What do you think?
Rate this book
Your Life is Mine
Instant national bestseller Nathan Ripley follows up the success of Find You in the Dark with another suspenseful page-turner—this time about a woman whose notorious father died when she was a child, but whose legacy comes back to haunt her.
Blanche Potter never expected to face her past again—but she can’t escape it.
Blanche, an up-and-coming filmmaker, has distanced herself in every way she can from her father, the notorious killer and cult leader, Chuck Varner. In 1996, when she was a small child, he went on a shooting spree before turning the gun on himself.
Now, Blanche learns that her mother has been murdered. She returns to her childhood home, where she soon discovers there’s more to the death than police are willing to reveal. The officer who’s handling the case is holding information back, and a journalist who’s nosing around the investigation is taking an unusual interest in Blanche’s family.
Blanche begins to suspect that Chuck Varner’s cult has found a new life, and that her mother’s murder was just the beginning of the cult’s next chapter.
Then another killing occurs.
Blanche Potter never expected to face her past again—but she can’t escape it.
Blanche, an up-and-coming filmmaker, has distanced herself in every way she can from her father, the notorious killer and cult leader, Chuck Varner. In 1996, when she was a small child, he went on a shooting spree before turning the gun on himself.
Now, Blanche learns that her mother has been murdered. She returns to her childhood home, where she soon discovers there’s more to the death than police are willing to reveal. The officer who’s handling the case is holding information back, and a journalist who’s nosing around the investigation is taking an unusual interest in Blanche’s family.
Blanche begins to suspect that Chuck Varner’s cult has found a new life, and that her mother’s murder was just the beginning of the cult’s next chapter.
Then another killing occurs.
Audible Audio
First published June 4, 2019
40 people are currently reading
1841 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 232 reviews
May 21, 2024
**2.5-stars**
Blanche Potter is a documentary filmmaker. She lives a quiet life with one good friend, a surrogate mother and a horrifying past.
Her long-dead father, Chuck Varner, was an infamous spree killer, who also happened to be the leader of a death cult. Needless to say, his legacy has left a lasting impression on Blanche.
Preaching a philosophy he termed, Your Life Is Mine, Chuck hopes that Blanche will one day take over as the cult's leader.
Blanche never believed in her parent's philosophies, and after his horrifying crimes, she distances herself as much as she can from that life. As we all know, however, the past never truly stays in the past.
When Blanche hears that her estranged mother has been shot, she believes there is more to the story than the cops are presenting to her.
She believes Varner's cult members are making a resurgence and the death of her biological mother is just the first step in a plan that will ultimately end in another mass killing.
Traveling back to her hometown, Blanche begins an investigation of her own which leads her to some startling conclusions.
Nathan Ripley (aka. Naben Ruthnum) is a talented writer. There is an edginess to his writing that is visceral. He does not shy away from dark subject matter and it is on page. He doesn't keep you in the shadows or sugarcoat anything for his readers.
I was so impressed with his debut, Find You in the Dark, last year.
It was such a gripping read for me. I was glued to the pages and flew through it and immediately knew I would read whatever he had coming out next!
While I felt Your Life Is Mine had the same tone and grittiness, I was not sold on the subject matter.
The cult philosophy was disjointed and I never really understood what the point of it was. Blanche, as a character, was sort of like a dead fish. I felt nothing from her and nothing for her.
Part of the fun of Find You In The Dark, at least for me, was the perfectly crafted game of cat and mouse between the protagonist, Martin Reese, and police detective, Sandra Whittal. They were perfectly matched and I found myself rooting for both of them.
In this story, no one was likable and honestly, I didn't care one way or another who killed Blanche's mother or why.
The second half of the book did pick up the pace a bit, but I wouldn't necessarily say it was either thrilling or mysterious.
Overall, it was an okay read, but it didn't live up to the quality and excitement of his debut.
Thank you, Atria Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. As always, I appreciate the opportunity and I will continue to read anything that Ripley writes.
As I mentioned, I love his writing, I definitely think this was more of a content issue than a writing issue for me.
Blanche Potter is a documentary filmmaker. She lives a quiet life with one good friend, a surrogate mother and a horrifying past.
Her long-dead father, Chuck Varner, was an infamous spree killer, who also happened to be the leader of a death cult. Needless to say, his legacy has left a lasting impression on Blanche.
Preaching a philosophy he termed, Your Life Is Mine, Chuck hopes that Blanche will one day take over as the cult's leader.
Blanche never believed in her parent's philosophies, and after his horrifying crimes, she distances herself as much as she can from that life. As we all know, however, the past never truly stays in the past.
When Blanche hears that her estranged mother has been shot, she believes there is more to the story than the cops are presenting to her.
She believes Varner's cult members are making a resurgence and the death of her biological mother is just the first step in a plan that will ultimately end in another mass killing.
Traveling back to her hometown, Blanche begins an investigation of her own which leads her to some startling conclusions.
Nathan Ripley (aka. Naben Ruthnum) is a talented writer. There is an edginess to his writing that is visceral. He does not shy away from dark subject matter and it is on page. He doesn't keep you in the shadows or sugarcoat anything for his readers.
I was so impressed with his debut, Find You in the Dark, last year.
It was such a gripping read for me. I was glued to the pages and flew through it and immediately knew I would read whatever he had coming out next!
While I felt Your Life Is Mine had the same tone and grittiness, I was not sold on the subject matter.
The cult philosophy was disjointed and I never really understood what the point of it was. Blanche, as a character, was sort of like a dead fish. I felt nothing from her and nothing for her.
Part of the fun of Find You In The Dark, at least for me, was the perfectly crafted game of cat and mouse between the protagonist, Martin Reese, and police detective, Sandra Whittal. They were perfectly matched and I found myself rooting for both of them.
In this story, no one was likable and honestly, I didn't care one way or another who killed Blanche's mother or why.
The second half of the book did pick up the pace a bit, but I wouldn't necessarily say it was either thrilling or mysterious.
Overall, it was an okay read, but it didn't live up to the quality and excitement of his debut.
Thank you, Atria Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. As always, I appreciate the opportunity and I will continue to read anything that Ripley writes.
As I mentioned, I love his writing, I definitely think this was more of a content issue than a writing issue for me.
April 29, 2019
I'm just going to keep this one short, sweet, and to the point. If you haven't read many psychological thrillers, you'll likely enjoy Your Life Is Mine more than I did. There's absolutely nothing wrong with this book; overall, I'd give it a "fine" stamp of approval, but I think the over-saturation of the market in this genre has made it more difficult to engage, surprise, and captivate readers. A slow burn with fairly predictable twists, but still an interesting read.
*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my review copy.
*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my review copy.
July 20, 2019
This book is a great read! A bit of a slow start but got interesting with the twist on Blanche’s mom and many unexpected surprises and twists I didn’t see coming to different characters including Blanche. The killer’s strategy is good and creative when involving many people. I like following Detective Pargiter’s view. He has some humor and seems realistic. I like the ending. I like the diversity as well.
