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My Favorite Terrible Thing
The world’s most famous author has vanished. A thrilling hunt of mind games and twisting suspense begins when a detective sees evidence written into her novel.
Detective Nina Travers is so good at her job that she blends in like a benevolent Tom Ripley. She can be anyone. She can be no one. Nina wants to be someone. Her new case will finally get her noticed.
Bestselling author Claire Ross has disappeared from the Hamptons on her wedding day. How tragic that the author of an epic romance that captured the heart, soul, and imagination of the world should suddenly vanish on the happiest day of her life. Claire’s distraught family and friends, her mystified fiancé, and her zealous online fans all have their theories―from the sinister to the hopeful. Nina’s job is to find the truth, and she’s pursuing an angle that no one else has explored. She’s looking for a trail of clues in Claire’s novel.
Reading between its haunting lines, Nina follows a spiraling path of secret love, obsession, and death. What Nina finds is so shocking even she never saw it coming.
Detective Nina Travers is so good at her job that she blends in like a benevolent Tom Ripley. She can be anyone. She can be no one. Nina wants to be someone. Her new case will finally get her noticed.
Bestselling author Claire Ross has disappeared from the Hamptons on her wedding day. How tragic that the author of an epic romance that captured the heart, soul, and imagination of the world should suddenly vanish on the happiest day of her life. Claire’s distraught family and friends, her mystified fiancé, and her zealous online fans all have their theories―from the sinister to the hopeful. Nina’s job is to find the truth, and she’s pursuing an angle that no one else has explored. She’s looking for a trail of clues in Claire’s novel.
Reading between its haunting lines, Nina follows a spiraling path of secret love, obsession, and death. What Nina finds is so shocking even she never saw it coming.
301 pages, Paperback
First published April 9, 2024
4751 people are currently reading
12107 people want to read
About the author
Madeleine Henry
5 books336 followersMadeleine Henry is the author of five novels, including Name Not Taken and My Favorite Terrible Thing. Her work has featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the New York Post, and Entertainment Weekly. She lives with her husband in New York, where she is at work on her next book. You can find her on Instagram @MadeleineHenryYoga.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 790 reviews
May 4, 2024
2.5 ⭐️ rounded ⬇️
Claire Ross, the bestselling author of the epic love story, “The Starlit Ballet” has disappeared from the Hamptons on her wedding day.
In her book, TWO Soulmates reincarnate over several centuries managing to find one another in each and every lifetime.
So it seems devastating that she would disappear just as she is about to find her own “happily ever after”.
Her mother, Miranda Ross has decided to hire PI Nina Travers to find out what happened to her daughter. Known as an investigator with unusual methods, Nina will follow the “CLUES” that she THINKS she has found, written into the pages of Claire’s novel. (I beg to differ)
She will also follow the posts on Social Media, written by her adoring fans, dubbed “The Starlites”-After all, these fans know Claire BEST, and they are determined to find her…🥱
***
After reading a 5 star review from a GR reviewer who almost always shares my taste, I was excited to see this book offered as an AMAZON FIRST READ selection in April, so I scooped it up!
UNFORTUNATELY, this would be one of the few times that our opinions would differ. 🤣
I never felt tension, and I never felt invested in the outcome, partially because the characters were all a bit weird, and not very likable, and partially because this ended up turning into….something else-NO SPOILERS here.
The execution of the premise didn’t work for me at all.
TW: One character asks another to KILL birds to prove their love- Be Still my beating heart! 💗👎🏻🫤
ONE ⭐️ for an original premise, (hard to find in the suspense category lately) and ONE (and a half) Stars ⭐️ for a TWIST that I didn’t see coming.
But, that is all I could muster up.
This was a buddy read with my friend Susan! Be sure to watch for her insightful review to see if she found it to be any more entertaining than I did!
Claire Ross, the bestselling author of the epic love story, “The Starlit Ballet” has disappeared from the Hamptons on her wedding day.
In her book, TWO Soulmates reincarnate over several centuries managing to find one another in each and every lifetime.
So it seems devastating that she would disappear just as she is about to find her own “happily ever after”.
Her mother, Miranda Ross has decided to hire PI Nina Travers to find out what happened to her daughter. Known as an investigator with unusual methods, Nina will follow the “CLUES” that she THINKS she has found, written into the pages of Claire’s novel. (I beg to differ)
She will also follow the posts on Social Media, written by her adoring fans, dubbed “The Starlites”-After all, these fans know Claire BEST, and they are determined to find her…🥱
***
After reading a 5 star review from a GR reviewer who almost always shares my taste, I was excited to see this book offered as an AMAZON FIRST READ selection in April, so I scooped it up!
UNFORTUNATELY, this would be one of the few times that our opinions would differ. 🤣
I never felt tension, and I never felt invested in the outcome, partially because the characters were all a bit weird, and not very likable, and partially because this ended up turning into….something else-NO SPOILERS here.
The execution of the premise didn’t work for me at all.
TW: One character asks another to KILL birds to prove their love- Be Still my beating heart! 💗👎🏻🫤
ONE ⭐️ for an original premise, (hard to find in the suspense category lately) and ONE (and a half) Stars ⭐️ for a TWIST that I didn’t see coming.
