Holy twisty, and unreliable narrator. This book kept me on the edge of my seat. Usually, I can predict the endings, and the thrillers on this one caught me by surprise. That was one thing. I enjoyed this book.

Adam and Amelia Wright must have a very important reason to travel from London to the Scottish Highlands during a blinding snowstorm. They must reach an isolated chapel turned inn where they will stay this weekend.
Well they do! Their marriage of ten years is in trouble - deep deep trouble. This weekend will be an all out attempt to save their relationship.
When the Wrights and Bob, their much beloved black Lab, arrive at the chapel turned inn where they will stay, they find an unlit, locked building shrouded in heavy wet snow. When they are finally able to enter, they find the electricity doesn't work, there is no heat and the only food to eat is frozen.
Slowly they adjust to their surroundings and begin the exploration of their life together. However things keep happening and they are not good things,
The story is told in alternating chapters - one from Adam, next from Amelia and next from Robin, who is a woman living in a small cottage behind the chapel.
More details will only ruin the enjoyment the readers will experience as the story unfolds. This is a well crafted domestic thriller. The characters are well developed individuals full of secrets and problems. The depth of character development call lull you into the smugness of "I know what is going to happen next" only to be shown how wrong you are.
#NetGalley #RockPaperScissors

This was such an atmospheric story, and I loved it!

It was fast paced and gripped me right from the beginning, with plenty of spook factor that made me put my nighttime reading of this on hold until daylight.

I loved the alternating POVS, between Amelia and Adam, and another character named Robin. The audiobook was fantastic, and I felt like it expressed the isolated cold and snowy setting perfectly.

*many thanks to Flatiron and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

Review posted to blog: books-are-a-girls-best-friend.com

Twisted, Wicked & Wholly Unreliable.

Leave it to Alice Feeney to keep me on my toes!

Ah, Marriage! Just the thought of it gives me those warm fuzzy feelings. Kidding, not Kidding! (Baawaaah!!)

Adam and Amelia Wright are going away for a little romantic weekend to a cottage in Scotland. Amelia thinks it’s necessary to rebuild their relationship. Workaholic Adam doesn’t exactly agree.

Little do they know, this weekend away will do them more harm than good.

For each year of marriage, traditional gifts have been exchanged. You know the drill….paper, cotton…etc. Adam’s wife always writes a note divulging a little secret, that she has never given him, till now. When she does, everything comes crashing down… and then some.

Alice Feeney is the master of twisty turny lies and deceit and she sure fooled me. Having read all of her books to date, this was my second favorite of hers after Sometimes I Lie.

A buddy listen/read with Kaceey that kept us both glued to our earbuds.

Thank you to Macmillan Publishers/Flatiron Books for the arc via NetGalley.

Published on Goodreads and Twitter.

Favorite Quotes:

… sometimes the dust of our memories is best left unswept.

I immediately regret saying it, but words don’t come with gift receipts and you can’t take them back.

Getting married costs a pretty penny, and pennies are prettiest when you don’t have many of them.

It smells as though we are in a chapel now. That musty scent of old Bibles and blind faith.

Trust can’t be borrowed, if you take it away you can’t give it back.

Don’t housekeepers clean things? From what I saw through the window, she doesn’t look like she knows how to use a feather duster. She may have a broom… for flying around at night—

Dreams are like dresses in a shop window; they look pretty, but sometimes don’t fit when you try them on.

She had a face like a carp and it was as red as her apron. Her beady eyes glared and she barked the word “what” at him with venomlike spit. She was clearly a woman who was good at making people feel bad. Sam resisted the urge to offer his condolences for Patty’s sister, who he was sure had been murdered by a girl called Dorothy near a yellow brick road.

My Review:

This was a brilliantly plotted and shrewdly paced and captivating tale that kept me tethered to my Kindle. I didn’t see this ending coming at all. The writing was cleverly observant and witty, wryly humorous while chillingly cunning, easy to fall into yet tense and prickly, and featured multiple POVs of people who intrigued me but weren’t all that likable most of the time. I fell right into the author’s trap and was totally bamboozled. I had several pages of favorite quotes and highlights.

Alice Feeney is a sly minx - her word voodoo is strong. I was sucked right into her characters' narratives and even though I live in the tropics, I felt the bone-chilling and teeth-rattling temperatures of the unheated stone buildings in the Scottish Highlands. It was tense and gripping with impending peril right around the corner, yet the observant humor was snarky and smirk-worthy witty on the way there. I'm greedy for all her clever arrangements of words and have just added her entire listing to my TBR.

4.5 stars rounded up!
I absolutely love Alice Feeny and her story building. She had this ability to layer characters, atmosphere, twists, until you’re so invested.