This book is told in the first person point of view following Blanche. The story started out from 20 years ago when Blanche was 7 walking into a mall with her father Chuck Varner, cult leader. Chuck left his daughter upstairs and then went downstairs to shoot at random shoppers. Then 10 years later, Blanche left home, changed her last name, and moved in with her friend Jaya and her family. Now 20 years later, Blanche currently a documentary filmmaker standing at the movie theater for her and Jaya’s new screening, still having a hard time letting the memory go of the shooting spree and the years of cult teachings that was ingrained into her mind, especially her dad’s cult message of death, Your Life is Mine. As much as Blanche wanted to forget about her past, she’s now finding herself going back to her childhood home to figure out why her mom was recently murdered. The second point of view is Crissy. She is full of surprises. There are a couple of chapters on a book excerpt about Chuck’s shooting and the interviews of his wife Crissy and daughter. The third view is The Boy. He has some plans involving Blanche. The fourth view is Emil Chadwick, an aspiring journalist following his mom’s famous book on Blanche’s family regarding the shooting spree. He wants to take a step further from his mom and create a documentary with Blanche on her story about her past, present, and future. The fifth view is Pargiter, Detective investigating and following Blanche’s warning of possibly another shooting spree. The sixth view is Jaya, Blanche’s friend where their friendship was built on a girl with a father who killed and a girl with a father who got shot.
Your Life is Mine is well written though I have a hard time connecting with Blanche. She has an attitude and a crude personality towards pretty much everyone she meets. Her conversation with officer Maitland was a runaround. I had no idea what that talk was all about until she refined it over with Pargiter. The filming talks in the book didn’t interest me much. Blanche complimented her mom being smart and planned everything but I would have enjoyed reading this book more if her strategies were in on the action. Other than that, the plot is interesting and the twists are excellent and I do recommend everyone to read this book!
Pro: twists, shooting spree, cult, humor, diversity,
Con: planning shouldn’t be complimented but should be actionable
I rate it 4 stars!
***Disclaimer: Many thanks to Atria Books for the opportunity to read and review. Please be assured that my opinions are honest.
xoxo,
Jasmine at www.howusefulitis.wordpress.com for more details
This book is told in the first person point of view following Blanche. The story started out from 20 years ago when Blanche was 7 walking into a mall with her father Chuck Varner, cult leader. Chuck left his daughter upstairs and then went downstairs to shoot at random shoppers. Then 10 years later, Blanche left home, changed her last name, and moved in with her friend Jaya and her family. Now 20 years later, Blanche currently a documentary filmmaker standing at the movie theater for her and Jaya’s new screening, still having a hard time letting the memory go of the shooting spree and the years of cult teachings that was ingrained into her mind, especially her dad’s cult message of death, Your Life is Mine. As much as Blanche wanted to forget about her past, she’s now finding herself going back to her childhood home to figure out why her mom was recently murdered. The second point of view is Crissy. She is full of surprises. There are a couple of chapters on a book excerpt about Chuck’s shooting and the interviews of his wife Crissy and daughter. The third view is The Boy. He has some plans involving Blanche. The fourth view is Emil Chadwick, an aspiring journalist following his mom’s famous book on Blanche’s family regarding the shooting spree. He wants to take a step further from his mom and create a documentary with Blanche on her story about her past, present, and future. The fifth view is Pargiter, Detective investigating and following Blanche’s warning of possibly another shooting spree. The sixth view is Jaya, Blanche’s friend where their friendship was built on a girl with a father who killed and a girl with a father who got shot.
Your Life is Mine is well written though I have a hard time connecting with Blanche. She has an attitude and a crude personality towards pretty much everyone she meets. Her conversation with officer Maitland was a runaround. I had no idea what that talk was all about until she refined it over with Pargiter. The filming talks in the book didn’t interest me much. Blanche complimented her mom being smart and planned everything but I would have enjoyed reading this book more if her strategies were in on the action. Other than that, the plot is interesting and the twists are excellent and I do recommend everyone to read this book!
Pro: twists, shooting spree, cult, humor, diversity,
Con: planning shouldn’t be complimented but should be actionable
I rate it 4 stars!
***Disclaimer: Many thanks to Atria Books for the opportunity to read and review. Please be assured that my opinions are honest.
xoxo,
Jasmine at www.howusefulitis.wordpress.com for more details
July 26, 2022
My thanks to Atria books and Netgalley. I'm just going to start here and tell you that if you've not read and got the freaking weirdness that is Mr. Nathan Ripley, then you're missing out. If you are someone who can't accept the very strange, and have a problem just saying "dude, that's weird"and moving on, then this is not you're groove. Mr. Ripley is weird. His books are weird. His shit gives me the creeps. I like the creeps. Alot! More please! My thanks to Atria books and Netgalley. Mostly, thanks to Mr. RIpley. Who has managed to mess with my mind 2 book's in a row. Would I recommend this? Yeah, duh! Good stuff, Maynard!
June 4, 2019
Synopsis
Blanche Potter is more than just a documentary film-maker. She’s the daughter of infamous mass murderer and cult-leader Chuck Varner. Blanche wants nothing more than to leave her past behind her, but when her mother is murdered, she’s forced to return home. She must go back to the place where it all began, and she fears that her father’s followers are only getting started...
Plot
This book is slow paced at the start. Ripley provides a lot of description of the setting and Blanche is quite introspective. The plot picks up as the story progresses, maintaining an even pace until the climactic finish.
There are excerpts from a true crime book scattered throughout the narrative. They provide much-needed backstory that fills in the gaps in Blanche’s memory and let us know what was going on that Blanche hadn’t known about.
While slow paced, there are leisurely twists and turns in the plot that kept me engaged in the story line. Despite the introspective nature of the book, it’s a quick read, and I gobbled it up in nearly one sitting.
While an engaging book, the story didn't move quickly enough for me. I would have preferred for this to have been balanced with more twisted introspection, but the characters were quite tame compared to other books about serial killers.
Characters
The most intriguing part of this book is the main character. Blanche Potter is the daughter of a murderer and cult-leader. She always knew who and what her father was, which makes for interesting backstory.
I was particularly fascinated by her friendship with Jaya. They’re best friends, and there are intriguing parallels in their histories. Blanche’s father was a murderer. Jaya’s father was murdered. Their friendship is unlikely and compelling, and it was beautiful to see how much Blanche relied on that relationship, how much she leaned on Jaya in times of distress (which was basically this entire novel).
I recommend this book to any fan of serial-killer fiction. It puts more emphasis on character and atmosphere than on convoluted plots, which will appeal to those looking for a character study of the daughter of a mass murderer.
*Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the ARC for review*
This review appeared first on https://powerlibrarian.wordpress.com/
Instagram | Blog | Website | Twitter
My 2019 Reading Challenge
Blanche Potter is more than just a documentary film-maker. She’s the daughter of infamous mass murderer and cult-leader Chuck Varner. Blanche wants nothing more than to leave her past behind her, but when her mother is murdered, she’s forced to return home. She must go back to the place where it all began, and she fears that her father’s followers are only getting started...
Plot
This book is slow paced at the start. Ripley provides a lot of description of the setting and Blanche is quite introspective. The plot picks up as the story progresses, maintaining an even pace until the climactic finish.
There are excerpts from a true crime book scattered throughout the narrative. They provide much-needed backstory that fills in the gaps in Blanche’s memory and let us know what was going on that Blanche hadn’t known about.
While slow paced, there are leisurely twists and turns in the plot that kept me engaged in the story line. Despite the introspective nature of the book, it’s a quick read, and I gobbled it up in nearly one sitting.
While an engaging book, the story didn't move quickly enough for me. I would have preferred for this to have been balanced with more twisted introspection, but the characters were quite tame compared to other books about serial killers.
Characters
The most intriguing part of this book is the main character. Blanche Potter is the daughter of a murderer and cult-leader. She always knew who and what her father was, which makes for interesting backstory.
I was particularly fascinated by her friendship with Jaya. They’re best friends, and there are intriguing parallels in their histories. Blanche’s father was a murderer. Jaya’s father was murdered. Their friendship is unlikely and compelling, and it was beautiful to see how much Blanche relied on that relationship, how much she leaned on Jaya in times of distress (which was basically this entire novel).
