About Face

by fern-michaels

Novel

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Suspense, Contemporary Romance, Mystery, Contemporary, Thriller

Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[ReadAlongWithSue ★⋆. ࿐࿔catching up · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very powerful read from Fern Michaels which I thoroughly enjoyed as it kept my attention from start to finish.

Its not your usual chic lit, its got suspense, mystery and will keep you wondering throughout its many pages.
I saw a different style to this authors writing in this book, it was verging on the thriller type of read.

It starts off with something happening, but quite what, you just don't get to the exact bottom of it.

Then Casey is in a mental institution after being found wandering. Shes been in there now for ten years or more and no one knows how she got in this state, what happened to her. Only the person concerned, which is of course Casey.

Casey has amnesia, which means there are several flash backs to keep up with.
Its not difficult to keep moving along with it as its very fast paced.

When Casey has to relive her past over again its a tragedy that no one wants to go through.


This is a thriller. Its not a romance, not her usual kind of stories and I tell you what, I loved it because I love dark reads like this.

I do hope she writes more like this with this style.

**My thanks go to Kensington Books via Net Galley for my copy**

[Lisa B.]

DNF at 10%

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not so good

Unbelievable story. Worst than a Lifetime movie. Just a punch of crazy southern people. Who falls in love with someone in two days when you were just released from a 10 year stay in a mental hospital. Just laughable.

[Kate · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have never been inspired enough to write a review on here before, but my god, did this book really get me there. It. Was. Atrocious. The character development was flimsy, the main character's weak reliance on a man disgusting, and the over the top-descriptions of explicit acts and abuse overdone.
Not only was the writing in itself terrible, but there were way too many characters and intersecting plots. It was utterly unbelievable, ridiculous, and frankly just trash. I could go on for days about how much I hated this book. But frankly, I've already wasted enough of my life reading the thing. I would recommend using this book for kindling before picking it up to read. I suffered so that you lot don't have to! Put it back on the shelf and slowly walk away.

[Jess]

Two attempted sexual assaults in the first 34 pages is two too many.

[Bianca · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I've received this novel via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

This novel was filed under Women's Fiction/ Literary Fiction category in Netgalley, but it's a mystery/thriller.

The main protagonist is Casey Edwards, who's spent 10 years locked up in a mental institution. She's got a usual case of total amnesia. One comes across amnesia in soap operas and books relatively often, as it adds to the drama. But the thing is, amnesia, especially total amnesia is extremely rare. So I had to work on suspending my disbelief.

Since I haven't read many books in this genre, it's a bit difficult to compare and contrast.

It was an easy read, that got better after the 10%. The writing was simple and the pace was fast, at times dizzying, with multiple narrators in play. There are lots of flashbacks and dreams, which I guess it was to be expected given Casey's amnesia.

Things were quite twisted, but nevertheless it was relatively easy to guess who'd done it.

I'm sure many readers of the genre will find this novel quite good.

It wasn't really my cup of tea, as I didn't connect or cared that much about the characters.

Recommended: To thriller/mystery lovers.
Cover:: 4 stars

[Brandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good fast read. It had a lot of twist and turns, and the stuff Casey went through as a girl and then 10 years later having to remember and relive it all over again... it just broke my heart for her and every child that has their childhood taken away, because of sick, greedy, selfish people. Now, onto something a little more lighthearted. :)

[Jessica · Rating 1 out of 5]

So for awhile I've been trying to remember the name of a book but all I remembered was glass in the lotion. I suspected Michaels was the author but without more to go on couldn't pick out the book. Pure luck put this on top of my to read pile of all my books I pulled out of storage and am now trying desperately to weed through before the next time i move. This book started off really strong and had plenty of red herrings but overall was a real disappointment. There's all this mystery and buildup and that ending just...fizzled and died a slow painful death. I felt really cheated having spent my entire day getting really involved in this book to have the "mystery" be so...blah. I mean don't get me wrong it's not terribly difficult to figure out the who of it all (though the red herrings try to throw you off) but the why is pretty cloudy until the very end but even at the end the why isnt really satisfying. The romance aspect of this book really skeezed me out. I mean we have a troubled girl with no memory trying to piece her life back together and he takes medical responsibility for her...then starts making moves on her. Then he starts talking about love...and he doesnt even know her...because she doesn't know herself...literally. It was just really weird and gave me the creeps almost as much as the actual storyline. The writing overall was pretty solid but it tended to be a little over the top and once again the author missed the mark of southern speak again. This time the opposite way...usually they try to hard this time it was too little. The author actually uses the word pop...pop...no self respecting southerner has ever said pop. It's all coke and no pepsi isn't ok jk but if we're talking generally we say soda not pop. The return of the memories fit with typical resolution of amnesia but it was difficult to make sense of as a reader because they were so jumbled.

