Member Reviews
This is going to be a quick hitter.
I read this months and months ago. I remember the main storyline and the twists. But what I remember more was guessing the antagonist and twist. Which I was easily able to do in this story. Furthermore, Lowe wrote a novel that was a little too busy. You could tell the author went in with some great intentions but she kind of over did it.
I remember the story being interesting enough to keep my attention easily. Also, I enjoyed the angle of the unreliable narrator.
Overall, this was an average thriller. It had some good and fun elements. But I doubt it is going to be one readers remember in 2021.
I requested this book mostly because of the fabulous cover. The fact that it was a terrific story was a bonus! Enthralling and atmospheric I had to stop reading a couple times because I was feeling a bit creeped out. Well written and I just couldn't put it down (except when I got creeped out) Thank you so much!
I was a big fan of Katie Lowe's previous book, The Furies, but unfortunately this book fell a little short. Following a woman whose husband was mysteriously murdered (while she was in the house), but who supposedly can't remember anything, Hannah is the epitome of an unreliable narrator. Although she and her preteen daughter have moved on, along with her new husband, the past comes back to haunt her when a crime podcast begins a series on her husband's murder. There are lots of flashbacks of the aftermath of her first husband's murder, as well as glimpses of what their lives were like together. You never really know what Hannah is really thinking, and of course whether or not she murdered her husband. I generally like unreliable narrators in thrillers, but in this case, I felt like Hannah's narration just made everything more confusing. The mystery itself was really interesting, as well as the details about Hannah's grandmother who was institutionalized, but unfortunately I couldn't get past Hannah's confusing narration. 2/5 stars
This was quite the story. I cannot stop thinking about it. So much happened. As it went on you could not tell if the narrator was reliable or not. Half way thru more info came to light which changed your perspective. Reveals at the end left me speechless. I really think I need to re read this. It seemed a little slow in the beginning but the payoff was so worth it.
Another book in the Sadie/true crime podcast story within a story vein and the one I've liked the least. It is literally just fine. There was a lot in the book that didn't need to be in there and it felt muddled. Free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
Unfortunately, this wasn't one of my favourites. I found it a little too busy, with the story line jumping from place to place. I didn't love the jumping around of time frame, it didn't flow super well. I found the mystery surrounding Hannah's husband's death intriguing but it didn't grip me as much as I would have hoped. Hannah was endearing at times and then frustrating at others and I didn't really connect well with her. I feel like this story had great potential but didn't quite meet it!
Ten years ago, Hannah’s husband, Graham, was murdered, but she can’t remember what happened. Someone else was convicted for the murder, and it’s considered a burglary gone wrong.
Present day, Hannah and her daughter have moved on and have a new life. When a true crime podcast called Conviction, decides they think the person convicted for Graham’s murder is innocent, they will stop at nothing to prove Hannah is the one guilty of murdering her husband.
True crime podcast mysteries seem to be all the rage lately. I thought this one had great potential, but sadly it just didn’t work for me. The story moves from present day to many different timelines which I found rather confusing. There were a lot of plot holes and unanswered questions that maybe weren’t pertinent to the ending, but still should have been answered for the story to make complete sense.
Hannah is an unreliable narrator, and I honestly had no clue if she killed her husband or not. This book is definitely a slow burn, but I kept pushing through the first 60% because I really needed to know who murdered Graham. There are definitely some twists and turns throughout the last few chapters that I did not see coming.
Throughout the story, there are a lot of minor characters to keep track of, but these characters may actually be more important to the storyline than you’d think so I recommend you keep that in mind when reading this.
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.
This book stayed highly confusing. The storyline was interesting but the timeline kept bouncing around to explain what was happening in the past and present and there were too many plotlines to keep track of.
This had the potentital to be a great book but wasnt as entertaining to read as i thought. It started of strong with hannah finding her husband dead. She has a bad time remembering anything. Did she kill her husband did she not? 10 years later a podcast named convition is bringing up her husband case and is determined to prove that she had something to do to it . Sadly throughout the whole story nothing really exciting happens and by the time it did i was not invested any more to care.
Hannah's husband was brutally murdered ten years ago while she and her daughter were home with him. Apparently traumatized and suffering from sort of PTSD, Hannah has blocked most of the memories from that evening and has never been able to recover them. When the police presented a likely scenario implicating Mike, Hannah jumped on it and Mike was found guilty of murder.
Now, a decade later, Anna Byers has decided to take on Mike's case to prove his innocence as part of her famous podcast 'Conviction.' In so freeing Mike, Anna has convinced the world, and even Hannah, that Hannah murdered her husband in cold blood and walked away free and clear.
As the podcast gains traction, Hannah's life is turned upside down. Threats come at her constantly, her house is vandalized and broken into, and slowly but surely, Hannah's grip on reality seems to loosen.
Told from Hannah's perspective but at various time points over twenty years or so, we learn of Hannah's past, her relationship with her first husband, her problems with maintaining a grip on reality, and several side stories that ultimately weave together a robust and complex storyline.