I recommend this book to any fan of serial-killer fiction. It puts more emphasis on character and atmosphere than on convoluted plots, which will appeal to those looking for a character study of the daughter of a mass murderer.
*Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the ARC for review*
This review appeared first on https://powerlibrarian.wordpress.com/
Instagram | Blog | Website | Twitter
My 2019 Reading Challenge
May 7, 2019
Your Life Is Mine is a bit different from the usual crime/thriller. A little slow, but engaging and well written.
Blanche Potter’s father was Chuck Varner, the notorious cult leader who after shooting several people at a mall right in front of his 7 year old daughter, ends his own life.
Years have passed since that incident and Blanche has built a new life for herself. A life in which her deranged father and mother don’t exist. A new start. A new city. A new name.
Until she is approached by a journalist who claims he knows who she is and wants to make a documentary about her and her father. Moreover, he informs Blanche that her estranged mother has been shot to death in her trailer house.
Blanche has to go back to her hometown, to make sure if her mother is really dead and to figure out who killed her and why.
Thanks to the author, Atria Books and the NetGalley for providing me with a copy.
Blanche Potter’s father was Chuck Varner, the notorious cult leader who after shooting several people at a mall right in front of his 7 year old daughter, ends his own life.
Years have passed since that incident and Blanche has built a new life for herself. A life in which her deranged father and mother don’t exist. A new start. A new city. A new name.
Until she is approached by a journalist who claims he knows who she is and wants to make a documentary about her and her father. Moreover, he informs Blanche that her estranged mother has been shot to death in her trailer house.
Blanche has to go back to her hometown, to make sure if her mother is really dead and to figure out who killed her and why.
Thanks to the author, Atria Books and the NetGalley for providing me with a copy.
April 22, 2019
Cults are my ultimate fascination in books! I was so excited to read this!!
I am wondering if I should have read the first by this author... since it appears those that read it enjoyed it a little more with the background of the first.
I found this extremely difficult to get into and almost DNFed this book to be honest. My interest was completely not on the book and was bored. I couldn't get into the characters which was crazy to me since Blanche the daughter of a cult killer is the main punch line.
None of the twists in the book seemed great to me and the ending was just blah to me. There was one decent twist towards the end but just didn't live up to my expectations.
Just fell a tad bit flat for me and am wondering if I read the first I would have enjoyed this more?
3 stars!
Thank you to Atria for the advanced arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Publication date: 6/4/19
Published to Goodreads; 4/21/19
I am wondering if I should have read the first by this author... since it appears those that read it enjoyed it a little more with the background of the first.
I found this extremely difficult to get into and almost DNFed this book to be honest. My interest was completely not on the book and was bored. I couldn't get into the characters which was crazy to me since Blanche the daughter of a cult killer is the main punch line.
None of the twists in the book seemed great to me and the ending was just blah to me. There was one decent twist towards the end but just didn't live up to my expectations.
Just fell a tad bit flat for me and am wondering if I read the first I would have enjoyed this more?
3 stars!
Thank you to Atria for the advanced arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Publication date: 6/4/19
Published to Goodreads; 4/21/19
June 4, 2019
3.5 Stars!
Slow burning, dark, and dangerous!
Your Life is Mine is an eerie, enthralling, domestic thriller that delves into the gritty, manipulative world of cults and the disturbing ideology that underlies their radicalism, extremism, and violence.
The prose is sinister and intense. The characters are single-minded, scarred, and conflicted. And the plot told from the first-person point of view, is a menacing tale about power, deception, control, lies, secrets, paranoia, abuse, obsession, jealousy, and murder.
Overall, Your Life is Mine is a twisty, intricate, timely tale by Ripley that highlights the scheming, murky, evil side of human nature and reminds us that sometimes even the most ordinary of people can be persuaded to commit the most heinous of crimes.
Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
Slow burning, dark, and dangerous!
Your Life is Mine is an eerie, enthralling, domestic thriller that delves into the gritty, manipulative world of cults and the disturbing ideology that underlies their radicalism, extremism, and violence.
The prose is sinister and intense. The characters are single-minded, scarred, and conflicted. And the plot told from the first-person point of view, is a menacing tale about power, deception, control, lies, secrets, paranoia, abuse, obsession, jealousy, and murder.
Overall, Your Life is Mine is a twisty, intricate, timely tale by Ripley that highlights the scheming, murky, evil side of human nature and reminds us that sometimes even the most ordinary of people can be persuaded to commit the most heinous of crimes.
Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
July 31, 2019
Want to see more bookish things from me? Check out my youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfer...
*I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest review*
3.5/5 Stars
Blanche Potter has been avoiding her past since her father, the notorious cult leader, Chuck Varner, shot and killed multiple people in 1996 before turning the gun on himself. Years later, Blanche is a successful film creator but has just discovered her mother has been murdered and there is more to the story than what the police are telling her. She returns to her hometown only to realize that the cult is back with new followers.
I was very intrigued by the concept of this book, I find cult stories fascinating so I was very excited to pick this up! Although nothing was inherently wrong about this book, I wasn't blown away by it either. The principles behind the cult were intriguing and I was interested in seeing where the chaos would unfold, but it wasn't as shocking as I wanted it to be. It started off a bit slow, but as the story progressed I became more invested in Blanche and her past and where the cult was heading. I really enjoyed the excerpts from the true crime novel written previously about Blanche and the cult, they provided a lot of insight and backstory we didn't get from the narration.
*I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest review*
3.5/5 Stars
Blanche Potter has been avoiding her past since her father, the notorious cult leader, Chuck Varner, shot and killed multiple people in 1996 before turning the gun on himself. Years later, Blanche is a successful film creator but has just discovered her mother has been murdered and there is more to the story than what the police are telling her. She returns to her hometown only to realize that the cult is back with new followers.
I was very intrigued by the concept of this book, I find cult stories fascinating so I was very excited to pick this up! Although nothing was inherently wrong about this book, I wasn't blown away by it either. The principles behind the cult were intriguing and I was interested in seeing where the chaos would unfold, but it wasn't as shocking as I wanted it to be. It started off a bit slow, but as the story progressed I became more invested in Blanche and her past and where the cult was heading. I really enjoyed the excerpts from the true crime novel written previously about Blanche and the cult, they provided a lot of insight and backstory we didn't get from the narration.
Read
May 24, 2020
June 16, 2019
Your Life Is Mine by Nathan Ripley is a dark and disturbing story of cults and mass murders. It is not an easy book to read and I did struggle to engage in the story. It was slow and confusing in the beginning and did take me a while to finish it. I did not hate it but I can't say that I would read it again.
Blanche Potter can't escape her past, no matter how hard she tries. When she was little her cult leader father Chuck Varner went on a shooting spree before killing himself. Now Blanche has found out that her mother has been murdered and she returns to her childhood home to finds out more. The local police are not saying a lot about it at all. Has the cult returned?
Thanks to Atria Books and Netgalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased.
Blanche Potter can't escape her past, no matter how hard she tries. When she was little her cult leader father Chuck Varner went on a shooting spree before killing himself. Now Blanche has found out that her mother has been murdered and she returns to her childhood home to finds out more. The local police are not saying a lot about it at all. Has the cult returned?
Thanks to Atria Books and Netgalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased.
May 31, 2019
3.5 rounded up.
Last spring, author Nathan Ripley set the world on fire with his sinister debut novel, Find You in the Dark, and so I could hardly wait to read his new release. Big thanks go to Net Galley and Atria for the review copy. Although this psychological thriller is a solid effort, there is an unevenness of quality that holds it back.