But, that is all I could muster up.
This was a buddy read with my friend Susan! Be sure to watch for her insightful review to see if she found it to be any more entertaining than I did!
April 2, 2024
I almost did not rate it.
I expected quirky detective and interesting case. Interesting writing and well crafted sentences made me want to keep reading despite the time. For me the book derailed around 62%. It became creepy in a mind bending, icky way. For many this will be a great book with surprising twists. For others, it will become uncomfortable and they will wonder why they picked it up.
I expected quirky detective and interesting case. Interesting writing and well crafted sentences made me want to keep reading despite the time. For me the book derailed around 62%. It became creepy in a mind bending, icky way. For many this will be a great book with surprising twists. For others, it will become uncomfortable and they will wonder why they picked it up.
May 15, 2024
Not My Favorite Book
Much Ado About Nothing.
The first few pages held promise as private investigator Nina scopes out an unfaithful husband at her client’s fancy house.
Unfortunately the author switched gears with an abrupt change of direction and snuffed out my enjoyment at 2%.
It was downhill from there as My Favorite Terrible Thing became one of the most boring books I’ve encountered, comprising of blether and little substance.
This was a buddy read with Jayme and while it’s fun to talk about books with a friend, there wasn’t much to discuss until the conclusion when I wondered what this book was trying to be.
It didn’t feel like the thriller it was billed as. The clues were few and buried, the thrill element on mute. It had a dreamlike quality which effectively negated foreboding and caused the sporadic events to feel anti-climatic. I honed my skills ferreting out key plot points as this felt diluted.
If that isn't enough negativity, I also have to add a trigger warning for the deliberate killing of birds.
I can’t name a genre that fits My Favorite Terrible Thing except that It’s Not for Me. Even the title is perplexing and doesn’t seem to relate to the story.
From Kindle Unlimited.
Much Ado About Nothing.
The first few pages held promise as private investigator Nina scopes out an unfaithful husband at her client’s fancy house.
Unfortunately the author switched gears with an abrupt change of direction and snuffed out my enjoyment at 2%.
It was downhill from there as My Favorite Terrible Thing became one of the most boring books I’ve encountered, comprising of blether and little substance.
This was a buddy read with Jayme and while it’s fun to talk about books with a friend, there wasn’t much to discuss until the conclusion when I wondered what this book was trying to be.
It didn’t feel like the thriller it was billed as. The clues were few and buried, the thrill element on mute. It had a dreamlike quality which effectively negated foreboding and caused the sporadic events to feel anti-climatic. I honed my skills ferreting out key plot points as this felt diluted.
If that isn't enough negativity, I also have to add a trigger warning for the deliberate killing of birds.
I can’t name a genre that fits My Favorite Terrible Thing except that It’s Not for Me. Even the title is perplexing and doesn’t seem to relate to the story.
From Kindle Unlimited.
April 3, 2024
4.5 stars
I enjoyed the author’s previous novel, The Love Proof, which was a contemporary fiction read. Switching over to the mystery/thriller realm is not the easiest thing to pull off but she managed to knock it out of the park. It was a clever and crazy ride and I loved every minute of it.
Best selling writer Claire Ross disappeared on her wedding day. The police investigation has stalled so Claire’s mother has hired private detective Nina Travers to take a look at the case.
The plot of Claire’s book is brought up throughout this story and brings this twisted tale some depth. I’m impressed so much of what I liked about The Love Proof was also present in My Favorite Terrible Thing given the drastically different genres.
A page turner with some surprises along the way. It’s currently an Amazon First Reads selection for the month of April and I highly recommend picking it up.
Thank you Madeleine Henry for sending me a free copy! All thoughts expressed are my honest opinion
I enjoyed the author’s previous novel, The Love Proof, which was a contemporary fiction read. Switching over to the mystery/thriller realm is not the easiest thing to pull off but she managed to knock it out of the park. It was a clever and crazy ride and I loved every minute of it.
Best selling writer Claire Ross disappeared on her wedding day. The police investigation has stalled so Claire’s mother has hired private detective Nina Travers to take a look at the case.
The plot of Claire’s book is brought up throughout this story and brings this twisted tale some depth. I’m impressed so much of what I liked about The Love Proof was also present in My Favorite Terrible Thing given the drastically different genres.
A page turner with some surprises along the way. It’s currently an Amazon First Reads selection for the month of April and I highly recommend picking it up.
Thank you Madeleine Henry for sending me a free copy! All thoughts expressed are my honest opinion
April 3, 2024
The book is well written, but I didn't like where she took it. Mainly, it was a matter of personal preference, but not my taste at all. The first half was great and an easy read, but it became more unenjoyable as it went on. I felt my time could have been better spent reading something else.
