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Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Release Date: July 18th, 2017
336 Pages
Synopsis: Cass is having a hard time since the night she saw the car in the woods, on the winding rural road, in the middle of a downpour, with the woman sitting inside–the woman who was killed. She’s been trying to put the crime out of her mind; what could she have done, really? It’s a dangerous road to be on in the middle of a storm. Her husband would be furious if he knew she’d broken her promise not to take that shortcut home. And she probably would only have been hurt herself if she’d stopped.
But since then, every little thing: where she left the car, if she took her pills, the alarm code, why she ordered a pram when she doesn’t have a baby.
The only thing she can’t forget is that woman, the woman she might have saved, and the terrible nagging guilt.
Or, the silent calls she’s receiving, or the feeling that someone’s watching her…
B. A. Paris has already gained a worldwide following with last year’s Behind Closed Doors. I still haven’t gotten around to reading that, but I read so many rave reviews about it, that when Breakdown appeared on NetGalley I didn’t think twice about requesting it. While I didn’t dislike it, there was something missing for me.
I liked the main character, Cass, very much. She’s a woman who is tormented by a split second decision that she made, one that many of us would have the same problem with. Adding to that, is her worrying over her memory lapses and the possibility that she may be developing early-onset dementia as her mother did. For the first half of the book, While I completely emphasized with what she was going through, I grew impatient at times with her naïveté and gullibility. There are so many repetitive scenes showing Cass feeling guilty, or afraid that she’s going to be the murderer’s next victim, at one point I thought “Oh get on with it already!” And of course felt guilty myself immediately after.
The other main issue was that the entire storyline seemed to rest solely on the mystery of who the murderer was, and was he/she really stalking Cass, or was this all in her head. I think it was about three or four chapters in that I already figured out what was really going on. The list of rather bland, two-dimensional suspects was quite short, so it was not only fairly easy to guess who the villain was, but also what their motivations were. As I plodded through the pages, I kept hoping that there was going to be some shocking twist at the end which would prove me wrong, but except for a couple of small surprises, this didn’t happen.
The ending I felt was too abrupt, although in the last few chapters I did appreciate Cass changing from a self-doubting damsel in distress, to revenge/justice seeking, force to be reckoned with.
In the end, I confess, that after all the hype I was a little disappointed with The Breakdown. However, with its sympathetic heroine and the realistic plot that had me thinking a few times “Hmm. What would I do in that situation?” I would try another book by this author. And once again, I’m in the minority in regards to my opinion. The vast majority of reviews I’ve read on Goodreads have been positive. My blogging buddy Carrie at https://carriesbookreviews.wordpress.com absolutely loved this and has written a wonderful review if you’d like to check it out.
Yes that change in Cass was brilliant in the book. Nice review! ☺
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Thank you! I really enjoyed seeing her get some of her own back!
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Hmm, 3.5 is not that good from you, judging from experience. In this case, it might even be a little generous.
Best wishes, Pete.
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I actually went back and forth between 3.0 and 3.5 Stars Pete. I really did feel for Cass though, and I’m still wondering if this is a case of “It’s me, not you.”
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Great review. On another note, I nominated you for the Liebster Award. Here’s the link https://travelingacrosspages.wordpress.com/2017/07/14/the-liebster-award/
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Thank you so much!💁🏻
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Thanks for the shout out Kim, sorry this one wasn’t better for you. I have to admit my grandmother had dementia so I am a sucker for a books that involve it. I became attached to Cass fairly quickly but I did think it was a bit too easy to work out.
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You’re very welcome Carrie! This is one of those very rare times where we didn’t see eye to eye about a book. I’m actually feeling so guilty for not liking this more.😔
And I’m so sorry to hear about your grandmother. Alzheimer’s and dementia are truly hideous.😪
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Thank you! Yes it was horrible to go through but in the end I felt better knowing she was finally at rest. The disease is so tough on everyone involved that I get so emotionally caught up in stories where the character is dealing with it or has someone dealing with it. I wouldn’t feel guilty though, sometimes they just aren’t the same fit due to personal reasons such as I probably was a bit more invested.
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I understand Carrie. My dad died from a brain tumor which robbed him of all his memories and intellect. He suffered for 6 mos. and it was horrible.😪
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I’m sorry, that sounds very similar to dealing with dementia in an even faster rate. 😦 We still had my grandma around for years after she was diagnosed but the longer it goes on the harder it gets as they slowing forget even things like eating eventually. 😦
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I can’t even imagine Carrie. With my Dad it was over in six months, which was the only blessing about the whole thing. It was horrible watching my best friend, the man who taught me to read and shared his love of books with me, lose everything that made him, well, him.