The opening is strong, both urgent and original:
"Before a shooter is a shooter, he’s just a man in a room. It’s what follows that brings the background to the scene, to the way we remember it. The domestic dispute reports, the spotty employment record, the legal and illegal firearms history, the I-always-knew neighbors. Before all of that, he comes into the room with his gun, hidden or not, and he is a just a man. Chuck Varner was holding his daughter’s hand when he walked into the mall. My hand. He took me up that escalator and told me that he loved me. He told me to walk away from the mall and go back to my mom once he was done…I was seven years old."
Blanche Potter is a journalist, and she tells us that she is fine now. She has shed her horrifying past and her psycho parents like a ratty old coat, and her way of processing the experience that marked her childhood is by creating a documentary about it. The only person in her life now that knows who is she is, is her childhood friend Jaya. Jaya’s mother took Blanche in, introduced her to normal life. Jaya means everything to Blanche.
Unfortunately, another journalist has uncovered her past and is making demands. Emil Chadwick is the son of the biographer that spilled her family’s private details to the world back when Blanche was still a child; he threatens to out Blanche if she doesn’t cooperate with the work he is doing now.
The story is told in the first person primarily by Blanche, but it’s punctuated by Emil’s narrative and that of his mother Jill. We learn that Varner left followers that are still intent on fulfilling the mandate of chaos that Varner named “Your Life is Mine,” and at least one more mass shooting is in the offing. As Blanche untangles the truth, she reveals the secrets that she has withheld from her colleagues as well as her loved ones for all these years.
Blanche’s character is expertly handled, and of course she isn’t fine at all; she’s just good at compartmentalization. Ripley is deft as he introduces elements that tug at one fragile string and then another that are holding Blanche together emotionally. No one can read this story without believing Blanche and cheering for her, the plucky, bright young woman determined to proceed with her life despite a desperate, harrowing childhood.
But a thriller like this has to have a powerful resolution, and this one doesn’t. Within the last fifteen percent of the book, Blanche makes errors that don’t characterize her as we know her, and that cannot be accounted for by her development. The ending is more fizzle than boom, and to add insult to injury, Ripley moves to a third person narrative at the ninety percent mark; it’s awkward and jarring.
I like this author’s work and will continue to read it. As for you, I recommend you get it free or cheap, unless your pockets are deep ones.
Last spring, author Nathan Ripley set the world on fire with his sinister debut novel, Find You in the Dark, and so I could hardly wait to read his new release. Big thanks go to Net Galley and Atria for the review copy. Although this psychological thriller is a solid effort, there is an unevenness of quality that holds it back.
The opening is strong, both urgent and original:
"Before a shooter is a shooter, he’s just a man in a room. It’s what follows that brings the background to the scene, to the way we remember it. The domestic dispute reports, the spotty employment record, the legal and illegal firearms history, the I-always-knew neighbors. Before all of that, he comes into the room with his gun, hidden or not, and he is a just a man. Chuck Varner was holding his daughter’s hand when he walked into the mall. My hand. He took me up that escalator and told me that he loved me. He told me to walk away from the mall and go back to my mom once he was done…I was seven years old."
Blanche Potter is a journalist, and she tells us that she is fine now. She has shed her horrifying past and her psycho parents like a ratty old coat, and her way of processing the experience that marked her childhood is by creating a documentary about it. The only person in her life now that knows who is she is, is her childhood friend Jaya. Jaya’s mother took Blanche in, introduced her to normal life. Jaya means everything to Blanche.
Unfortunately, another journalist has uncovered her past and is making demands. Emil Chadwick is the son of the biographer that spilled her family’s private details to the world back when Blanche was still a child; he threatens to out Blanche if she doesn’t cooperate with the work he is doing now.
The story is told in the first person primarily by Blanche, but it’s punctuated by Emil’s narrative and that of his mother Jill. We learn that Varner left followers that are still intent on fulfilling the mandate of chaos that Varner named “Your Life is Mine,” and at least one more mass shooting is in the offing. As Blanche untangles the truth, she reveals the secrets that she has withheld from her colleagues as well as her loved ones for all these years.
Blanche’s character is expertly handled, and of course she isn’t fine at all; she’s just good at compartmentalization. Ripley is deft as he introduces elements that tug at one fragile string and then another that are holding Blanche together emotionally. No one can read this story without believing Blanche and cheering for her, the plucky, bright young woman determined to proceed with her life despite a desperate, harrowing childhood.
But a thriller like this has to have a powerful resolution, and this one doesn’t. Within the last fifteen percent of the book, Blanche makes errors that don’t characterize her as we know her, and that cannot be accounted for by her development. The ending is more fizzle than boom, and to add insult to injury, Ripley moves to a third person narrative at the ninety percent mark; it’s awkward and jarring.
I like this author’s work and will continue to read it. As for you, I recommend you get it free or cheap, unless your pockets are deep ones.
June 3, 2019
Just finished reading Your Life is Mine, and I’m still processing all the things. I’ll start by saying that I’ve got a thing for reading about cults. I guess I’m always curious about them, and wondering the makings of a cult leader.
I was interested in the concept of Your Life is Mine, and the cultish beliefs that led to the mass shootings at a mall by none other than the cult leader, Chuck Varner.
This book is grisly and dark, but it fell a bit flat for me. I’ll chalk it up to say that maybe I’ve just read too many serial killer/cultish reads lately, and have become immune to the storyline.
*Thank you to Atria Books for generously sending me a finished copy! All opinions are my own
I was interested in the concept of Your Life is Mine, and the cultish beliefs that led to the mass shootings at a mall by none other than the cult leader, Chuck Varner.
This book is grisly and dark, but it fell a bit flat for me. I’ll chalk it up to say that maybe I’ve just read too many serial killer/cultish reads lately, and have become immune to the storyline.
*Thank you to Atria Books for generously sending me a finished copy! All opinions are my own
April 5, 2019
3.5★s
Your Life is Mine is the second novel by Canadian author, Nathan Ripley. Renowned documentary maker Blanche Potter has spent the last twelve years avoiding all mention of her father. In 1996, Chuck Varner killed nine people in a shooting spree in the Harlow Mall in Stilford, California, before turning the gun on himself. Known to few is that he took along Blanche, then seven years old, to witness this.
Now, over twenty years later, Blanche learns that her estranged mother, Crissy, another disciple of Chuck Varner’s cult, has been shot dead, supposedly in a home invasion. Blanche has had a recent visit from Crissy, who was insisting Blanche needed to return for “the next one”, so she is sceptical of the stated circumstances of Crissy’s death: she knows what this news really means. Blanche goes back to the trailer park in Stilford, the scene of her years of indoctrination before she rejected her parents’ teachings, to see if she can prevent a lot more people dying.
Not much real detail is given about Chuck Varner’s murderous cult, and what Blanche endured with her parents is similarly vague. But Blanche does carry a deep guilt, the revelation of which is a jaw-dropping moment.
Some aspects of the story don’t sit quite right: at first Blanche’s genuine response to events is quite believable but, given her upbringing, she is perhaps a little too trusting. Also requiring a major suspension of disbelief is the police interview in which a detainee is shot.
This is not a mystery where the killer can be picked from a list of suspects, although readers may be wondering about some characters as their true nature becomes apparent. While the narrative from the perspective of the unnamed murderer may help the reader eliminate some suspects, trying to guess his identity is a highly unsatisfying undertaking as he does not feature among the named characters, appearing only in the last twenty pages.