Mr. & Mrs. Wright are headed to a small Scottish hamlet for a weekend away. You see, their marriage is at its breaking point, this is their last chance to save it.
Adam Wright is a self professed workaholic screenwriter, and suffers from face blindness. He doesn’t recognize a soul.
Amelia Wright feels herself like the marriage is over but she’s going to give it one last shot. So when she wins a trip at work she thinks it’s perfect.
When they drive up to a converted chapel, in an abandoned town, no one wants to stay. But they’re snowed in and need to make the best of it.

The book is told in part, in a series of letters Mrs. Wright writes to her husband every year on their anniversary, not to give to her husband, just to write.

Weird things start happening in the chapel and the Wright’s who already don’t trust each each other start planning their escape. But someone doesn’t want them to leave. Someone planned their trip and everything that comes with it.

I was definitely surprised by the twists as I always am, but I would call this one a bit of a slow burn mystery.

I received a free ARC of Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney from Macmillan in exchange for an honest review.

Rock. Paper. Scissors.

It may have taken me forever and I may have been jonesing for a fantasy, but for once that does not reflect my feelings on this book because I LOVED IT.

Period.

I think #AliceFeeney is one of my favorite thriller authors. I loved His & Hers and I loved this one.

A twist was revealed at the end and I had to backtrack to make sure I read it right 😂 Maybe it’s cause I haven’t read a #thriller in a while, but man my mind was blown 😂

It’s a completely twisted psychological thriller. And I definitely think the husband is a little 👀

You’ll get that when you read it. Which means you should read it. Cause AHHHH-maxing things happen.

Plus I really want to visit Scotland now. But maybe not a deserted church. Or was it? 😏

Alice Feeney is an author who I can never resist. Her books can always be hit or miss with me, but this one was almost a hit for me! I really liked how few characters there were in this book. It alternated between Amelia, her husband Adam, and the letters she wrote him for years. I was really expecting to be sucked in to this unique story but around the 100 page point it really started to drag. It did pick up with some great twists towards the end, but I couldn’t give it five stars for that reason. Although this wasn’t my favorite by Feeney, you can be sure I’ll be reading her next one still!

I listened to Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney over the holiday weekend, and am finding it difficult to formulate my final thoughts. I keep going back and forth with my rating, as my feelings are still a little scattered. I was loving this book until the twist was revealed. Don’t get me wrong, the twist was good, but just not great. (In my opinion.) Sure, it caught me off guard, and I had to rewind the audiobook to make sure that I heard the narrator correctly; but it didn’t make my jaw drop, gasp out loud, or anything like that. I just nodded my head, shrugged my shoulders, and kept listening. The author’s last book, His & Hers wowed me like no thriller has before, so my expectations were very high. I wanted my socks to be shocked right off my feet, but was left underwhelmed, unfortunately. So, other than feeling a bit disappointed by the twist, here are a few things that I did love:
- phenomenal narration
- complex and sketchy characters
- creepy, spooky, atmospheric vibes
- snowy setting with an abandoned chapel
- multiple perspectives and timeframes
With all of that said, I’m still not 100% sure on my rating. I’m feeling moody AF today, so let’s just pencil in 3.5/5 stars for now.

Wow, This one was amazing! It took me a minute to figure out what was going on with the letters, but once I understood, I felt like it really added to the story- and the final twist at the end is definitely one I didn’t see coming.

This author seems to have a niche - writing unlikable characters. That alone isn't necessarily a bad thing, I don't need to like everyone to like a book. And while I was thoroughly entertained with this story, I just didn't seem to love it.

Amelia and Adam are in a rocky spot in their marriage. Amelia received a free weekend away in a remove cabin and leaps at the chance to work on their relationship. Intermixed are letters from a wife to her husband cataloging each year together and giving details to their struggles.

The mystery is a good one. It took me chapter after chapter to really start piecing together any answers. I loved the eerie feel of the countryside, the spooky house and the whispers. Solid read, I did enjoy it, just didn't love it.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Atmospheric, compelling, haunting, TWISTY!

Razor-sharp, Alice Feeney's ROCK PAPER SCISSORS is brilliantly crafted. Amelia Wright wins a random weekend trip to the Scottish Highlands. In a last-ditch effort a getaway with hubby, Adam for their anniversary. Neither really likes one another.

Ten years of marriage. Ten years of secrets. Let me say, these SECRETS are HUGE and how the characters connect is mindblowing! The author has outdone herself.

It is cold and snowy and they are in the middle of the rural mountains. When they arrive, it is actually an old church called Blackwater Chapel. Things are not as nice of course as they expect and very gothic and creepy.