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Strange that you had that with your dad and that was my grandma for me. I told the story on my “about me” page that she taught me to write my name at 3 so I could have my own library card. She worked for the school system here her whole life so she was teaching me to read and write before I ever started at school and her love was the library so I went with her every trip to pick my own while she checked out hers.
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Mystery is such a tough genre. I t really has to have something special about it to make it stand out amongst the crowd. Otherwise they do usually end up in the three star zone for me. Wonderful review, Kim! ❤
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Thanks Krysti! Maybe I just built up my expectations too high because even though this is only her second book, there’s so much hype surrounding her. If I can find time, I’m going to read her previous book, Behind Closed Doors.
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That’s definitely a thing. I feel like I read books with a lot of hype more critically than other books, which really isn’t fair. I just have higher expectations of them going in. I hope you get to read that one soon!
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Thanks Krysti!😊
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I love mysteries. Gah I really miss my personal library. I had so many favorite mystery books and authors trying to remember them all so I can re-read them is frustrating >_<
But I am in the middle of a series now. the Harper Connelly Series by Charlaine Harris. I am going to be on the third one.
I have to agree with Krysti, a mystery has to be special to make a person read it and to be blown away by the who dunnit! 🙂
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Ooh! I haven’t gotten around to that series yet, but I do like Charlaine Harris. And as far as mysteries go, I absolutely agree with both of you. The most enjoyable mysteries for me are the ones that keep me guessing right up until the end.😊
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I loved her Sookie Stackhouse series and was so excited when they were making it into a tv show. But the show sucked because they didnt stick to the books. However Alexander skaarsgaard played Eric Northman very well! After I found out about Bill Compton, well lets just say I hard time cheering for him at all. That son of a bitch! grr. lol
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I’ve only watched the first two seasons of True Blood, b it I thought the show was just “meh”, although I did like the cast. Isn’t it horrible about Nelsan Ellis? 😢
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Sounds like a competent but mixed mystery. Does that sound right?
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In a nutshell Vinnie. From all the rave reviews surrounding this author I was just expecting more.😒
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Expectations can be tricky things. Sometimes they are warranted by the end product, and other times they become a let down.
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So true.
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I always do my best to form my own opinions on things, but sometimes it can be difficult to ignore the consensus around something.
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Ah I do find it annoying when the mystery is just too easily sold and it’s a shame that the ending was so abrupt- pity that you were a little disappointed in this one!
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Sigh. I think part of my disappointment came about because of all the hype. I really need to stop setting the bar so high!
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Ahh that’s fair- hype is a killer!!
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😞
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Hmmmm… I’ve really been on the fence on whether or not to read this one! Thanks for the great review. I believe I’ll bump it down the line a few.
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Hi Didi! Just keep in mind that my opinion is definitely in the minority. Have you read her first book, Behind Closed Doors? I just put myself on hold for that at the library.
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I actually downloaded and read the sample for behind closed doors, but am yet to actually read the whole book.. I DID enjoy the sample though, so it kept it’s place on my list 🙄.
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That’s great. I’m looking forward to reading it.😊
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I just finished reading this book last night and I had a similar experience to yours. I was left feeling underwhelmed which was a disappointment especially since BCD was one of my favorite books of 2016. There really wasn’t much going on in this story. I also thought about what I would have done if I was Cass 🙂
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I’m on hold for BCD at the library, and I’m hoping I’ll like it more.😊
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I think you will. Fingers crossed for you 🙂
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I was going to ask whether this one could be read first because I think I have acopy of this but not Behind Closed Doors. But you answered that haha. I can’t help but feel a little less excited now. Your issues are all things I know I would struggle with. I will still give it a read I am sure though. Great review ❤
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Thanks Danielle! More people than not, love this, so just keep that in mind. I would love to know what you think when you read it.🙋
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When (if) I get around to it, I will let you know 😉
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Aww, predictability can be quite the killer indeed. Hopefully Behind Closed Doors will be much, much better than this was! Your points are however very understandable though. Excellent review, Kim! 😀
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Thanks Lashaan!
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I love when books make you think what would I have done in that situation? So yay for that happening, that’s wonderful. But I am sorry that there weren’t any huge, fun plot twists or that certain elements weren’t harder to figure out. Wonderful review, Kim!
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Thanks Jen. I’m on hold right now for her first book so hopefully I’ll like that more.😊
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Fingers crossed!
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I just added Behind Closed Doors to my TBR list, but you know it takes me forever to get to anything lol. You might end up reading it before I do.
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I’m #5 on the list, so it may take me awhile too Adrienne.😒
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