Blanche’s backstory is filled in with flashbacks to her youth and extracts from a book written about the shootings. There is plenty of action leading to an exciting climax but the characters seem a bit flat and the build-up of tension does not have the urgency it ought to: the potential is not quite realised.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Atria Books.
Your Life is Mine is the second novel by Canadian author, Nathan Ripley. Renowned documentary maker Blanche Potter has spent the last twelve years avoiding all mention of her father. In 1996, Chuck Varner killed nine people in a shooting spree in the Harlow Mall in Stilford, California, before turning the gun on himself. Known to few is that he took along Blanche, then seven years old, to witness this.
Now, over twenty years later, Blanche learns that her estranged mother, Crissy, another disciple of Chuck Varner’s cult, has been shot dead, supposedly in a home invasion. Blanche has had a recent visit from Crissy, who was insisting Blanche needed to return for “the next one”, so she is sceptical of the stated circumstances of Crissy’s death: she knows what this news really means. Blanche goes back to the trailer park in Stilford, the scene of her years of indoctrination before she rejected her parents’ teachings, to see if she can prevent a lot more people dying.
Not much real detail is given about Chuck Varner’s murderous cult, and what Blanche endured with her parents is similarly vague. But Blanche does carry a deep guilt, the revelation of which is a jaw-dropping moment.
Some aspects of the story don’t sit quite right: at first Blanche’s genuine response to events is quite believable but, given her upbringing, she is perhaps a little too trusting. Also requiring a major suspension of disbelief is the police interview in which a detainee is shot.
This is not a mystery where the killer can be picked from a list of suspects, although readers may be wondering about some characters as their true nature becomes apparent. While the narrative from the perspective of the unnamed murderer may help the reader eliminate some suspects, trying to guess his identity is a highly unsatisfying undertaking as he does not feature among the named characters, appearing only in the last twenty pages.
Blanche’s backstory is filled in with flashbacks to her youth and extracts from a book written about the shootings. There is plenty of action leading to an exciting climax but the characters seem a bit flat and the build-up of tension does not have the urgency it ought to: the potential is not quite realised.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Atria Books.
April 9, 2019
Cults are like cupcakes for me. I simply will not pass up an opportunity to eat a cupcake or read about a cult. The idea that an average man can convince others to believe in their word like the Messiah is so mind boggling and completely fucked that I don’t think my appetite will ever be satiated (also applicable to cupcakes). Nathan Ripley played into the idea of cults, but from the perspective of the leader’s child. An interesting yet not completely original take.
Your life is Mine starts off introducing us to Blanche, the daughter and witness to the Mall Massacre of Chuck Varner (better known to Blanche as dear old Dad). He simply takes his daughter to the food court, tells her to sit down and goes about his murdering business. Unfortunately for Blanche, the cult aspect doesn’t end there, Mommy Dearest takes it upon herself to continue spreading the YLIM word. But after about 10 years of this lifestyle, Blanche changes her name and never looks back (well as much as someone can in her position). All seems to be going well for Blanche Potter until she gets the news of her Chrissy’s (mom) death. What should be the last time Blanche has to look over her shoulder, turns into a nightmare she couldn’t have dreamed up herself.
The prologue or chapter before the chapter was fire. I read that and was like “Come to Mama!” Ripley did a fantastic job enticing readers with that pre-chapter. Usually, I find prologues confusing since I don’t know anything or anyone yet. But that bad boy was kindling to a fire. However, the first few chapters weren’t as hot and took a second to get me fully flamed up about this story. As the novel unfolded we got a taste into the past of the cult and the new happenings of the cult. Which was pretty okay and enjoyable enough.
I do have a few issues. The ending. Did you just read that short sentence? How quickly you read that was how quickly the climax and resolution happened. It felt like Ripley had a deadline and wanted to just rush through the ending. Which is exactly what he did, it wasn’t a very satisfying ending. The author did a pretty decent job building up the plot that I was incredibly disappointed in the lackluster effort that he called an ending. Additionally, I felt like there were too few characters to not guess what was going to happen or have a good inclination as to who not to trust.
Overall, Ripley created a pretty decent read. It was a solid 4 until the climax was resolved. The ending was simply lazy. So I have rounded my 3.5 Star rating down to a 3. Despite the ending, I still think this is a book that cult lovers and weird lovers alike should try out.
Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the Advanced Read.
Your life is Mine starts off introducing us to Blanche, the daughter and witness to the Mall Massacre of Chuck Varner (better known to Blanche as dear old Dad). He simply takes his daughter to the food court, tells her to sit down and goes about his murdering business. Unfortunately for Blanche, the cult aspect doesn’t end there, Mommy Dearest takes it upon herself to continue spreading the YLIM word. But after about 10 years of this lifestyle, Blanche changes her name and never looks back (well as much as someone can in her position). All seems to be going well for Blanche Potter until she gets the news of her Chrissy’s (mom) death. What should be the last time Blanche has to look over her shoulder, turns into a nightmare she couldn’t have dreamed up herself.
The prologue or chapter before the chapter was fire. I read that and was like “Come to Mama!” Ripley did a fantastic job enticing readers with that pre-chapter. Usually, I find prologues confusing since I don’t know anything or anyone yet. But that bad boy was kindling to a fire. However, the first few chapters weren’t as hot and took a second to get me fully flamed up about this story. As the novel unfolded we got a taste into the past of the cult and the new happenings of the cult. Which was pretty okay and enjoyable enough.
I do have a few issues. The ending. Did you just read that short sentence? How quickly you read that was how quickly the climax and resolution happened. It felt like Ripley had a deadline and wanted to just rush through the ending. Which is exactly what he did, it wasn’t a very satisfying ending. The author did a pretty decent job building up the plot that I was incredibly disappointed in the lackluster effort that he called an ending. Additionally, I felt like there were too few characters to not guess what was going to happen or have a good inclination as to who not to trust.
Overall, Ripley created a pretty decent read. It was a solid 4 until the climax was resolved. The ending was simply lazy. So I have rounded my 3.5 Star rating down to a 3. Despite the ending, I still think this is a book that cult lovers and weird lovers alike should try out.
Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the Advanced Read.
April 14, 2021
2.5 stars.
Your Life is Mine follows Blanche Potter, a true crime documentary filmmaker whose own past is worthy of an in-depth exploration. In 1996 when she was only 7 years old, her cult leader father, Chuck Varner, took her to a local mall where he shot several people before shooting himself. Years later, Blanche learns that her estranged mother, Crissy, has been murdered, which sends her back to the town where everything happened and back into the arms of a cult that she thought had died with her father.
I was hooked on the premise of the book, but unfortunately, as with Ripley’s previous thriller, Find You in the Dark, I was underwhelmed. The cult aspect of the book was not fully developed and neither Chuck nor Crissy were charismatic enough to be believable cult leaders. Most of the characters, including Blanche, were unlikeable which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but in this case, it meant that I didn’t really care what happened to them. I really would have liked to see more of how Blanche processed her father’s actions, as well as how she dealt with the aftermath of the cult’s revival. As it was, Blanche just pretended it never happened and refused to talk about it even with her best friend, which made her come across as a cold character who is hard to root for. Even some evidence of her internal processing would have gone a long way. Lastly, a lot of the dialogue was stilted and just a bit off, and the final reveal and ending were wrapped up far too quickly.
Your Life is Mine follows Blanche Potter, a true crime documentary filmmaker whose own past is worthy of an in-depth exploration. In 1996 when she was only 7 years old, her cult leader father, Chuck Varner, took her to a local mall where he shot several people before shooting himself. Years later, Blanche learns that her estranged mother, Crissy, has been murdered, which sends her back to the town where everything happened and back into the arms of a cult that she thought had died with her father.
