Engaging and immersive. A recommended purchase for collections where lit leaning mysteries are popular.

📚 #BOOKREVIEW 📚
Metropolis by B.A. Shapiro
⭐️⭐️⭐️ / Pages: 366 / Genre: Mystery & Thriller

Although Metropolis is a building full of storage units, a few of the renters actually live in their units. And so we get to meet an odd mix of Metropolis renters and the people who work there. Metropolis becomes somewhat of an escape or haven for some… until the incident occurs.

This was touted as being an Amazon Editors’ Pick for Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense. Really?

Bestselling author Tess Gerritsen says, “Metropolis has all the elements I love in a novel: fascinating characters, a pace that crackles with tension, and a deeper message that will resonate with everyone.” Did we read the same book??

This was a very interesting idea but was overall just OK for me. The characters, the pace, the “deeper message” — meh.

Thank you @NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book.

The Art Forger by this author will always be my favorite. This book is a close second even if the ending made me a little frustrated. The is definitely a worthy read finally by the author. A quick and enjoyable read once I started it.

Recommended book and recommended author.

Thanks to Netgalley, BA Shapiro and Algonquin Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Already available

I'm a longtime fan of B.A. Shapiro, so I was very excited to pick this book up. The very definition of slow burn, this book seeks to weave together the tales of several people who are related to a longterm storage facility. It has a lot of characters to get to know, and backstories for all of them to learn. In the end, I didn't fall in love with any of them, and the very slow burn didn't tie itself in a neat enough bow for me. I'm usually a sucker for books that reveal connections and intertwined lives, but this one fell flat for me. I'm still a fan of B.A. Shapiro, as the writing was just as lovely as ever, but this was a bit of a miss for me in the plot department.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy of this book.

I do not know if I was as gripped by the characters as I initially thought I might be. There was a certain aspect to the characters that was unbelievable, which made for some interesting reading, but I also questioned if they all belonged in the book or if I believed their place in the story the way the writer made me want to think they belonged. I think it was a fascinating view of human behavior that I had not previously read, so the imagination and novelty of the story from that perspective was quite interesting.

This was a solid good read. Taut and emotional with excellent character development and writing. Thank you
to NetGalley and the publisher

Metropolis was a book that I would not have normally read. It was a standout book that I liked a lot. The interconnections of all the characters that come together throughout the book. The ending was well written and would recommend it to anyone that wants a good book to read.

This book tells the story of six individuals who are connected through a large self-storage complex in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The group is diverse, economically, professionally and socially, but all have their own reasons for spending their time in the storage space. The action of the story is centered around an accident that happens in the building's elevator, but the larger theme of community and creation is the driving force of the novel.

To be honest, if I didn't receive an advanced reader's copy from @Netgalley, I probably would have abandoned it because it just wasn't that interesting to me. I wasn't a huge fan of Anxious People and the interweaved storyline, so it's not really my thing. I enjoyed reading about the residents and employees of a storage facility outside of Boston, and the writing was excellent. The characters were multidimensional, and the hints given throughout the non-linear flashforward, neither destroyed the tension nor were more interesting/dangerous than the "present time" narrative's progression. Nevertheless, the multiple plotlines - Liddy and her tyrannical husband, Marta and her immigration and research, Jason and his practice, Serge and his photographs, Rose and her family, and Zach and the repercussions and discoveries - while forming a loose partnership and intersect in service to the story, never became a tight braid for me, only a loose weave that, while enjoyable and interesting, was not compelling.

Another fun read by the prolific BA Shapiro. I loved the plot and the characters, and couldn't wait to find out what happens.

An array of people with different backgrounds, different problems, and really nothing in common other than the Metropolis Storage Warehouse. Interesting premise that started out very intriguingly but became rather farfetched.

I was so excited to be offered this book to read and review. I have several of B.A. Shapiro's books on my want to read/TBR, and this one sounded like it was the perfect starting place for me, a book that peeks into the lives of several unusual people to satisfy my inner voyeur, plus a murder mystery, and I will tell you that this book didn't disappoint. All of the characters were finely drawn, but I found myself drawn to Marta and Serge more than the others. I really cared about Marta's legal issues with immigration and was genuinely distressed when the situation appeared bleak. Serge, in my opinion, was the most compelling character. This mentally ill man and his photographic genius somehow managed to slip through the cracks. If I could change anything about this book it would be to broaden his story and his ending. I was left wanting to know so much more about him. Serge's story could be an entire book by itself (hint, hint!).
Overall, this was a very satisfying reading experience and I many thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity.