The novel includes many separate but related plot lines with Hannah's history including family, friends, work, and relationships. At times, the side stories felt a bit too much for the overall plot but Lowe tied everything together really well and in some unexpected ways. I found some aspects of the story more predictable than others and there were a couple loose ends left that didn't impact the outcome, but all in all found the story entertaining, twisty, and engaging.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of this novel.
***Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Expected release date February 9, 2021..***
2.5 – 3 stars
I'm kind of conflicted on this book. The storyline was interesting (a woman’s husband has been found murdered, and she doesn’t have any memory of what may have happened). The timeline kept bouncing around to explain what was happening in the past AND present but was still confusing to me. Also, to me, there were too many plotlines to keep track of.
Hannah has had it rough. Ten years ago, her seemingly loving husband was murdered and Hannah doesn't remember anything about that fateful night. What does Hannah do next? She packed up her life (and daughter) and left her old life behind.
Her world is thrown for a loop when Conviction, a popular podcast chooses her story to investigate. The host says that the man charged as guilty is not- and that they need to take a closer look at Hannah. As the podcast picks up, Hannah's life begins to spiral out of control- and everything she knows and loves is compromised. Is Hannah as innocent as she looks or is there more to the story?
The twists and turns in this one kept me on my toes and lead perfectly to the way of a sequel. I truly enjoyed this one!
I read The Furies by Katie Lowe and really enjoyed its Craft vibes, so when I saw she had a new book coming out, I immediately knew I was going to read it. And then I read the synopsis and became even more excited… if that was possible.
I was blown away by how Lowe kept me guessing until the end. Even when I (thought I) knew what was going on, the story would shift and then shift again. I was constantly questioning if Hannah was crazy, pretending, being gaslighted, possessed, or something else. As the story progressed things became more muddied, but I felt it went along perfectly with the storyline and had the reader questioning not only what was going on, but what was going on with Hannah.
People often put in their reviews that they couldn’t put the book down, and I really couldn’t with this one. I had things to do, but would finish a chore quickly so I could get back to reading. I know this is a shorter review that didn’t tell much, but it’s because I don’t want to give anything away and I want you to finish reading so you can start reading Possession by Katie Lowe.
Possession did not disappoint! I was honestly thrilled when I got approved for this one. This is a good psychological thriller that makes you wonder if you can even trust yourself. The only thing that I wish was different is that Hannah didn’t forget things through both traumatic experiences. I get that it doesn’t work that way but I do wish she would’ve remembered one traumatic incident or the other. However I still really enjoyed the book and I thought the ending was perfect!
I enjoyed this twisty psychological thriller and finished it on one day over vacation! There were some twists that I didn't see coming.
Very good at keeping you on your toes with who did what and if the main character was losing her mind or not. I enjoyed the back and forth between past and present and how that was super as an element to persuade you one way or another. I had some issues with the ending, it left me personally a little confused and unsure of why certain elements were necessarily needed (Hawkwood House, her grandmother, etc) or why they weren't even more intertwined with the character.
This book was just ok. It didn’t really blow my mind like I had hoped it would. But it has some real potential.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own
3.5 stars
Whew! This was not an enjoyable book... and before you get mad, let me explain ;). I'm not saying it wasn't enjoyable because it was a bad book and that I hated it. No, not at all. In fact, I liked the story and I'm glad I read this book. I felt immersed and engaged to what was going on and the podcast kept me on edge. I wanted to find out how the book was going to end even if I was dreading it in a way because I felt like Hannah, our main (and unreliable) character was not going to end well... Obviously, I'm not going to spoil it for you so you'll have to read it to find out if that's true or not.
Anyway, what I meant to say is that I didn't technically "enjoy" reading this book because I pretty much hated or distrusted everyone in it and some things were beyond frustrating to me like my reading pace that was slow but that's just a me problem.
In Possession, you'll meet Hannah, a widow who ten years ago watched her husband Graham dead in their bed. Someone had stabbed him with a knife but we're not sure as a reader if Hannah really did it or not. She thinks she did it even though her recollection of that night are fuzzy to say the least. She seemed mentally ill as ten years later she hears voices and acts more and more unstable. When a podcast decides to talk about it in their new episodes, everyone believes that the man who got sent to prison for the murder of Graham is actually innocent. Death threats are going to be Hannah's everyday life and as time went on, the book makes you understand Hannah and I couldn't help but be in her corner in the end even if she wasn't perfect.
Overall, I can't describe this book as enjoyable but it was an interesting and entertaining Mystery/Thriller that kept my attention even though I disliked many characters. I wish I could have read it a bit faster as it would have made the experience a little less frustrating for me.
(Thank you for letting me read and review an ARC via Netgalley)
Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book. I'll be posting my review on Goodreads and Amazon
I love true crime and podcasts so I was really excited for this book! It is such an interesting and intense story. So many storylines to follow, which was a bit confusing at times. But I liked that the focus was spread across multiple viewpoints.