I was hooked on the premise of the book, but unfortunately, as with Ripley’s previous thriller, Find You in the Dark, I was underwhelmed. The cult aspect of the book was not fully developed and neither Chuck nor Crissy were charismatic enough to be believable cult leaders. Most of the characters, including Blanche, were unlikeable which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but in this case, it meant that I didn’t really care what happened to them. I really would have liked to see more of how Blanche processed her father’s actions, as well as how she dealt with the aftermath of the cult’s revival. As it was, Blanche just pretended it never happened and refused to talk about it even with her best friend, which made her come across as a cold character who is hard to root for. Even some evidence of her internal processing would have gone a long way. Lastly, a lot of the dialogue was stilted and just a bit off, and the final reveal and ending were wrapped up far too quickly.
March 17, 2019
"We believed it. We chose his world every day that he was gone, every day that we didn't have to: we followed his code. The code he called Your Life Is Mine."
This was a pretty good book. A true crime documentary duo is rocked when one girl finds out her mom has died. It's her mother and she needs to go back home and see her. But it's not because she's sad or even upset her mother is dead. No, she needs to make sure she is.
Blanche was raised by a terrorist - a terrorist that planned and completed a mass shooting years earlier. Her father. He created a cult following that he attributed to chaos. But Blanche knew, even after the first mass shooting and her father's death, that it wasn't the end. Now that her mother's dead, she has no idea when or how it will all be starting again. She just knows that one day it will.
The story is definitely good - well written with suspense and draw that keeps you flipping the pages. Blanche is mesmerizing. She is controlled and disciplined, quick to read a room and anyone she's talking to. As a main character, she was great to see the world through her eyes and be a bit more clued in than those around her. I liked that the plot unfolded slowly and then with quick succession, answering all the question you had.
The end is left with just a small nudge, like maybe there is a possibility of a book 2 and/or 3. I'd definitely read more of this series or from this author.
This was a pretty good book. A true crime documentary duo is rocked when one girl finds out her mom has died. It's her mother and she needs to go back home and see her. But it's not because she's sad or even upset her mother is dead. No, she needs to make sure she is.
Blanche was raised by a terrorist - a terrorist that planned and completed a mass shooting years earlier. Her father. He created a cult following that he attributed to chaos. But Blanche knew, even after the first mass shooting and her father's death, that it wasn't the end. Now that her mother's dead, she has no idea when or how it will all be starting again. She just knows that one day it will.
The story is definitely good - well written with suspense and draw that keeps you flipping the pages. Blanche is mesmerizing. She is controlled and disciplined, quick to read a room and anyone she's talking to. As a main character, she was great to see the world through her eyes and be a bit more clued in than those around her. I liked that the plot unfolded slowly and then with quick succession, answering all the question you had.
The end is left with just a small nudge, like maybe there is a possibility of a book 2 and/or 3. I'd definitely read more of this series or from this author.
February 26, 2019
Nathan Ripley’s debut thriller didn’t really wow me. I don’t actually remember the fine details, but a revisit of my original review suggested that it was heavy on unrealized potential and the plotting wasn’t as good as the writing. But it entertained. It entertained enough to download Ripley’s sophomore effort without even reading a plot summary. Although to be honest, had I read the plot summary, it would have had me at cults. So yeah, either way I would have read it. And I’m very happy to report that, unlike so many thriller authors out there that find their comfort level and plateau there indefinitely, Ripley has in fact improved on every level. Your Life is Mine is good, very good actually. At last the plotting has gotten to the level of the writing and the writing has actually been stepped up too. This was a genuinely thrilling thriller and a genuinely exciting dramatic work of psychological fiction. Are you familiar by chance with tv show The Following? It was about a cult of murder started by a debonair English professor and novelist, wherein they glorified random violence and took a creative Poe inspired approach to arranging their murders. Well, this is essentially a white trash version of that. Your Life is Mine is a concept and a cult led by the appropriately named Chuck Varner, who in 1996 takes a gun to the mall to commit a crime that has since become as American as apple pie, obesity and arrogance. Which is to say he kills a bunch of random individuals. In front of his young daughter, who he has been grooming to become the cult’s future. Neither that traumatic event nor the subsequent decade of brainwashing by her mother has done the trick. The girl gets away, changes her name, grows up to have a fairly normal (if somewhat emotionally stunted life) as a documentary maker, specializing in true crime stories. And just as her career is taking off, she is found and dragged back into the past only to find out that the cult’s ideas (as murky and ignorant as they were, mainly utilizing themes of chaos and violence) are very much alive and have followers, who are getting ready to unleash a new wave of murders. There are some are so desperate for message and purpose that even a barely coherent mildly charismatic trailer trash prophet will do. And that’s what Blanche is up against. Even putting aside my fascination with all things cult related, this was still a very compelling read. The suspense was sustained throughout, what surprises were there…did surprise. It wasn’t as formulaic as most thrillers tend to be, the narrative was mainly present time, with Blanche as the main narrator and she made for a strong complex engaging narrator. Her best friend/business partner was somewhat underdeveloped, her main specialty seemed to be ultimatums as in tell me the truth or we’re done…but then again when she does find out the truth, it’s a whopper. So maybe that was the set up all along. But the players here were interesting and multilayered and the overall mood was (appropriately) pervasively dark and the writing and the characterizations were uniformly very good. This was definitely a standout among the overpopulated genre. Very entertaining, very atmospheric, very dynamic. Such a good read. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.
June 12, 2019
Thank you Simon & Schuster Canada for my copy of Your Life is Mine, in exchange for my honest review. This title released June 4.
Blanche Potter has created a new life for herself - changed her name, moved far away from the nightmare of her childhood and has become quite successful as a documentary film maker. But the past never really stays in the past does it ? Especially when your own father was a cult leader and mass murderer...
A slow burn that was as dark as it was entertaining, and let me tell you - it will definitely give you chills!
This was my first Nathan Ripley novel (a fellow Canadian - YAY!) and WOW! I can't believe I only just discovered his work - shame on me! This book gave me extreme chills with its Manson cult vibe - eeeek I'm still feeling that chill.
This was a quick read that was well-written and completely engaging from cover to cover. I thought the characters were well-developed and the storyline well executed. It had a sprinkle of suspense, thriller and police procedural all wrapped up into one and I really enjoyed that variation. The story well paced and the twists kept me turning pages to see what was going to happen next. The final reveals were shocking. I thought the story was headed in a completely different direction than where it finally landed and I must say, where it ended up was way better than what I had in mind.
If you are new to thriller reads and haven't read this one yet, I highly recommend you pick this one up - you won't be disappointed.
Blanche Potter has created a new life for herself - changed her name, moved far away from the nightmare of her childhood and has become quite successful as a documentary film maker. But the past never really stays in the past does it ? Especially when your own father was a cult leader and mass murderer...
A slow burn that was as dark as it was entertaining, and let me tell you - it will definitely give you chills!
This was my first Nathan Ripley novel (a fellow Canadian - YAY!) and WOW! I can't believe I only just discovered his work - shame on me! This book gave me extreme chills with its Manson cult vibe - eeeek I'm still feeling that chill.
This was a quick read that was well-written and completely engaging from cover to cover. I thought the characters were well-developed and the storyline well executed. It had a sprinkle of suspense, thriller and police procedural all wrapped up into one and I really enjoyed that variation. The story well paced and the twists kept me turning pages to see what was going to happen next. The final reveals were shocking. I thought the story was headed in a completely different direction than where it finally landed and I must say, where it ended up was way better than what I had in mind.