April 12, 2024
I was greatly disappointed in the book. First, the "twist" was too flat somehow. One minute she is just a detective the next minute she is a stalker. One minute all of her language is that of a detective and the next, once the stalker thing is revealed, her language is that of a stalker. I just couldn't go on. I just wanted a detective story. But if you are going to do a twist like this, it should be subtler. It should be built in from the beginning and I just don't see it. Maybe I missed it? I don't think so.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 7, 2024
Spellbinding Psychological Thrller
Madeleine Henry’s My Favorite Terrible Thing is brilliant. I started it on a Saturday night and couldn’t put it down until I’d finished it on Sunday afternoon. The novel is a mesmerizing cat and mouse game that probes the lingering effects of early trauma.
Don’t miss this one.
Madeleine Henry’s My Favorite Terrible Thing is brilliant. I started it on a Saturday night and couldn’t put it down until I’d finished it on Sunday afternoon. The novel is a mesmerizing cat and mouse game that probes the lingering effects of early trauma.
Don’t miss this one.
April 7, 2024
Wow! I picked this from Amazon’s free book of the month email with zero research. Not usually a formula for a 4 star.
Super complex and interesting. The author had to almost write two books - this one and the one she describes and quotes throughout. Some lovely and creative descriptions, especially about the beach. And great plot twists.
Super complex and interesting. The author had to almost write two books - this one and the one she describes and quotes throughout. Some lovely and creative descriptions, especially about the beach. And great plot twists.
April 5, 2024
An incredibly unusual novel. Claire goes missing on her wedding day. Nina is the private detective charged with finding her. That’s all I’m going to share about the plot, because this thing goes in a couple different directions. I wouldn’t call it “twisty” but rather unexpected.
The author writes beautifully. Her words, her pace both perfectly placed to keep the reader invested in this mystery even through some really cringeworthy scenes. 4 Stars!
The author writes beautifully. Her words, her pace both perfectly placed to keep the reader invested in this mystery even through some really cringeworthy scenes. 4 Stars!
April 9, 2024
Nina Travers is a New York City private detective who specializes in working with wealthy families in the Hamptons. She has an unusual approach to cases by being able to fit in and look at people's motivations. She is able to get a big missing persons case of Claire Ross, a popular author who disappeared on her wedding day. Nina's interest is magnified because she is a voracious reader and loves Claire's bestseller, The Starlit Ballet. Does Nina have an ulterior motive in this case and can she investigate it objectively?
I usually try to temper my expectations for the Amazon Prime free monthly books, but this one blew me away. Some of the reviews called Nina's character a chameleon-like personality. That seems overblown, but she is very interesting and we get to know her past as the book progresses. What seems like a straightforward missing persons case turns pretty sharply about midway through the book, but it's a turn for the better. I loved the description of the Starlit Ballet and it's almost like another book within a book. While I usually avoid book series, I wouldn't mind seeing more from Nina Travers.
I usually try to temper my expectations for the Amazon Prime free monthly books, but this one blew me away. Some of the reviews called Nina's character a chameleon-like personality. That seems overblown, but she is very interesting and we get to know her past as the book progresses. What seems like a straightforward missing persons case turns pretty sharply about midway through the book, but it's a turn for the better. I loved the description of the Starlit Ballet and it's almost like another book within a book. While I usually avoid book series, I wouldn't mind seeing more from Nina Travers.
April 5, 2024
sorry this was my free Amazon pick
I couldn’t wait for this to end. I’m sorry I even picked this as my free read. What a waste of time. So the author can quote a lot of literary names so can I. I actually hated this book. Worst one I have read in years.
I couldn’t wait for this to end. I’m sorry I even picked this as my free read. What a waste of time. So the author can quote a lot of literary names so can I. I actually hated this book. Worst one I have read in years.
April 1, 2024
Yet another page turner by Madeleine Henry! My Favorite Terrible Thing is Henry’s first thriller and I hope not her last.
Following the disappearance of world renowned author Claire Ross, detective Nina Travers richly narrates the search to find what happened to Claire. Each chapter brings you twists and turns that you aren’t ready for, keeping you at the edge of your seat. Henry’s story craft is deliberate and ripe with detail, and she creates deeply complex characters that are a joy to follow from beginning to end. Highly recommended spring reading!
Following the disappearance of world renowned author Claire Ross, detective Nina Travers richly narrates the search to find what happened to Claire. Each chapter brings you twists and turns that you aren’t ready for, keeping you at the edge of your seat. Henry’s story craft is deliberate and ripe with detail, and she creates deeply complex characters that are a joy to follow from beginning to end. Highly recommended spring reading!
April 9, 2024
A book so well written..
You’ll spend days remembering the lessons learned. So many deep dives into your thoughts and emotions, when you never even realized you’d jumped in over your head.
You’ll spend days remembering the lessons learned. So many deep dives into your thoughts and emotions, when you never even realized you’d jumped in over your head.
April 4, 2024
Extraordinary
Too many turns to keep up with! Beautifully written, wonderfully plotted. I literally couldn't put it down.
I highly recommend.
Too many turns to keep up with! Beautifully written, wonderfully plotted. I literally couldn't put it down.
I highly recommend.
