What do you think?
Rate this book
A Slow Ruin
What would you do if the only person who can find your missing daughter is the one person you can't trust?
When Felicity married into the Portman family, she could handle her narcissistic brother-in-law that came with the package. She could even endure their coddling mother who pit her grownup sons against each other. Because Felicity has a gift for dealing with drama ... until her sister-in-law Marin crossed a line she could never uncross.
Marin, who always has to outdo Felicity.
Marin, who blatantly flirts with Felicity's husband.
Marin, the last person to see Felicity's daughter alive.
Only a cryptic series of journal entries hints at why the girl vanished six months ago. But no matter how much time passes, Felicity will never stop searching. Or asking questions. Or suspecting Marin had something to do with it.
Carrying the weight of a strained marriage, failing motherhood, and crumbling business, Felicity must fight for her family, or watch everything fall into a slow ruin.
From USA TODAY bestselling author of Pretty Ugly Lies and Little Deadly Secrets comes a highly anticipated psychological thriller, perfect for fans of Lucy Foley, Lisa Jewell, My Dark Vanessa, and Ruth Ware.
When Felicity married into the Portman family, she could handle her narcissistic brother-in-law that came with the package. She could even endure their coddling mother who pit her grownup sons against each other. Because Felicity has a gift for dealing with drama ... until her sister-in-law Marin crossed a line she could never uncross.
Marin, who always has to outdo Felicity.
Marin, who blatantly flirts with Felicity's husband.
Marin, the last person to see Felicity's daughter alive.
Only a cryptic series of journal entries hints at why the girl vanished six months ago. But no matter how much time passes, Felicity will never stop searching. Or asking questions. Or suspecting Marin had something to do with it.
Carrying the weight of a strained marriage, failing motherhood, and crumbling business, Felicity must fight for her family, or watch everything fall into a slow ruin.
From USA TODAY bestselling author of Pretty Ugly Lies and Little Deadly Secrets comes a highly anticipated psychological thriller, perfect for fans of Lucy Foley, Lisa Jewell, My Dark Vanessa, and Ruth Ware.
12 pages, Audiobook
First published November 30, 2021
133 people are currently reading
3701 people want to read
About the author
Pamela Crane
25 books792 followersTo know PAMELA CRANE, you first need to know her husband. He sleeps with one eye open. He checks the knife block to make sure none are missing. Why? It could be because they have four kids and a farm full of mischievous animals. Or it could be because she writes murder mysteries, and about the occasional woman who has lost her marbles (not based on her real-life psyche, she swears!) Don't worry—her husband is safe...for now. Her books range from witty whodunnits to psychological suspense and even humorous women’s fiction thrown in for good measure. She’s a USA TODAY bestselling author of over a dozen novels (who’s counting?), but her biggest accomplishment is keeping her zoo of animals alive…and her husband in check. Grab a free book at www.pamelacrane.com.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 180 reviews
November 30, 2021
HAPPY PUBLICATION DAY!
Ruin - The physical destruction or disintegration of something or the state of disintegrating or being destroyed.
The Portman family have quite the story. Not only do Felicity and her husband, along with their three children, live in the Execution Estate (a sprawling mansion where a family was murdered years prior), there’s also the interesting history of Alvera Fields, an ancestor and Women’s rights activist who went missing in April 1910...never to be found.
In April 2021, on the anniversary of Alvera’s disappearance, Felicity’s teenage daughter, Vera, disappears without a trace.
Six months go by without answers, and Felicity is at the end of her rope. She eventually reads Vera’s diary, and a few passages convince her that she needs to dig deeper into her family if she wants to find out what happened to Vera.
I’m not sure what I was expecting when I dived into this book, but I was caught by surprise in a pleasant way. The story started off a bit on the generic “missing child” side, but sure enough...Pamela Crane’s magical writing kicked in and turned the suspense up. Each chapter left me hanging...flying to the next one, and I couldn’t get enough.
