Member Reviews
I love a fast paced book where I think I have all the answers before the author delivers a gut punch. Mina Hardy did NOT disappoint with that. This is essential in all thrillers I read.
The book moves at a great pace, setting the stage for what you think it happening between Sean, Diana, and Valerie. Wife is in accident, loses her memories, doting husband is having an affair...
The one thing that I disliked was that the story felt a bit overdone. There are many books with this type of plot and so it didn't feel super original. I would definitely still recommend this to other lovers of thrillers.
Thank you Netgalley, Crooked Lane Books, and Mina Hardy for allowing me to read this and give my honest opinion.
I think if it had been for the huge twist at the end this book would have been less stars for me. It was a slow read for me although the author does do a great job of keeping things interesting. For the most part I had most of the mystery figured out as the author dropped several subtle hints throughout the story. It was fairly easy to start putting the puzzle pieces together. I just did not see that ONE thing coming. To say I was shocked would be an understatement.
All in all I have this was an entertaining story and I will definitely pick up more stories by this author.
After All I've Done by Mina Hardy is the story of three people Sean, Valerie and Diana. Diana and Valerie have known each other all their lives and promised to look after each other all through their lives. As the story starts we find that Diana has met with an accident and is recovering. She has lost some of her memories and she seems to be losing her mind altogether. Her husband is having an affair with her best friend and we are told that it might be possible that Diana has herself put Valerie to this task. While everything is happening, Diana's mother-in-law Harriet is by her side all the time, even annoyingly so, at times.
The twisted story is engrossing where you can not instantly make out what is real and what might just be a figment of Diana's imagination. The writing flows as we get to hear the story from Diana's and Valerie's perspective. The ending did not go well with me and was thoroughly unexpected. The characters come across as well-defined and you can imagine them easily. That is why probably it is easy to see them as regular people with their plus points and shortcomings.
The plot develops consistently and you do not feel like putting the book down in between.
This story line has been written too many times to be fresh and new. Wife has accident, gets amnesia and cannot discern the malevolence that caused it. Add sex, secrets from the past and you have the formula. Not enough of a new take on a trite subject. Far fetched conclusion and reveal at the end makes for dull read.
4/5 stars! This book was such a wild ride, and I have to say, I wasn’t really expecting it to be! Every single twist the book took me on felt so calculated and interesting, and not in a way where I felt like I could predict how things were going to go. All of the characters were so frustrating in the best way, and I really enjoyed their dynamics. My one complaint was that the writing on occasion felt a little bit tedious, but that’s mostly personal preference!
Holy cow wow! What a book, absolutely unputdownable, highly, highly recommend unless you plan to start right before bed time, have plans, or anything that might need to take you from the book! Chilling, thrilling, twisty as heck, and shocking! Loved how well it was written and how completely fast paced and captivating it truly is! It’s one of those books that will repeat over and over in your mind, after you finish, in that way us thriller lovers crave! Don’t delay, preorder today, but definitely clear the schedule, as I promise you’ll be busy from page one until you’re done!
Will make sure to buzz this up on the different platforms, as well as use low Amazon reviewer number on release date!
Wow. Is all I can say at the moment. I'm speechless.
This book was like a crazy train wreck-- seriously, like wtf did I just read.
After All I've done is a griping, unbelievable twisted read. It captured my attention from the moment I opened the book until the very end.
You'll find you'll hate the characters with their unreliable behavior/actions, lies, secrets, love triangle -- and not to mention the amnesia and the unfathomable truths.... hidden beneath the surface.
If you're a lover of suspense, mystery/ thrillers- this book is for you!!
And that ending.... WOWZA. I didn't see that coming. I had my own theories but I was wrong. Hate to admit it... I was.
4.5 stars from me
(Just because I would have liked to see more of Cole- No spoilers just would have liked to have seen more of him.)
Thank you to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the early reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
**Posting on FB and my IG page today! Posted my review on Goodreads as well. 7/21/2020 **
I read a ton of thrillers and mysteries and I just couldn’t get into this plot. I appreciate the opportunity to give it some attention and I think it would be a great book for the right reader.