April 5, 2024
I gave this 3 stars because of the originality of the plot. But I highlighted some things to make note of - at first I was drawn into the story & had high hopes. But they were dashed in the second half of the book & I became disillusioned & aggravated-I won’t ruin the story for those who still may read this, but I will say the protagonist is unreliable & I am one of those people who dislike stories with an unlikable main character. Sure, the plot twisted creatively but it’s debatable if that was actually a good thing.
I wanted to finish the story to see how the author tied everything up but I was left disappointed with how she did it. I would’ve been angry if I paid for the book but it was a free prime 1st reads book.
I wanted to finish the story to see how the author tied everything up but I was left disappointed with how she did it. I would’ve been angry if I paid for the book but it was a free prime 1st reads book.
April 11, 2024
Fine literary mystery.
The main character Nina is quite complex and is not the typical mystery detective. The writing is excellent and the plot intriguing. Nina's use of the missing author's novel to solve the mystery was quite clever and I loved the literary references sprinkled throughout this novel. Although I figured out the mystery early on, the twist in the resolution was unexpected and satisfying. Well worth the read - not a brain candy type story.
The main character Nina is quite complex and is not the typical mystery detective. The writing is excellent and the plot intriguing. Nina's use of the missing author's novel to solve the mystery was quite clever and I loved the literary references sprinkled throughout this novel. Although I figured out the mystery early on, the twist in the resolution was unexpected and satisfying. Well worth the read - not a brain candy type story.
April 10, 2024
WOAH
JUST WOAH. what a book..not what i was expecting at all. HIGHLY recommend. i want more! it was thoughtful and curious and different and interesting and just a great book
JUST WOAH. what a book..not what i was expecting at all. HIGHLY recommend. i want more! it was thoughtful and curious and different and interesting and just a great book
April 7, 2024
Wow
I highly recommend this book, with one caveat. The story is great in the beginning and great in the end. About 3/4 of the way through, everything bogged down for me. I was then reading out of stubbornness. If you're like me and you start to sour on the book, KEEP READING!
I highly recommend this book, with one caveat. The story is great in the beginning and great in the end. About 3/4 of the way through, everything bogged down for me. I was then reading out of stubbornness. If you're like me and you start to sour on the book, KEEP READING!
July 19, 2024
2.5 stars.
Private detective Nina Travers videos another cheating husband, then goes home to her dingy apartment. She just needs one hot case to make a name for herself. Nina hopes she has found that case when Claire Ross's mother hires her to find her missing daughter Claire, a popular novelist. Claire went missing on her wedding day two months ago.
I didn't like any of the characters. Nina is supposedly known for her unconventional ways of solving a case but I really didn't see it. In the first part of the book, Nina seemed pretty bland to me. Then the story took a bizarre turn. I guess I didn't like the way the author took the story. I will give credit for good writing and creativity.
Private detective Nina Travers videos another cheating husband, then goes home to her dingy apartment. She just needs one hot case to make a name for herself. Nina hopes she has found that case when Claire Ross's mother hires her to find her missing daughter Claire, a popular novelist. Claire went missing on her wedding day two months ago.
I didn't like any of the characters. Nina is supposedly known for her unconventional ways of solving a case but I really didn't see it. In the first part of the book, Nina seemed pretty bland to me. Then the story took a bizarre turn. I guess I didn't like the way the author took the story. I will give credit for good writing and creativity.
May 23, 2024
2.5 stars ⭐️ rounded down
I was happily traipsing through this book, planning to give it a solid 3.5 stars and a nice review, then BOOM I hit 55% and I was suddenly wondering if I was still reading about the same characters in the same story. This book was all over the place in every possible way except a fun way.
A few things I enjoyed:
1. I liked the original premise (author disappears and a detective uses her book to find her), so the first half was overall fun!
2. I continued to pick up this book all the way until the end, in spite of all the things I didn’t like. It kept me curious.
3. I truly did not see that twist coming (more on that later tho, bc this was a pro AND a con)
an overview of what I did not enjoy:
1. I think Madeleine Henry (the author) has not found her niche genre or her own unique voice, so I didn’t enjoy feeling like I was reading very messy writing.
2. This book literally turned into a different book halfway through, then did another pivot at the end, and it was not cohesive at all. It read like entirely different genres at different points in the story. There was mystery, romance, thriller, and a bit of feel-good scattered haphazardly throughout, but none of it quite hit the spot because it was too random.
3. Lots of entirely unbelievable things happening in this book that we had no incentive to overlook.
~~ Alrighty let’s get down to all the nitty gritty details ~~
Let’s start with the real main character: Claire’s book, Starry Lovers or Starcrossed Light or Starlight Romance or whatever it was called.
- Firstly, though it has no bearing on the plot of OUR book, the ENTIRE plot for Claire’s book is repeated over and over (and over and over).
- Second, we get short quotes from Claire’s book at the start of every chapter (again, none of it was part of our plot, although I read religiously just in case!).
- Third, we are reminded every couple of pages JUST HOW MUCH EVERYONE IN THE WORLD LOVES THIS BOOK. I am not exaggerating. Most of My Favorite Terrible Thing was spent trying to remind us what a lovely book ANOTHER book was.