Adam is a screenwriter and has "face-blindness" (prosopagnosia) a condition he has had most of his life. Amelia works at Battersea Dogs Home. She prefers the company of animals over humans.

The two do not have a lot in common and try to make the best out of the situation. The weather is too bad to turn around and leave. The trip will end their marriage, but how will it end?

"Marriages don't fail, People do."

Every anniversary the couple exchange traditional gifts—paper, copper, tin with a little game of rock paper scissors. Each year the wife writes her husband a letter that she never lets him read.

Until NOW!

There is another force at work. There is a woman, Robin at the cottage nearby and things get weird. The dog goes missing and a series of unexplained eerie events occur. There is a rabbit. Everything is creepy, dark, and clever with a supernatural vibe! Combined with the snowstorm in the Highlands, all elements set the stage and will keep readers glued to the pages to determine how this will end.

There is also another character, Sam. (He likes Stephen King and Agatha Christie books and always wanted to be a PI) with yet another final twist.

Amelia and Adam both have dark secrets from the past. An envelope will ask the important question. How well do you really know your wife?

Three choices: Rock, paper, or scissors.

Trust me, you will not see this twist coming! Highly entertaining. OMG! I devoured this book. I read an advanced reading copy and just realized I did not circle back to finish my review.

Alice Feeney once again delivers a top-notch thriller and cannot wait to see this on the widescreen!! SOON TO BE A MAJOR TV SERIES FROM NETFLIX . Top Books of 2021.

“I received a free ARC of Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney from Macmillan in exchange for an honest review.”

I also purchased the audiobook narrated by Richard Armitage and Stephanie Racine for an award-winning performance.

Blog Review:
@JudithDCollins
#JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Top Books of 2021

I really wanted to enjoy this book. It personally just felt very boring to me. I kept waiting for something suspenseful to happen, and I just never felt that. I probably should have not finished, but I thought with all the great reviews, that something would've happened. Unfortunately this one didn't work for me!


Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own!

An atmospheric, dark & twisty thriller!⁣
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Alice Feeney does it again! I loved 𝘏𝘪𝘴 & 𝘏𝘦𝘳𝘴 and now I can add 𝐑𝐨𝐜𝐤, 𝐏𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐫, 𝐒𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐬 to that list. Feeney is a queen at writing addictive psychological thrillers. The audio for this one was fantastic. It was well performed and had me glued to the book. ⁣
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This book has multiple POVs (𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴 - 𝘺𝘢𝘺!), past & resent timelines, a creepy setting (𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘣𝘯𝘣 𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘩 𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘴𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘮? 𝘠𝘦𝘢𝘩, 𝘮𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘧𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘱 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬!) and some great twists that don’t disappoint. ⁣
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I loved the anniversary letters (I’m a sucker for that sort of thing) which added to the overall plot. Plus, I was on edge throughout the entire book - not knowing who to trust! I love that feeling when I’m reading a thriller. If you enjoy books with creepy settings - I highly recommend 𝐑𝐨𝐜𝐤, 𝐏𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐫, 𝐒𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐬!

I've only read one other Feeney book, His and Hers, and was pretty underwhelmed by it. I decided to give her another go and boy am I glad I did! You should always give an author another try if you didn't love the first book you read by them (Stuart Turton is another author whom I loved the second book I read!) I was hooked from the beginning of this book and read it in basically one sitting. I couldn't put it down. I was so invested in it, I needed all of the answers as soon as possible!! And I got them, whew! What a whirlwind! The storytelling was fabulous, the unreliability was fabulous, my guesses were incorrect and I LOVED THAT and I was HOLY SHITting out loud, often, just ask my partner. I was spewing twists and reveals and he had no idea what I was talking about but I was enthusiastic about it! Brilliant read! Glad I gave her a second chance!

This book was really good! I definitely did not expect that ending. Yes you need to suspend some belief, but its worth it. Highly recommend picking this up!

Adam and Amelia Wright win a weekend away to Scotland--and this romantic getaway might be the only thing to save their rocky marriage. Screenwriter Adam spends most of his time working, much to the frustration of Amelia. Adam also suffers from prosopagnosia, or face-blindness, and sometimes Amelia wonders if he'd even recognize his own wife in a crowd. They know this weekend could make a huge difference in their marriage, but what they don't know: they didn't win this trip. And someone really doesn't want them to save their marriage.

"We both know this weekend away is a last chance to fix things. Or at least to try. He hasn't forgotten that."

This was a really fun thriller, honestly! Just one of those creepy and mysterious reads that kept me guessing most of the entire time. It's told from the point of view of both Adam and Amelia and interspersed with Amelia's letters that she writes to Adam each year on their anniversary (but does not let him read). We also have a third point of view, from a mysterious other character. How does everyone fit together? Enjoy trying to figure it out!