Whoa, this was good. I mean really, really good. All the twists and turns that mystery/thriller readers like. Not to mention that great ending. I love an ending I don't get. Great writing.
My thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
This was the first time I have read anything by this author and I can say her writing style in this book left me speechless which doesn’t happen often. Believe me, you will NOT see the ending coming.
This is a must read ASAP!
Reading this book was quite a ride. It was fast paced with many surprises. The plot was ok but well written. Overall it was very enjoyable.
Many thanks to Crooked Lane Books and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.
Thank you to Netgalley, Crooked Lane Books and Mina Hardy for this advanced reader's copy. I really enjoyed this suspenseful twisty book and will definitely recommend.
3.5 stars. I received this book from netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book was interesting. It had some pretty messed up characters.
Diana undergoes an accident followed by a surgery after which she has no memory of few months before the accident. While she is recovering, she finds out about her husband who is cheating on her with her best friend.
From first chapter itself I developed a disliking towards the characters but the way this story was written made me sympathize with Diana on some level.
After I got over the infidelity part, I started to enjoy the intriguing parts this story had to provide. Although I guessed the culprit behind all the mystery at about halfway through the story, the knowledge of the reason behind it surprised me.
I wanted more parts with Diana and Val because from the starting itself there was hate going on between them. I wanted to read about their good times more but still it was fun.
It was more of a mystery drama kind of story and I really enjoyed it.
What happens when you have amnesia from a car wreck and discover your best friend is sleeping with your husband? And then what happens when it seems like you told her it was ok? This one was good and the ending was a true surprise. There were twists and turns and the amnesia made you want to get to the bottom of what's going on. Val and Diana's backstory is tragic and makes you so sad that their friendship is ending because of love and money. Recommended.
I often tell myself that I am done with ‘I-can’t-remember-anything’ kind of story. But, at the same time, I find memory loss plots fascinating. That’s why I wanted to read 'After All I’ve Done'. But I didn’t really enjoy it.
It started well. But then it got slow and repetitive. The author has tried well to build intrigue through the snapshots of Diana’s past but it’s so infrequent and stretched that, after some time, I stopped caring what actually happened, well, until the last few chapters. Last few chapters are gripping.
The story is predictable yet unpredictable (If it makes sense). The revelation, in the end, is so sick (and somewhat unconvincing).
Overall, I am disappointed.
Oh this book is wild! The book is about a love triangle between Diana, her husband and her best friend Val! And although at the beginning there’s a clear villain in this story, there’s definitely more to it than it meets the eye!
Oh my. Oh my my. I'm enjoying this theme that is (re)surfacing in psychological fiction...the amnesia theme.
Diana has been in a car accident that left her with two broke collarbones and five months worth of missing memories. Dealing with anesthesia amnesia (it's real, I looked it up) - Diana is trying to untangled what she remembers from before and what she is discovering now.
She knows she wanted to leave her husband, but she doesn't remember the scheme she and her best friend plotted to break the pre-nup. And now her best friend isn't talking.
As she uncovers clues to just what is going on, she just gets more confused -- until the moment it all slots together. All the while being well taken care of by her mother-in-law.
I thought I had it figured out, I did not have it figured out. I was a little disappointed by the epilogue only because it didn't work out how I wanted. Otherwise - a wild ride!!
Actual stars: 4.75
Such a wonderful book. From beginning to end I was so intrigued. This puts a complete ending to what a psycho is. The characters and storyline are very strong and I absolutely love that about a book. The storyline was so unpredictable and I just couldn’t put the book down! 5 stars!!
Thanks to NetGalley, publisher and author, for allowing me to have a free copy of this book to read and review. This story started great and interesting. As I continue to read, it became a little slow. I did not connect with any of the characters. It was a little hard to continue reading, I just wasn't interested.
wow a great book The characters were marvelous.....I was hooked right from the start.....The plot twist at the end was wow.....The book had lots of twists and turns to it......
What if you lost your memory of the last year due to a car accident? Step by step we find out what happened .....
great book would read this author again .....