- And worst of all, the snippets of this “life changing, earth-shattering, cult-favorite, bestseller, most famous” book were… bland. Entirely lackluster and cliche. I think Henry would have been wise to not include a single snippet of the writing - leaving us to imagine how wonderful it was - bc I was left quite confused by this blither blather. (Here are a few examples: “I have one hundred shadows.” “I just want a good life with Cady.” “‘Sorry, how long have you been together?’ Mom asks. ‘For as long as I can remember.’” ““He felt as familiar as my own hands.” See what I’m saying?? Do those sound like the best quotes from the best book you’ve ever read?!?)
- Given my last point, Claire’s fanbase didn’t make sense. She had, like, INSANE fans. Thousands of them. ((And OKAY YES Sara J Maas comes to mind bc… bad writing, mushy love stories, and a rabid fan base? Maybe so. But do her fans follow her around every single day, taking photos of her secretly? Take her used coffee cups out of garbage cans and post it to Reddit? Memorize every word she’s ever said in an interview?))
- Furthermore, how many authors have this many interviews??? Claire has published one single book, and she’s had interviews with Vanity Fair, The Today Show, Jimmy Fallon, and Cosmopolitan (and I assume, many other interviews bc there are 8,000 mentions of “in several of her interviews, Claire said…” 💀😭) I don’t think SJM even got this many interviews, and she has TWENTY THREE published books!😂
Now on to (some of) my issues with the overall story. ((SPOILERS AFTER THIS POINT!!!))
1. Nina is not a consistent or believable character. The story is told FROM NINA’S POV. She’s INSANE, but we somehow don’t even know until 55%. She is quite literally a mentally disturbed individual, but her internal monologue is pretty much normal (slightly odd at points, but still reasonable) up until the “big twist” at over half way through.
2. Claire is ALSO not a consistent or believable character. You mean to tell me that she’s secretly been a psychotic narcissistic control freak who sees everyone around her as an opportunity to manipulate in order to make narratives for her new stories?? And not a single person in her family or her fiancé had an inkling of this??
3. We did NOT need to kill innocent little birdies 😭😭 I didn’t like reading that😭
4. I don’t like books with multiple big twists and crescendo moments. This is a personal preference, but I didn’t enjoy getting to know one story and set of characters, only to have it switched halfway through and then have it once again switched at 90%. Especially when the second switch was weak and unnecessary.
5. And yes that second plot twist was incredibly weak. To the point that I wonder if Henry just came up with it in the moment rather than writing the book around it.
Let me break down SOME of why I think the second plot twist wasn’t planned (or was just badly written):
Nina found Claire by reading Claire’s book and finding CLEAR references to Leo. Names, locations, high school references. Claire wrote herself into her book as the FMC and she wrote Leo into her book as the MMC (I won’t waste time explaining how). Claire visited Leo’s college games for no apparent reason. She made guarded references in interviews. This is literally how Nina found Claire. Yet at our crescendo, Claire suddenly declares that she was playing with Leo and he was just “one of the hundreds of delusional people who thought her book was written for them” (including, may I point out, strangers who didn’t even speak the same language as Claire…?? 🤔). This is an unforgivable plot hole in my opinion. It’s like Henry forgot the premise of her own book! 😩😂
And don’t get me started on the unrealistic happenings- the ridiculous manner in which Nina was chosen to be the private investigator to find Claire, the miscommunication that led to her being hired (the neighbor sends a message about how Nina was a suspect and the messenger says they should HIRE Nina lolllll), the wedding coordinator “suddenly remembering” that a strange man showed up at the wedding (AND SMILED when he heard Claire was missing?!?!), Nina’s aggressiveness towards Claire’s sister when she was hoping to make a connection with her AND THEN ignoring the sister and when the sister is finally open to talking, no one else noticing that Claire wrote herself into her book (in spite of millions of fanatical readers), plus IM SORRY BUT YOU EXPECT ME TO BELIEVE Nina’s sudden clarity of mind when she’s about to shoot Leo (REALLY?? In that high pressure situation, she suddenly has clear thinking??? No way!!! not after we’ve read all her delusional insanity for the last twenty chapters!!!!). And then just ending off the book with some random feel-good therapy blither blather??? Nahhhhh Nina was a craycray girlie and there’s NO WAY that level of crazy just goes away bc she sat in four Al-anon meetings!!
And lastly, I just HAVE to mention that the “stolen college” subplot fell incredibly flat and took up way too much space In this book. Yea I understand that it was symbolic of Nina’s deeper emotional issues. I understand it was the background for her connection to Claire. But it didn’t need to be there - especially not as an entire subplot. It wasn’t interesting AT ALL bc in my opinion, lots of people in their early 20s could slip into the back of large college classes and no one would notice. In fact, many Ivy League colleges simply offer their unaccredited classes online. Nina literally accomplished nothing bc she didn’t even try to get a degree OR pretend she HAD a degree. She never did anything sneaky. And the constant mentions of “dressing rich” was equally laborious, as we were being told that Nina was putting on… *checks notes* khakis. And cargo pants. And turtlenecks. Nina was trying to show that she “fit in” in high society, but she was doing their grunt work anyways as a PI, so it just seemed super random every time this was mentioned.