"My husband doesn't cheat on me with other women, or men, he has love affairs with their words."

Everyone is keeping secrets in this mystery, leading to a wild ride. The setting is amazing, a cold, dark, and snowy atmospheric Scotland that serves as another character in our twisty thriller. Every thing seems ominous and foreboding, as Adam and Amelia traverse the snowy countryside and mysterious house they are staying in.

Overall, this is a great and thrilling mystery, which keeps you guessing. It's a surprising page-turner, that also delves into the themes of marriage and writing.

Okay wow. Let’s just talk about unreliable narrators and multiple points of view, that you know is just gonna become twisty and dark but I was totally unprepared for some of those twists in the last quarter. I see a lot of talk about how sometimes we get too invested in the narrator and don’t want to believe that they are unreliable in the end but going in to ROCK PAPER SCISSORS we know everyone involved in the story is going to be unreliable and is hiding some sort of dark secret. Feeney does an exceptional job making us believe one thing and then pulling the rug out from under us when we least expect it. I honestly felt this one was quick paced and couldn’t put it down, the chapters are short, and in the details of the story are superbly laid out to keep you on the edge of your seat.

In Rock Paper Scissors, Feeney examines the age-old question, how well do you know the one you love?

After Amelia wins a mystery weekend away at a historic chapel in the Scottish Highlands, she thinks it may be just what she and her husband, Adam, need to spice up their marriage. Amelia feels like they need some time, and distance from his work, to reconnect. Surprisingly, Adam agrees and the two set off. The weather isn't great and rapid snowfall makes the travel difficult.

By the time they, and their sweet dog, Bob, have made the very long journey, everyone is going stir crazy in the car. Arriving at the chapel, they're taken aback by how isolated it is. There's literally nothing around as far as the eye can see. It's at this point, the couple begin to recognize just how peculiar this entire holiday actually is. Who did she win this trip from again?

The lodgings are strange, eerie and ominous. With the weather getting worse, tension among the couple continues to rise. This is definitely not going as they expected. The power source is questionable and at the rate the snow continues to fall, they may not be able to get out even if they wanted to.

Told between alternating perspectives, as well as through annual anniversary letters, the truth of their frightening holiday in the Highlands, as well as their marriage, begins to come to light. Y'all, Feeney dropped the mic on writing a suspenseful Thriller with this one!

I enjoyed this so much. From the very first chapter I was hooked. Feeney's clever plotting and magnificent twists kept me glued to the pages. I had to know the truth; who was lying and why? There was a dark tone glistening just along the surface. I knew it went deeper than what I was getting. The reveals were perfectly paced; what a treat!

This did have quite a few tropes I tend to enjoy, but they came as surprises to me. I don't even think I read the synopsis prior to picking this up. I saw, Alice Feeney, printed on the cover and that was enough.

If you are fan of things such as isolated locations, creepy houses, hidden secrets, marital strife, jaw-dropping plot twists, characters who are authors and people being stranded places, you should absolutely check this one out!!!

Also, I was impressed with the character work. All of the main characters were just so interesting and besides some lightly-sprinkled craziness, were all quite unique.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Flatiron Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I have already bought a finished copy for my shelves.

One of the best Thrillers of the year!!!

3.5 stars

Alice Feeney sure has a knack for writing creative domestic thrillers. Rock Paper Scissors was an interesting read for me because I came up with some important pieces of the puzzle but yet for the life of me could not see the big picture until the author revealed everything. The story held my interest but I'm not enthusiastic about the ending.

Adam and Amelia Wright are basically at a crossroads with their marriage. They won a weekend getaway to Scotland and perhaps this trip will be just what they need to get their love life back on track. But hey, this is a thriller, right? They'll be staying at an old chapel out in the middle of nowhere and of course the weather is questionable. Are you starting to get the feeling romance is not in air for these two and maybe something crazy could happen on this trip?

The chapters alternate between the characters and it was fun really getting into their heads as you got to learn how they truly felt about their spouse. The isolated setting was perfect as it added to the whole uneasy feeling I had while reading this book. I love that feeling of not knowing what could happen next when I read thrillers.

Like I mentioned before, I kinda pieced stuff together on my own but not really. And while I enjoyed the whole "aha" type moment I didn't care for the direction the story took after that point. Hard to get into without giving away spoilers but it just didn't lead to a satisfying conclusion in my opinion. I don't hate it, but I'm pretty far from liking certain aspects of it.

This one might not be my favorite out of the three books I have read by this author, but it's still an above average thriller.