If you are new to thriller reads and haven't read this one yet, I highly recommend you pick this one up - you won't be disappointed.
June 23, 2019
I had lots of difficulties to engage in the story.
It was a very difficult reading. I have been attracted when reading the summary description but definitely it was not the kind of story I have expected.
I have fought a lot to continue reading. I unfortunately stopped and I put down the book just after the few first pages because things went into a totally different direction. The plot is unbelievable, full of violence and chaotic.
The characters are confusing and not realistic.
As it is not the kind of literature I usually read, I wish this novel could meet its audience.
It was a very difficult reading. I have been attracted when reading the summary description but definitely it was not the kind of story I have expected.
I have fought a lot to continue reading. I unfortunately stopped and I put down the book just after the few first pages because things went into a totally different direction. The plot is unbelievable, full of violence and chaotic.
The characters are confusing and not realistic.
As it is not the kind of literature I usually read, I wish this novel could meet its audience.
May 27, 2019
This novel is released on June 4th 2019.
3.5 stars
I read Ripley's Find You In The Dark and while it was a nice mystery, it wasn't the strongest one I read. I decided to give Ripley another shot and recieved a copy of Your Life is Mine. Another nice mystery that had its shocking moments.
The plot was very interesting and I enojoyed how it was told in the past and the present because we got to see Blanche (her alias) as a kid and what she went through when she was younger, and then we get to see her as an adult, somwhat thriving in the documentary movie scene. It's a nice complex plot with a few twists here and there and it's 100% a crime novel.
I could see how it would fit into the crime thriller genre because it does have some thrilling moments especially when it was near the end. For me, that was when the novel reached its climax and things started to pick uo in terms of plot. I think I enjoyed the last part of the novel more than the beginning. I felt like in the beginnning we were being introduced to the novel and the idea and more of the past and it did drag on a little for me, but I'm glad that it picked up!
Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada and Atria Books for providing me with an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.
3.5 stars
I read Ripley's Find You In The Dark and while it was a nice mystery, it wasn't the strongest one I read. I decided to give Ripley another shot and recieved a copy of Your Life is Mine. Another nice mystery that had its shocking moments.
The plot was very interesting and I enojoyed how it was told in the past and the present because we got to see Blanche (her alias) as a kid and what she went through when she was younger, and then we get to see her as an adult, somwhat thriving in the documentary movie scene. It's a nice complex plot with a few twists here and there and it's 100% a crime novel.
I could see how it would fit into the crime thriller genre because it does have some thrilling moments especially when it was near the end. For me, that was when the novel reached its climax and things started to pick uo in terms of plot. I think I enjoyed the last part of the novel more than the beginning. I felt like in the beginnning we were being introduced to the novel and the idea and more of the past and it did drag on a little for me, but I'm glad that it picked up!
Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada and Atria Books for providing me with an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.
March 13, 2019
This had me at cults.
I was raised with too much knowledge of the Manson Family so I've become fascinated by cults. The author did a nice job of fleshing out Chuck and his beliefs (I enjoyed the chaos theory). I was expecting more of a psychological thriller but it really was about Blanche and her psyche. It was an interesting journey into Blanche's mind and it had me engrossed from the beginning.
Thank you NetGalley for an advance reader's copy of this book to review.
I was raised with too much knowledge of the Manson Family so I've become fascinated by cults. The author did a nice job of fleshing out Chuck and his beliefs (I enjoyed the chaos theory). I was expecting more of a psychological thriller but it really was about Blanche and her psyche. It was an interesting journey into Blanche's mind and it had me engrossed from the beginning.
Thank you NetGalley for an advance reader's copy of this book to review.
June 9, 2019
There is nothing more terrifying than mass shootings. Real life is much more disturbing than made up monsters and serial killers. In a shooting you can’t fight back or try to reason with the killer. You are completely at their mercy. It’s a difficult subject to read about and I’m sure it’s a minefield for writers. In “Your Life is Mine” we spend a lot of time with one of these shooters (Chuck) and the cult-like group of boys, plus his wife, that admire him and want to be just like him. All of Chuck’s nonsensical ravings are taken as gospel by his followers. His crazy manifesto is then repeated and expanded on by his wife. The B.S. was mind-boggling. How do people believe this kind of garbage? (I’m well aware that they do.)
From birth they train their daughter Blanche to complete Chuck’s dream, which is basically to kill even more people. The story is really about this daughter and how she deals with this as an adult. Does she struggle to break out of the brainwashing or does she embrace it? I had a difficult time warming to Blanche because she was so cold and almost alien. She reacted so differently from anyone I have ever known, but of course she had a past unlike anyone I’ve ever known. I had compassion for her to some extent, she was just a kid after all, but she was not an easy character.
At first I wasn’t enjoying it very much. Because I didn’t connect to the main character I wasn’t sure this book was going to be for me. I have no problem with darkness and serial killers but this was an infuriating version of evil, mostly centering on Blanche’s crazy parents and all the terrible things they did to her and others. Sure it’s scary, but mostly it just made me angry at the parents. They are the absolute worst.
Closer to the conclusion I started to become very invested in Blanche and how her story would turn out. I wouldn’t say that I liked her but I hated the people she was up against. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, as they say. She became more tolerable and I was glad for her competence and toughness. In the end this was a fast paced, suspenseful read but also a very uncomfortable one.
Thank you to Atria Books for providing an Electronic Advance Reader Copy via NetGalley for review.
From birth they train their daughter Blanche to complete Chuck’s dream, which is basically to kill even more people. The story is really about this daughter and how she deals with this as an adult. Does she struggle to break out of the brainwashing or does she embrace it? I had a difficult time warming to Blanche because she was so cold and almost alien. She reacted so differently from anyone I have ever known, but of course she had a past unlike anyone I’ve ever known. I had compassion for her to some extent, she was just a kid after all, but she was not an easy character.
At first I wasn’t enjoying it very much. Because I didn’t connect to the main character I wasn’t sure this book was going to be for me. I have no problem with darkness and serial killers but this was an infuriating version of evil, mostly centering on Blanche’s crazy parents and all the terrible things they did to her and others. Sure it’s scary, but mostly it just made me angry at the parents. They are the absolute worst.
Closer to the conclusion I started to become very invested in Blanche and how her story would turn out. I wouldn’t say that I liked her but I hated the people she was up against. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, as they say. She became more tolerable and I was glad for her competence and toughness. In the end this was a fast paced, suspenseful read but also a very uncomfortable one.
Thank you to Atria Books for providing an Electronic Advance Reader Copy via NetGalley for review.
May 5, 2019
Oh my gosh Nathan
Read
June 20, 2019Main protagonist Blanche thought she’d put the past and the memory of her father’s crimes behind her, but they’ve come back full force. She’s a dynamic character, full of depth and her strong personality and relationships are well executed. Nathan Ripley’s descriptive writing draws you in. He divulges secrets and backstory at all the right moments, leading the reader to the intense, page-turning conclusion.
More than just a fast-paced thriller, YOUR LIFE IS MINE delves into the real horror of mass spree killings - the aftermath and effects on the families of both the victims and the killers. Highly recommended.
More than just a fast-paced thriller, YOUR LIFE IS MINE delves into the real horror of mass spree killings - the aftermath and effects on the families of both the victims and the killers. Highly recommended.
February 27, 2020
4 STARS!
I was promised a weird, suspenseful psychological thriller assessing crime and tackling dark themes, and I was not disappointed! I honestly could not put it down.