Conclusion
Okay that’s the best I can do at making this review short lol. If you read books JUST to be surprised, this one might still work for you because it is twisty. I don’t think I will read any more of Henry’s books UNLESS she writes something new that I KNOW stays on topic. I really think she has potential if she focused her energy on one genre and one writing style, trying to write something more cohesive. This was a fun idea and portions of this book were a solid 3.5-4 stars.
PS- okay just one more thing - at least in the kindle, the Reddit thread chapters were formatted weirdly, and I wasn’t sure if we were supposed to be finding hints in them. Why have so many chapters of Reddit threads when they had no impact on the storyline? Sometimes I was thinking that I was supposed to be keeping track of which Redditor was saying what, in case one of them was going to be a suspect, but it wasn’t relevant
I was happily traipsing through this book, planning to give it a solid 3.5 stars and a nice review, then BOOM I hit 55% and I was suddenly wondering if I was still reading about the same characters in the same story. This book was all over the place in every possible way except a fun way.
A few things I enjoyed:
1. I liked the original premise (author disappears and a detective uses her book to find her), so the first half was overall fun!
2. I continued to pick up this book all the way until the end, in spite of all the things I didn’t like. It kept me curious.
3. I truly did not see that twist coming (more on that later tho, bc this was a pro AND a con)
an overview of what I did not enjoy:
1. I think Madeleine Henry (the author) has not found her niche genre or her own unique voice, so I didn’t enjoy feeling like I was reading very messy writing.
2. This book literally turned into a different book halfway through, then did another pivot at the end, and it was not cohesive at all. It read like entirely different genres at different points in the story. There was mystery, romance, thriller, and a bit of feel-good scattered haphazardly throughout, but none of it quite hit the spot because it was too random.
3. Lots of entirely unbelievable things happening in this book that we had no incentive to overlook.
~~ Alrighty let’s get down to all the nitty gritty details ~~
Let’s start with the real main character: Claire’s book, Starry Lovers or Starcrossed Light or Starlight Romance or whatever it was called.
- Firstly, though it has no bearing on the plot of OUR book, the ENTIRE plot for Claire’s book is repeated over and over (and over and over).
- Second, we get short quotes from Claire’s book at the start of every chapter (again, none of it was part of our plot, although I read religiously just in case!).
- Third, we are reminded every couple of pages JUST HOW MUCH EVERYONE IN THE WORLD LOVES THIS BOOK. I am not exaggerating. Most of My Favorite Terrible Thing was spent trying to remind us what a lovely book ANOTHER book was.
- And worst of all, the snippets of this “life changing, earth-shattering, cult-favorite, bestseller, most famous” book were… bland. Entirely lackluster and cliche. I think Henry would have been wise to not include a single snippet of the writing - leaving us to imagine how wonderful it was - bc I was left quite confused by this blither blather. (Here are a few examples: “I have one hundred shadows.” “I just want a good life with Cady.” “‘Sorry, how long have you been together?’ Mom asks. ‘For as long as I can remember.’” ““He felt as familiar as my own hands.” See what I’m saying?? Do those sound like the best quotes from the best book you’ve ever read?!?)
- Given my last point, Claire’s fanbase didn’t make sense. She had, like, INSANE fans. Thousands of them. ((And OKAY YES Sara J Maas comes to mind bc… bad writing, mushy love stories, and a rabid fan base? Maybe so. But do her fans follow her around every single day, taking photos of her secretly? Take her used coffee cups out of garbage cans and post it to Reddit? Memorize every word she’s ever said in an interview?))
- Furthermore, how many authors have this many interviews??? Claire has published one single book, and she’s had interviews with Vanity Fair, The Today Show, Jimmy Fallon, and Cosmopolitan (and I assume, many other interviews bc there are 8,000 mentions of “in several of her interviews, Claire said…” 💀😭) I don’t think SJM even got this many interviews, and she has TWENTY THREE published books!😂
Now on to (some of) my issues with the overall story. ((SPOILERS AFTER THIS POINT!!!))
1. Nina is not a consistent or believable character. The story is told FROM NINA’S POV. She’s INSANE, but we somehow don’t even know until 55%. She is quite literally a mentally disturbed individual, but her internal monologue is pretty much normal (slightly odd at points, but still reasonable) up until the “big twist” at over half way through.
2. Claire is ALSO not a consistent or believable character. You mean to tell me that she’s secretly been a psychotic narcissistic control freak who sees everyone around her as an opportunity to manipulate in order to make narratives for her new stories?? And not a single person in her family or her fiancé had an inkling of this??
3. We did NOT need to kill innocent little birdies 😭😭 I didn’t like reading that😭
4. I don’t like books with multiple big twists and crescendo moments. This is a personal preference, but I didn’t enjoy getting to know one story and set of characters, only to have it switched halfway through and then have it once again switched at 90%. Especially when the second switch was weak and unnecessary.
5. And yes that second plot twist was incredibly weak. To the point that I wonder if Henry just came up with it in the moment rather than writing the book around it.