Metropolis is a really unique approach to a suspense filled novel. I have enjoyed B.A. Shapiro's previous novels that typically have some connection to the art world, and Metropolis is very different yet also gives a nod to the photography art world.

All the characters are connected in some way through the storage facility known as Metropolis. The reader knows from the beginning that something has occurred to cause the storage facility to close, with some of the tenants leaving everything in their units behind. As each chapter unfolds, we learn more about the various tenants in the building, why they were renting space there and what their connection is to each other. I really enjoyed the diverse cast of characters and how they were each so well developed and unique. You could find some relatable quality to almost everyone and were drawn into their stories. I felt the story was well paced and intriguing, unlike anything I've read.

Metropolis would make an interesting book club discussion book and also would be an excellent summer beach read. I received this book courtesy of the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

LOVED. This one is billed kind of as a thriller, kind of as a mystery, but is really more of a character study on people and their lives surrounding this storage building. I really loved most of these characters and enjoyed seeing how it all came together in the end. Some really nice representation too.

This is the third BA Shapiro book I have read. While I loved the Art Forger, I thought this was just okay. While I loved the premise and setting of the story, I couldn't really connect with any of the characters and I found it a bit too slow moving for me. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

Thankx to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

I found the premise of this book interesting. When I began reading, I found myself mesmerized. The characters were so compelling, I couldn't wait to see what would occur next. Their stories entwined seamlessly.

I highly recommend this novel.

Thanks to NetGalley and Algonquin for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I was fascinated by this story set in Cambridge, MA, which follows six people whose lives intersect at the Metropolis Storage Warehouse. The book begins with someone falling down the warehouse's elevator shaft, and then goes back to recount the months prior to the accident - or was it an accident?
The great characters and intriguing suspense had me enthralled. As a Boston area resident, I particularly loved the Boston and Cambridge references - Serge, a photographer living/developing pictures in his storage unit, washes dishes at Brick and Mortar, which is the best cocktail bar in Cambridge, in my opinion. Marta, finishing her dissertation at Tufts, runs the Esplanade whenever the weather cooperates while she avoids ICE. Rose commutes from Revere on the blue line, frustrated it doesn't connect directly to the red line. Liddy, a middle aged upper class mother, rents a storage unit which she visits often, storing her children's furniture that her husband wanted to trash when they moved to a 50th floor condo at Millennium Tower from their house in Weston. Jason, a lawyer, uses his storage area as his office (and to avoid his family in JP). Zach owns the building, but he isn't aware of much that happens there. There is a particular building near MIT where I visualized this story playing out.
While not fast paced, this character drama was one I could set down for a few weeks and pick right back up remembering everything that had happened. I recommend it, especially if you know the Boston/Cambridge area!

I really didn't care for this. I had no emotional connection with any of the characters.

Six people from different backgrounds, all with secrets. Their connection? The Metropolis Storage Warehouse in Cambridge, Massachusetts. They privately live and work in the storage facility. But that privacy is shattered when someone falls down an elevator shaft in the facility. Shapiro expertly develops each character’s storyline and slowly weaves them together.

4.5 rounded up

If you loved Anxious People, this book is for you. A tale of different tenants inside Metropolis Storage in Boston, whose lives all interconnect. This is my first time reading a book by this author and I enjoyed her writing style. It takes a massive amount of talent to write a book with an ensemble cast (coming up with that many characters and then fitting them all together in nuanced ways must be extremely challenging) and it was done flawlessly. The methodical pace of the book worked because as soon as the plot really started to take shape, the intensity did as well. This is a book you have to be patient with, but all psychological suspense novels should be written this way. If you're more a fan of a shocking twist at the end of every chapter, then this is not your book.

Many thanks to Algonquin Books for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

Review Date: 06/05/2022
Publication Date: 05/17/2022

The cover and premise of this book were intriguing. The novel takes place in a storage unit facility where diverse characters come together in surprising ways. I would recommend this book for those who enjoy novels with interesting characters and not a lot of tension. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!