Bottom line: Just not a good book overall and a really long dense one at that. Not one I'd recommend

[Triinu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Minu arvamuse leiab blogist https://triinuraamatud.wordpress.com/...

[Julie Dionne · Rating 3 out of 5]

J'ai aimé l'histoire mais on devine facilement le noeud de l'intrigue. J'ai apprécié qu'il y ait un épilogue qui finit bien l'histoire. J'ai aussi apprécié qu'on connaisse le sort de chaque personnage.

[Jayme · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly had a hard time finishing this one. Had it focused strictly on the mystery and suspense and left out the "romance", I would have liked it more. The writing was fine, although the edition I read was poorly edited (missing spaces between words, etc).

We open with our main character, Casey, 10 years prior to the main story. She is abused in more than one way. Flash forward 10 years and she is being released from a mental hospital with no memory of what happened to her. We then are immediately introduced to her "love interest" who happens to be a medical doctor. The romance between them seems inappropriate to me even though there are not actually any sexual encounters between the two other than a little making out here and there. It just didn't fit and the flirting between the two was corny. The townspeople were all awful and didn't seem to have any redeeming qualities except for a maybe a handful. We spend the majority of the book unraveling her past. The ending was wrapped up in a neat little bow, but left me thinking this whole book could have been so much better. And why would she want to stay there with all the horrible memories that returned and the way she was treated by almost everyone? The subject matter was very serious - a woman who was sexually abused from a young age, and manipulated by all those she should have been able to trust, but the romance portions seemed juvenile and distracting. This was my first book to read by Fern Michaels, and I wasn't impressed.

[Kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

This was just ok for me. I had a hard time following the story due to the writing style. It skipped around from one person to another without and real segue to the next section. At one point, all of a sudden someone shows up about halfway through that I had not heard of before. A lot of things happen really quickly at the end and if you are not careful, you may lose track of what's going on.

Casey has been released from a mental hospital after being locked away for the last 10 years. She has total amnesia and can't remember anything that happened to put her there. Blake is a hometown doctor and is friends with Casey's step brother Adam. Blake and Adam along with others are trying to help Casey get her memory back of what really happened. Only to find that the danger has just become all the more real and determined to keep the past secrets from ever being discovered.

[Deane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written nearly 20 years ago, this sad murder, mystery, abuse and insanity was not a favourite book. I used to really like her books e.g Texas Heat series back in the 1980s but this book was hard to get through.
Casey is kept in a large hospital for insane clients for 10 years constantly under drugs to keep her from remembering a disastrous childhood, sexual and physical abuse by a stepbrother and neglect by a mother who knew what was happening to her.
Casey has no memory of the abuse or the murder and now that she is released from the hospital she is fighting to regain that memory and her sanity.
I found the story hard to follow at times with flashbacks occuring in odd places; not a book I would recommend to anyone.

[Alea · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was one of those beach reads that doesn't have a lot of substance, but was fairly entertaining. I felt like the end was a little bit of a let-down, though. This "tragic" event that the main character couldn't remember should've been bigger, and/or the "bad" guys in the this book should have been punished more while the "good" guys better rewarded. I don't know if that makes sense. The point is, it was entertaining, but not necessarily one I'd recommend.

[Denielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had pretty much figured out the culprit halfway through the book, but I kept reading because I wanted to know what happened. There are some elements of the story that readers will find disturbing, but they are essential to the story. There were a few parts of the book that I wish the author had clarified because they were confusing. I actually reread some parts in an effort to better understand what was going on. Overall, it wasn't a bad read.

[Sheena Doyle · Rating 2 out of 5]

As much as I love a good thriller/mystery, I had a hard time not cringing during this read. I’ll admit a few moments of good writing that had me wanting to get to the next page but that was all the appeal it had on me, I debated skipping a few pages just to get it over with. The abuse was overdone, something I couldn’t move past to enjoy the rest.

10 years in a institution and she found love in two days “cringe”.

I had a hard time connecting to the characters.

[Chelsey Musante · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. I downloaded this one by accident thinking it was a different book, and I listened to the whole thing via Audible because the audio performer was great. I enjoyed listening to her and all the different voices she was able to do, but the story was so-so, kind of depressing for my liking.

[Heather Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh wow!!! I have been trying for about 3 years to remember the name and author of this book! It stayed on my mind for so long because it was so good!!!! Ill never forget it.

