley that I had access to read this book. I had to read it right away.

There's no doubt that I love [author:Mary Kubica|7392948] and once again, she did not let me down.

After Jessie's mother, Eden, passes away, she begins to build a life of her own trying to fulfill her mother's last wishes to find herself by applying to college and renting a new apartment. It's not until she gets a call from the college (and subsequently, an online search for answers) that sends her in a tail spin not knowing what to think causing many sleepless nights in a row. Constantly wondering who her dad is, she tries to find him, she needs to know but as her body wears down from lack of sleep, Jessie can't tell what real or just figments of her imagination leaving the reader just as vulnerable.

The story is told in alternating POV between then and now, between Jessie and Eden. It's one that I think you'll enjoy.

Thank you to Netgalley and Ms. Kubica for the chance to read this one early!

Expected publication: September 4th 2018

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2393267226
https://sharn3960.blogspot.com/2018/07/i-first-requested-this-book-on.html
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/98938523049253506/
https://twitter.com/Sharn3960/status/1020656921592893440

Was this review helpful?

I have been trying to think of what to say about this book, I was really drawn in and enjoyed most of the book. The two perspective were great and it was easy to see they would come together at the end but just what the end would be was difficult to figure out. I love it when I have a hard time guessing what the end might hold.

Jessie’s perspective was hard to read at times because her lack of sleep was so easy for me to feel that it really gave me the creeps. Towards the very end her increased confusion and strange behavior may have been a little to drawn out for my taste.

Eden’s perspective was also strong she and I appreciated how she changed and grew more frenzied in her focus to start a family. Once again it was towards the end that I was a little put off by the path she took.

And this brings us to the end, it was unexpected and that was good but I also felt a little let down. Not sure why that was but think it was just sort of an oh oh…okay. Not oh oh, holy cow kind of thing.

I so loved The Good Girl by Mary Kubica that I think I have been a little disappointed by all her follow up books. The new books by her that I have read have been good but just not quite as delicious so think I might be unfairly disappointed not to get the same 5 star enjoyment.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Harlequin for the ARC of When the Lights Go Out.

Was this review helpful?

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. This is Mary Kubica's fifth book that she has written. It is very different than her other four books, but just as amazing. I like that Mary writes from points of view of more than one character and each chapter switches to a new person.

This book focuses on Jessie Sloane. Jessie is forced to deal with the impending death of her mother. But, when her mother dies, she doesn't know who she is anymore. She starts to wonder if her whole life is a lie and has to also deal with the fact that she is left totally alone. No friends, no family, nothing! It starts when Jessie goes to apply to college and realizes her social security number belongs to a dead girl. Has there been a mistake or is nothing as it seems.

Kubica's writing really digs deep into your emotions. When I was reading this book I felt myself being thrust into the life of Jessie Sloane. I felt desperation and a need for her wanting her mother back and to make a friend to help her get through her rough time.

As the book develops, Jessie is faced with trying to discover who her father is and also a blooming new friendship. There are many twists and turns in this book. Is what is happen to Jessie real, are there ghosts, or is she just so tired she cannot focus on what is actually in front of her.

This is another amazing book and I would definitely recommend it. I have a two year old i'm always chasing around and still managed to "sneak read" from her and get it done in a few days! This is a book I will be buying when it comes out because I have to add it to my bookshelf. Now i'm desperately left waiting till the next Kubica book comes out!

Was this review helpful?

This is hard to rate. Great premise, with some really creepy, twisty surprises. Unfortunately, the twist ending did not completely satisfy the premise....felt a little like a cop-out. With that said, the better writing and treatment of the spookier aspects made this my favorite by this author.

Was this review helpful?

I don't feel like this was Kubica's best work, nor should it be categorized as a thriller. There was nothing suspenseful about it. Instead, it was an emotional story about a daughter caring for her mother who is dying from cancer. Nothing wrong with that, as that part was told very well. I was expecting a higher octane and suspenseful read. I'm torn as to what I should rate this, because the relationship between Jessie and Eden was beautiful. I felt the emotions Jessie did watching her mother in the hospital bed. It was a slower read than Kubica's last book (Every Last Lie), and not at all the story I was expecting it to be. I also found the ending kinda disappointing. 😕

Was this review helpful?

This was unlike any of Kubica's other books- in both good and bad ways. I am a huge fan and own all of her other books so I was THRILLED to check out her latest book- When the Lights Go Out.

After reading and digesting, I'm a little bummed. Certain paragraphs were repetitive- almost word for word repetitive- to the point that I thought maybe I had accidentally paged back on my Kindle. That seemed VERY unlike Kubica. Short of spoilers, my favorite story line of the book ended up being disappointingly NOT my favorite by the end. It was ANOTHER back and forth (present and past) between mother / daughter and I enjoyed the mother's POV significantly more than her daughter's. Jessie's chapters had me dizzy and skimming through to quickly get back to Eden. I felt like I invested time and heart into the wrong parts of the story when it was all said and done, the effort felt wasted.

Hoping for a 5 star review for her next book.

Huge thanks to Mary Kubica, Harlequin, and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

I can't say TOO much without giving spoilers, but let me just say that as a person who detests "how Dallas ended" storylines, this was a bitter pill to swallow. It had a great setup, the wind up and the pitch were great, but the ball sort of went into the outfield and rolled into a bush and nobody felt like running after it to pick it up. I absolutely loved and adored The Good Girl, and I was hoping for another home run here - kind of bummed. :(

Was this review helpful?

***Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of WHEN THE LIGHTS GO OUT by Mary Kubica in exchange for my honest review.***

WHEN THE LIGHTS GO OUT, a departure from Mary Kubica’s previous thrillers, shows the range of her storytelling abilities. The less you know going into the story, the more you’ll enjoy it.

As Jessie awaits her by her dying mother’s bedside unable to sleep, her mind struggles to focus. Twenty years earlier, Eden longs for a baby.

Anyone who’s been exhausted, whether from lack of sleep for a night or two or full fledged insomnia, knows functioning at peak level is nearly impossible. Thinking coherently becomes more difficult as fatigue increases. I questioned reliability of Jessie’s narration at times throughout her sections of the story. For Eden’s chapters, I wondered whether her longing for a baby made her more than a nice woman who wanted to be a mom. Did it make her a criminal?

Kubica weaves together these separate and probably overlapping stories in creative and surprising ways. While I didn’t see the ending coming, WHEN THE LIGHTS GO OUT wrap-up felt more like a crawl to the finish line than an explosion of excitement that left me speechless.

Kubica’s fans should expect a different kind of story told with her usual skill and heart.

Was this review helpful?

Interesting exploration of the effects of grief, insomnia, and losing the ability to know what's real and what's not. This may be triggering for someone who has lost someone to cancer, or sat with someone who was dying. Very spot-on. Not a feel-good story, but well-written, suspenseful and compassionate.

Was this review helpful?