Let me break down SOME of why I think the second plot twist wasn’t planned (or was just badly written):
Nina found Claire by reading Claire’s book and finding CLEAR references to Leo. Names, locations, high school references. Claire wrote herself into her book as the FMC and she wrote Leo into her book as the MMC (I won’t waste time explaining how). Claire visited Leo’s college games for no apparent reason. She made guarded references in interviews. This is literally how Nina found Claire. Yet at our crescendo, Claire suddenly declares that she was playing with Leo and he was just “one of the hundreds of delusional people who thought her book was written for them” (including, may I point out, strangers who didn’t even speak the same language as Claire…?? 🤔). This is an unforgivable plot hole in my opinion. It’s like Henry forgot the premise of her own book! 😩😂
And don’t get me started on the unrealistic happenings- the ridiculous manner in which Nina was chosen to be the private investigator to find Claire, the miscommunication that led to her being hired (the neighbor sends a message about how Nina was a suspect and the messenger says they should HIRE Nina lolllll), the wedding coordinator “suddenly remembering” that a strange man showed up at the wedding (AND SMILED when he heard Claire was missing?!?!), Nina’s aggressiveness towards Claire’s sister when she was hoping to make a connection with her AND THEN ignoring the sister and when the sister is finally open to talking, no one else noticing that Claire wrote herself into her book (in spite of millions of fanatical readers), plus IM SORRY BUT YOU EXPECT ME TO BELIEVE Nina’s sudden clarity of mind when she’s about to shoot Leo (REALLY?? In that high pressure situation, she suddenly has clear thinking??? No way!!! not after we’ve read all her delusional insanity for the last twenty chapters!!!!). And then just ending off the book with some random feel-good therapy blither blather??? Nahhhhh Nina was a craycray girlie and there’s NO WAY that level of crazy just goes away bc she sat in four Al-anon meetings!!
And lastly, I just HAVE to mention that the “stolen college” subplot fell incredibly flat and took up way too much space In this book. Yea I understand that it was symbolic of Nina’s deeper emotional issues. I understand it was the background for her connection to Claire. But it didn’t need to be there - especially not as an entire subplot. It wasn’t interesting AT ALL bc in my opinion, lots of people in their early 20s could slip into the back of large college classes and no one would notice. In fact, many Ivy League colleges simply offer their unaccredited classes online. Nina literally accomplished nothing bc she didn’t even try to get a degree OR pretend she HAD a degree. She never did anything sneaky. And the constant mentions of “dressing rich” was equally laborious, as we were being told that Nina was putting on… *checks notes* khakis. And cargo pants. And turtlenecks. Nina was trying to show that she “fit in” in high society, but she was doing their grunt work anyways as a PI, so it just seemed super random every time this was mentioned.
Conclusion
Okay that’s the best I can do at making this review short lol. If you read books JUST to be surprised, this one might still work for you because it is twisty. I don’t think I will read any more of Henry’s books UNLESS she writes something new that I KNOW stays on topic. I really think she has potential if she focused her energy on one genre and one writing style, trying to write something more cohesive. This was a fun idea and portions of this book were a solid 3.5-4 stars.
PS- okay just one more thing - at least in the kindle, the Reddit thread chapters were formatted weirdly, and I wasn’t sure if we were supposed to be finding hints in them. Why have so many chapters of Reddit threads when they had no impact on the storyline? Sometimes I was thinking that I was supposed to be keeping track of which Redditor was saying what, in case one of them was going to be a suspect, but it wasn’t relevant
April 4, 2024
Amazon first read.
I had high hopes that this would be a great book. Just too strange for me. Not my type of book at all. It was a shame. I feel like I wasted my time.
I had high hopes that this would be a great book. Just too strange for me. Not my type of book at all. It was a shame. I feel like I wasted my time.
April 5, 2024
This book started out with an unusual detective and a missing author. It caught my interest immediately. Half way through, the plot took a surprise twist and I could not put the book down. The ending was just as unexpected.
Were I reading one book at a time, it would have been finished even faster.
Were I reading one book at a time, it would have been finished even faster.
April 7, 2024
I’m speechless. What a strange book. Not sure who this person is who came up with this strange story— maybe the weirdest mystery I’ve ever read,
April 9, 2024
suspenseful all the way through
This book was a great read, page turner, excellent characters and plot. Could not have guessed the ending, took a turn. Highly recommend to anyone it had a little of everything in it, romantic, literary references, dark at times, mystery.
This book was a great read, page turner, excellent characters and plot. Could not have guessed the ending, took a turn. Highly recommend to anyone it had a little of everything in it, romantic, literary references, dark at times, mystery.
June 3, 2024
Not my thing
(2 1/2). This book started out in a pretty interesting, modified chick-lit way. Good rhythm, nice and smooth, but a little over halfway everything changed. It got really stupid (to me) and carried on that way until a pretty wild resolution sequence (of sorts) that would have had to have been unbelievable to save the story. It didn’t make it. This was an Amazon prime freebie so I can’t complain too much, i just had high hopes for a while. Oh well. Medium stuff.
