Member Reviews
This is a good page turner. Blanche grew up trying to forget about her past. She is the daughter of mass murder and cult leader Chuck Varner who went on a shooting spree before shooting himself. She's tried to distance herself from the past but when she hears that her mother has been killed she returns home and begins to learn that everything is not always as it seems. The police on the case aren't telling her all she needs to know. Somebody knows something and she's determined to find out the truth. The author's command of language is perfectly suited to the genre. I was engaged and hungry for more. Nathan Ripley is a a talented writer who plan to read much more from in the future.
I listened to the audiobook version first, and to be honest, didn’t love it. I thought I would give it a second chance by reading it. I’m left with mixed feelings. This book starts out strong, but the middle is just... meh.
The story idea is really cool, and it wraps up nicely, just not my favorite book.
I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
Your life is mine was an outstanding book. A book full of suspense and it kept me on my toes til the last page. This is a story of a daughter, named Blanche, whose father did something unspeakable and one day it comes back to haunt her in ways she never thought possible. A wonderful and suspenseful book, highly recommended by a new fan of Nathan Ripley.
Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for the early copy.
I found the writing style was not for me and I put it down.
This is the first time that i have read a book by Nathan Ripley and doubt it will be the last. Admittedly i didn't find it easy to get into the story at first, but soon found myself enjoying. It was a disturbing read and is one that will stay with me in my mind for a while to come.
My thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for my copy. This is my honest review, voluntarily given.
(Waiting for Amazon to publish my review).
The sophomore suspense novel is tightly would murder thriller. Fans of west coast crime the like of Earl Emerson will be satisfied. Looking forward to reading more as his writing career advances.
I went into this without knowing a whole lot about it. This novel was an ARC from Netgalley that I never got around to. With that being said, I did briefly read what the description is for books on that website so I can request the novel if I find it intriguing. When I started reading this novel, all I remembered about it was that it was a woman whose father was a serial killer. I find that interesting as a concept, but this book didn't do anything special. With thrillers, I am looking for shocking moments that even if I do expect something to happen, I'm excited that it did. This book, while it was interesting enough to keep me reading. I didn't find it exciting and, overall, was just an okay read.
I gave this a try, but I couldn't get into it. I thought I would like Your Life Is Mine by Nathan Ripley but that wasn't the case. It was very dry to me.
This book looked great when I first saw it but now I am realizing it just wasn’t for me. I think that this will be great for many people but not for me at this time.
Noped the heck out of this nonsensical bit of overwrought nonsense. Your Life Is Mine has a great cover and title. And that's where the interesting things about it end.
I really struggled to get through this book. It wasn't much of a thriller as I had hoped. It was also kinda predictable.
I struggled to get through this book. It was slow building and dragged on forever. I felt it was a little too predictable. Thank you netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.
I really wanted to love this book, but jeez is it hard going! I never really got into the swing of it, it felt a little disjointed and a bit hard to follow. However, the cult element was exactly what I needed and really well thought out! Ultimately, I just didn't care how this book ended which is such a shame as it's such a unique and interesting premise.
When you've spent your whole adult life trying to get away from your childhood, it takes something drastic to pull you back. Nathan Ripley has written a unique cult centered murder mystery with a likeable heroine who just wants to forget her past. The story is well written, flowing quickly to keep you reading. It is really hard to set this book down at all. It's a binge worthy book!
This was an interesting read but a bit slow for me as I couldn’t seem to connect with Blanche. The writing style was very good and the storyline seemed plausible.
Many thanks to Atria Books and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.
Your Life is Mine is a novel about a cult by the same name, that definitely sounds cooler as a book title than as a violent belief system. Blanche, a daughter of the head of the cult has moved on the best she can and makes true crime documentaries.
I hate to be so tough on a novel but I couldn’t help but laugh at the characters and the cult. Blanche’s father seemed more petty than as a charismatic leader. Many of the characters revealed their true motives too soon and to only their detriment. This had a good start and could have gone somewhere. I felt like it didn’t have much of a story. It starts with the shooter acting irrationally and then follows his successor who doesn’t appear to achieve anything.
I want to thank Atria Books, Netgalley and the author for my honest opinion. 2/5 stars.
Your Life is Mine is the story of Blanche, the daughter of a want to be cult leader and a mass murderer. When Blanche was six years old her father Chuck took her to the mall and had her watch while he killed nine people with point blank shots. For the first six years of her life she was taught the tenants of Your Life Is Mine, Chucks philosophy, as well as the ability to handle a gun. 22 years later her mother Crissy comes to find Blanche to inform her that something big is going to happen. Next thing she knows Crissy is murdered.
The premise of this book is very interesting but I have one major issue with it that really did deter from my enjoyment of the novel. My issue is that I did not understand Chuck Varner's teachings. All I could seem to glean was that he believed in chaos. I think if I understood more it would make these men more believable.
That being said I did enjoy the book but it was just an okay for me and not a like.
This was a dark and gripping roller coaster ride that I enjoyed immensely. Book was well written, keeping me in suspense throughout and not letting go until the end.
Recommended.
3.5 stars rounded up...
Blanche Potter grew up as Blanche Varner, daughter and heiress if you will to the cult Your Life is Mine, lead by cult leader - and father - Chuck Varner. While Blanche escaped the brainwashing and sociopathic tendencies of both her mother and father, she was in no way protected from her past when she decided to hide her identity forever. No one knows she was there the day her father carried out his mass shooting. Nor do they know of all the random killings she was there for as well, and as far as she is concerned, no one ever will. Little does she know, her past, her family history, will hurt so many people, including the ones closest to her. And are these mass shootings over? Or were they in the making all along?
- - - - - - - - - - - -
This book had a lot of potential and it was certainly a good read. A book I breezed through and didn’t want to put down. But I really wish we would’ve heard so much more in depth about Chuck Varner and his cult. There is such a huge group of readers that love a good cult-driven book so that would’ve greatly added to this story. I think too this book would have been so creepy and amazing having heard the narrative from Chuck and from Blanche’s mother. There was SO much potential in just those two characters alone. Could’ve possible made a good series, too as well as a good movie. Looking forward to more by this author.
Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC.
I’m a pretty quick reader. I honestly do try and read books within one or two sittings. But I started this book at the beginning of the month and it took me all of it to finish it. It wasn’t necessarily a bad book - in fact, if you’re a reader who likes “light suspense” and thrillers, this may be a decent book for you. I, however, didn’t connect with it, the incredibly slow and repetitive story and one-dimensional characters. The whodunnit surprise was a letdown and I’m sad to say, I was entirely bored reading this.
The culty premise of the story was great but it never really went anywhere except in circles. “Your Life is Mine” is the cult itself - it’s name and motto. That’s great and all, but there really wasn’t any life to it besides let’s kill people and control them. Twenty years after a mass-shooting, new cult members emerge out of nowhere and I just have to say these cult members are incredibly predictable and boring.
Blanche, the MC, was okay. She wasn’t anything special besides being the daughter of the cult leader/creator of twenty years prior. She was missing something that would allow me to empathize with her and her situation. She didn’t have the spark I was looking for and at times was incredibly frustrating to read about.