Sure, the mystery could've been handed better so that the reveal would be more satisfying, but it wasn't about the mystery, it was about chaos and faith and control and the grey logic of murderers. Though I do believe the author could have made the arguments even more convincing, and generally developed the ideas more, made the book more. Alas, it was not to be, but I still got it (probably to everyone's horror) and enjoyed it thoroughly.
You'd probably call this book sick, I'd just call it daring—in a creepy way. And creepy, my friends, is my middle name.
FRTC.
I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to the publisher, Atria Books!
I was promised a weird, suspenseful psychological thriller assessing crime and tackling dark themes, and I was not disappointed! I honestly could not put it down.
Sure, the mystery could've been handed better so that the reveal would be more satisfying, but it wasn't about the mystery, it was about chaos and faith and control and the grey logic of murderers. Though I do believe the author could have made the arguments even more convincing, and generally developed the ideas more, made the book more. Alas, it was not to be, but I still got it (probably to everyone's horror) and enjoyed it thoroughly.
You'd probably call this book sick, I'd just call it daring—in a creepy way. And creepy, my friends, is my middle name.
FRTC.
I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to the publisher, Atria Books!
June 7, 2020
RATING: 3 STARS
2019; Atria Books
The creepy amazing cover with an even more intriguing synopsis had me clamouring to read Your Life is Mine. Unfortunately, it did not live up to the hype I had in my head. It just wasn't as suspenseful as I thought it would be. I was expecting this to be gritty and dark and it was just okay. This is my first novel by Nathan Ripley but I would try hie first book, or a future one. I have heard great things about Find You in the Dark so we will see.
***I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.***
2019; Atria Books
The creepy amazing cover with an even more intriguing synopsis had me clamouring to read Your Life is Mine. Unfortunately, it did not live up to the hype I had in my head. It just wasn't as suspenseful as I thought it would be. I was expecting this to be gritty and dark and it was just okay. This is my first novel by Nathan Ripley but I would try hie first book, or a future one. I have heard great things about Find You in the Dark so we will see.
***I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.***
May 16, 2019
Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for this copy in exchange for my honest feedback. All opinions are my own.
This book was not for me. I was intrigued by the premise: the child of a murder-cult leader grows up trying to distance herself from her infamous father and discovers, with the death of her mother, that her father's cult is being revived in a very large and violent way. But I think it was Blanche's story that intrigued me, not the cult itself (I never really got a handle on the purpose or structure of the cult; it felt like details were being discovered as we went rather than being deliberately concealed and revealed). By intercutting the story with other perspectives, it lessened the impact of Blanche's story and the shock of being thrown back into the life she tried so hard to leave behind.
The cult followers did not have any redeeming qualities; when we saw them for what they were, they were universally sleazy and altogether uninteresting. For the "villains" of a story, this makes them impossible to empathize with and, in my mind, unbelievable. They were purely "crazy" rather than having a much-scarier "reason for being" that would have added a big impact to the story.
The other thing that was odd was that Blanche is never alone in the story. Her conflict is very isolating and it would make a lot of sense for her to be alone. Instead, she's saddled with her best friend/business partner/foster sister for the entire book. Jaya (the friend) is just a fount for awkward dialogue and confrontations that all just fizzle away. Her entire purpose in the book seemed to be for one big reveal near the end, which would have had a lot more impact if she hadn't been halfheartedly fighting Blanche on something every other chapter.
Essentially, this book lost my interest as soon as it brought up characters outside of Blanche, who were all very simple and uninteresting. The twists weren't unique or groundbreaking; indeed, they were telegraphed pretty far in advance. For people who don't read this genre much, the murder-cult could be a big draw and they could be satisfied with the story. However, it wasn't for me.
This book was not for me. I was intrigued by the premise: the child of a murder-cult leader grows up trying to distance herself from her infamous father and discovers, with the death of her mother, that her father's cult is being revived in a very large and violent way. But I think it was Blanche's story that intrigued me, not the cult itself (I never really got a handle on the purpose or structure of the cult; it felt like details were being discovered as we went rather than being deliberately concealed and revealed). By intercutting the story with other perspectives, it lessened the impact of Blanche's story and the shock of being thrown back into the life she tried so hard to leave behind.
The cult followers did not have any redeeming qualities; when we saw them for what they were, they were universally sleazy and altogether uninteresting. For the "villains" of a story, this makes them impossible to empathize with and, in my mind, unbelievable. They were purely "crazy" rather than having a much-scarier "reason for being" that would have added a big impact to the story.
The other thing that was odd was that Blanche is never alone in the story. Her conflict is very isolating and it would make a lot of sense for her to be alone. Instead, she's saddled with her best friend/business partner/foster sister for the entire book. Jaya (the friend) is just a fount for awkward dialogue and confrontations that all just fizzle away. Her entire purpose in the book seemed to be for one big reveal near the end, which would have had a lot more impact if she hadn't been halfheartedly fighting Blanche on something every other chapter.
Essentially, this book lost my interest as soon as it brought up characters outside of Blanche, who were all very simple and uninteresting. The twists weren't unique or groundbreaking; indeed, they were telegraphed pretty far in advance. For people who don't read this genre much, the murder-cult could be a big draw and they could be satisfied with the story. However, it wasn't for me.
June 3, 2019
2.5 stars
Your Life Is Mine by Nathan Ripley is a psychological thriller.
First, let me thank NetGalley, the publishers Simon & Schuster and Atria Books, and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
My Synopsis: (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
Blanche Potter has tried to get on with her life. Her career as a filmmaker is taking off. But she can’t out-run the past. Changing her name, moving, having nothing to do with her mother…nothing has worked. She will always be the daughter of the serial killer/cult leader Chuck Varner. Even though he died when she was a child, he lives on in people’s minds.
When her mother dies, Blanche feels nothing but relief. The woman who had raised her until she was 16 was as much of a monster as her father had been. In the years since Blanche left home, her mother has been carrying on Chuck’s name, and enlisting followers. She recruited weak-minded people and filled their heads with the same propaganda her husband had spouted. She was grooming another mass murderer….
My Opinions:
I struggled with this book. I found it to be very slow, with little excitement until the end….and then still not enough.
The premise was good, and the characters were deep enough. I just didn’t really like any of them.
There’s not really anything major wrong with this book, but somewhere it just missed the mark for me.
For a more complete review of this book and others, please visit my blog: http://katlovesbooksblog.wordpress.com/
May 31, 2019
When Blanche was a little girl she witnessed her father, a cult leader, kill nine people in a mass shooting in a mall. Two decades and a name change later, she's become a documentary film maker and thinks her old life and self are well past behind her. That is until her mother is murdered and she has to go back to her hometown as she's convinced her death is cult related and another mass shooting is gonna happen.
Though there's nothing wrong with the plot, characters or writing style this was just ok for me. We never get a clear sense of what the cult was all about in spite of being one of the main plot points and with that premise I thought it would've been a lot darker and creepier. There are a couple of good twists but the final one in which the killer's identity is revealed was quite disappointing.
All in all, a good not great mystery/thriller that you can easily read in a couple of sittings. I'll definitely check Find You In The Dark.
Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Though there's nothing wrong with the plot, characters or writing style this was just ok for me. We never get a clear sense of what the cult was all about in spite of being one of the main plot points and with that premise I thought it would've been a lot darker and creepier. There are a couple of good twists but the final one in which the killer's identity is revealed was quite disappointing.
All in all, a good not great mystery/thriller that you can easily read in a couple of sittings. I'll definitely check Find You In The Dark.
Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 232 reviews