(2 1/2). This book started out in a pretty interesting, modified chick-lit way. Good rhythm, nice and smooth, but a little over halfway everything changed. It got really stupid (to me) and carried on that way until a pretty wild resolution sequence (of sorts) that would have had to have been unbelievable to save the story. It didn’t make it. This was an Amazon prime freebie so I can’t complain too much, i just had high hopes for a while. Oh well. Medium stuff.
April 30, 2024
Well that was weird. I don't feel like I read the same book as the other reviews, or maybe I haven't read this author enough to understand her writing. Or maybe I didn't like it because I will never relate to anyone obsessed with a celebrity. I see the descriptions of this book and none of them match what was written. Thriller? Hardly. There were way too many things happening and a strange turn of events after the climax that just swept all of the weirdness under the proverbial rug.
April 5, 2024
Seriously??
I just completely wasted my time. I should've scrubbed toilets instead. Yes, I read this book to the end. Don't make the same mistake.
I just completely wasted my time. I should've scrubbed toilets instead. Yes, I read this book to the end. Don't make the same mistake.
August 6, 2024
This book is about a private investigator who is hired to find a missing popular author. Not everyone is thrilled about this hiring, but they go along with it. Is she really purposefully missing or has harm come her way? The investigator has some questionable tactics too. Not to mention that the author is her favorite. I thought it was slow at times, and not much thrilling happened. It was just okay to me.
April 1, 2024
As someone who doesn’t usually real thrillers, I wasn’t sure what to expect when I picked up this book. I finished it in a weekend and loved it!
The twists were unexpected and the book was deeply propulsive, making it a perfect book to get lost in.
Madeleine Henry creates a totally immersive world with rich descriptions and compelling characters. I kept picking it up to learn more about Nina and read her insightful observations. I’ve loved each of Madeleine’s books and this is no exception!
The twists were unexpected and the book was deeply propulsive, making it a perfect book to get lost in.
Madeleine Henry creates a totally immersive world with rich descriptions and compelling characters. I kept picking it up to learn more about Nina and read her insightful observations. I’ve loved each of Madeleine’s books and this is no exception!
June 17, 2024
This book was fine.
I'm not really sure what more to say about it. I was really excited to read it after being approved on Netgalley. It started off strong, but the story took an abrupt left turn about 60% through and my enjoyment really faltered after that.
A bestselling author with a cult following disappears the day of her wedding. Enter our protagonist Nina, an amateur detective and private investigator trying to break through the tough and elite East Hamptons clientele when our missing author's mom calls.
Nina jumps at the opportunity to look into the author's (Claire's) life and disappearance. Not only because it would solidify her as THE one who cracked one of the biggest mysteries of the in crowd but also she has a teensy weensy little bit of a secret as well.
I really dug the first half of the book in which Nina is trying to solve the mystery. But then around 60% the mystery appears to be solved and I'm over here scratching my head because there's 40% left in the book. That's when the book took a turn and my enjoyment faltered.
And it's not that it's bad. I think many readers will actually love the second half. I just have read a LOT of books with unreliable narrators lately and might be a little jaded. And I've seen authors handle the unreliable narrator and twisty femme fatale thing better. I think what I was feeling mostly was underwhelmed with a twinge of meh. I didn't really find the twist thrilling or interesting, I found it farfetched, mildly predictable, and a little cliche. But that is just one girl's opinion. I think a lot of readers will probably enjoy it.
So 3.5 stars it is. It is immensely readable and actually has a lot to say about the price of fame, and the influence of the literary world, superfans, and the internet becoming a conduit for obsession and lack of privacy for those who have graced fame with their presence. I would be interested in reading more from this author.
I received a copy of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine and mine alone.
I'm not really sure what more to say about it. I was really excited to read it after being approved on Netgalley. It started off strong, but the story took an abrupt left turn about 60% through and my enjoyment really faltered after that.
A bestselling author with a cult following disappears the day of her wedding. Enter our protagonist Nina, an amateur detective and private investigator trying to break through the tough and elite East Hamptons clientele when our missing author's mom calls.
Nina jumps at the opportunity to look into the author's (Claire's) life and disappearance. Not only because it would solidify her as THE one who cracked one of the biggest mysteries of the in crowd but also she has a teensy weensy little bit of a secret as well.
I really dug the first half of the book in which Nina is trying to solve the mystery. But then around 60% the mystery appears to be solved and I'm over here scratching my head because there's 40% left in the book. That's when the book took a turn and my enjoyment faltered.
And it's not that it's bad. I think many readers will actually love the second half. I just have read a LOT of books with unreliable narrators lately and might be a little jaded. And I've seen authors handle the unreliable narrator and twisty femme fatale thing better. I think what I was feeling mostly was underwhelmed with a twinge of meh. I didn't really find the twist thrilling or interesting, I found it farfetched, mildly predictable, and a little cliche. But that is just one girl's opinion. I think a lot of readers will probably enjoy it.
So 3.5 stars it is. It is immensely readable and actually has a lot to say about the price of fame, and the influence of the literary world, superfans, and the internet becoming a conduit for obsession and lack of privacy for those who have graced fame with their presence. I would be interested in reading more from this author.
I received a copy of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine and mine alone.
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