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome read! Fern Michaels romantic suspense About Face does not disappoint. There is suspense, greed, ulterior motives, abuse, redemption and love in this stirring novel with more twists than a roll of monkey bread. The book starts in 1987 where young Casey, fed up with her distant mother, her abusive stepbrother and no good fiance, decides to leave them all behind. her plans foil when things take a sudeen twist. The book picks up ten years later where Casey has a case of amnesia: she can't remember anything that happened before she was sent to Sanctuary, a place for the mentally insane. Only, she doesn't feel insane and everyone around her is hiding something. She hears the whispers, she sees the looks given to her and doesn't understand the hate for her in the town. Too many plot twists to mention here without spoiling the book for those who haven't read but let it be said that not everyone or everything is as they appear on the surface and just when you think you have it figured out, another twist sends your eeling. Well done Fern Michaels

[Susan Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an intense read which includes child rape, murder and horrid people. No one seems to get just punishment for their nefarious deeds.
Casey has been locked away for ten years and remembers nothing. As her memory returns, she discovers treachery at every turn.
Sometimes it's hard to tell when exactly the italicized print is happening in the time frame.
Casey seems way too forgiving to me.

The meeting with her future love interest, Dr. Blake Hunter, was bizarre. When Blake sees Casey wandering he asks her if she needs help. When she doesn't initially answer, his response is, " Can you hear me? Dammit lady, speak up." Who speaks like that when they're trying to help someone? You just need to read a few more pages to see how out of character that remark was for a caring doctor. I don't know what the author was thinking make that their first interaction.

Some of the subplots made no sense to me.

[Kristi Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, this was a page turner! This one had my emotions going all over the place. I was in tears at times, then angry and sad.
It seems unbelievable, yet so believable to what happened to Casey. But its a love story and its a journey for Casey to piece together the missing time in her life, with the help of Blake Hunter. The attraction that grew stronger as they learn life Casey lived before the tragic circumstances that lead Casey to be locked up in a sanitarium for 10 years, then released only to find out there are people who didn't want her out.
Fern Michaels is an amazing and talented writer. I can see why her Sisterhood series has been so popular.
Thank Ms. Michaels! I am very rhankful to have been picked fas a winner for your giveaway!

[Jayna · Rating 3 out of 5]

First, it has been a long time since I read a Fern Michaels book. I remember why I enjoyed it. The story was fast paced with a lot happening. It easily held my interest.

Now, the not so great. Enjoying this took some suspension of belief. It was far fetched in a lot of ways. I also hate insta-love and here we have someone with amnesia literally falling in love within the first few minutes after leaving a mental institution for a decade.

As long as you can accept that this is fiction and ignore some of the unlikely events/scenarios, it is an enjoyable read.

I received a copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Patricia Welton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would have given 4.5 stars if I could have. This book had deception, adultery, murder, a love story, corruption, greed, cover-up, investigation, and amnesia. Many characters in this one and an overall interesting storyline. This book starts in one direction and goes in a whole new direction, making me feel like the beginning direction never needed to be included. Casey has trauma induced amnesia. The book is about her journey for the truth and those bits of Information uncovered while looking for the truth.

[Eileen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story with lots of complex issues stemming from an unknown childhood trauma which brought on 10 years of amnesia. However, had I known it dealt with child abuse I would have opted to forgo this one. There wasn't any descriptive detail to worry about, just the thought of the step-brother, and then the mother not doing what she should have was simply upsetting.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Casey Edwards is found wandering along a road in Sweetwater, Georgia. She has no memory of her past and has just been released from Sanctuary Hospital for the mentally ill. I enjoyed reading this book. It has some mystery, suspense and a little romance thrown in. It will keep you reading and guessing as to the outcome. I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

[Rachelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

About Face... a young woman is molested as a child and mentally blocks the events out, which makes people believe she's crazy for her amnesia. When she's an adult, she visits many doctors about dreams that were actually terrible memories and discovers the past. Lots going on, story too cluttered for my taste.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

About Face

Extremely interesting and entertaining storyline about a young woman who has been locked in a mental institution for ten years and drugged most of the time. Recently released but with no memories of her past or why she was locked up, she is determined to unlock her past. I am definitely a Fern Michaels fan having now read and thoroughly enjoyed two of her novels.

[Melanie Eckert · Rating 1 out of 5]

Often Confusing

I was frequently confused while reading this book. The characters' actions often didn't make sense. Explanations still left you hanging. Even the epilogue left me with questions. What happened to the mother is never explained. So maybe the main character got closure, but the reader doesn't. Worst book I read all summer!

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could not put this book down once I began reading. I was sucked in big time. Unfortunately I can relate to a few of the traumatic scenes in the book and no the nightmares do not go away, but at times they aren't as bad. Yes I see that southern women can be a bit crazy with their clubs, etc. but some of the men are no princes either. I'm saving this book and I'll re-read it in a few years.

[Aishie Selway · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a hard time putting this book down because I wanted justice to be served. There were many difficult topics to read about, sad memories from a troubled childhood. I always enjoy a strong female main character and this book doesn't disappoint.