There are quite a few threads and numerous characters, but this domestic suspense novel is handled expertly. There were many moments where I had no idea where the story was going or how it would tie into another thread. I also managed to be surprised by two twists I didn’t see coming. The first one felt a bit clunky, but ultimately worked. The second one was a bit convoluted. However, that one also worked in wrapping up the story.
Overall, despite a few moments where I desired something different, this is an entertaining and riveting story. It also managed to be quite moving, which surprised me.
Thank you to Tabella House and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Expected Publication Date: 11/30/21.
Review also posted at: https://bonkersforthebooks.wordpress.com
Ruin - The physical destruction or disintegration of something or the state of disintegrating or being destroyed.
The Portman family have quite the story. Not only do Felicity and her husband, along with their three children, live in the Execution Estate (a sprawling mansion where a family was murdered years prior), there’s also the interesting history of Alvera Fields, an ancestor and Women’s rights activist who went missing in April 1910...never to be found.
In April 2021, on the anniversary of Alvera’s disappearance, Felicity’s teenage daughter, Vera, disappears without a trace.
Six months go by without answers, and Felicity is at the end of her rope. She eventually reads Vera’s diary, and a few passages convince her that she needs to dig deeper into her family if she wants to find out what happened to Vera.
I’m not sure what I was expecting when I dived into this book, but I was caught by surprise in a pleasant way. The story started off a bit on the generic “missing child” side, but sure enough...Pamela Crane’s magical writing kicked in and turned the suspense up. Each chapter left me hanging...flying to the next one, and I couldn’t get enough.
There are quite a few threads and numerous characters, but this domestic suspense novel is handled expertly. There were many moments where I had no idea where the story was going or how it would tie into another thread. I also managed to be surprised by two twists I didn’t see coming. The first one felt a bit clunky, but ultimately worked. The second one was a bit convoluted. However, that one also worked in wrapping up the story.
Overall, despite a few moments where I desired something different, this is an entertaining and riveting story. It also managed to be quite moving, which surprised me.
Thank you to Tabella House and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Expected Publication Date: 11/30/21.
Review also posted at: https://bonkersforthebooks.wordpress.com
January 6, 2023
***Don't miss this author!! Pamela Crane did not disappoint in this domestic thriller spanning almost 100 years!! With her skillful hand, she was able to incorporate a family's history of secrets and lies through several generations. The story begins in 1910, with Alvera Fields fighting for women's rights. When she disappeared, suffragists claimed someone did something to her because of what she stood for. She was very wealthy and they knew she would never leave behind her baby, husband and their beautiful estate.
The dual timeline changes to 2021 when her great-great-granddaughter Vera disappears on the exact date. What could the connection be and why? This is an emotionally charged book about a mother's search for her missing daughter and a hard look at her own parenting skills.
The Heirs never sold Alvera's estate or the remnants within, but looked at the clues left behind hoping for a solution to the most recent missing case. When parents, Felecity & Oliver locate Vera's journal, there is much to be said about the things discovered. Connecting the dots of both cases, you realize the lack of communication and warmth in the family is missing also.
There are a lot of family issues going on...infidelities, dark secrets, lies and a sister-in-law, Marin, that may have something to do with Vera's disappearance. This shady character is hard to like, as well as some of the other ones. The twist at the end will sum up some of the behavior. The author manages to mesh the story lines together. At times, I struggled to make it work, but it kept me engaged to see what the outcome would be. I will definitely continue to indulge in this author's writing for she has a style that is worth escaping inside of.
Thank you NetGalley and Independent Publishers Group for this title in exchange for my review.
The dual timeline changes to 2021 when her great-great-granddaughter Vera disappears on the exact date. What could the connection be and why? This is an emotionally charged book about a mother's search for her missing daughter and a hard look at her own parenting skills.
The Heirs never sold Alvera's estate or the remnants within, but looked at the clues left behind hoping for a solution to the most recent missing case. When parents, Felecity & Oliver locate Vera's journal, there is much to be said about the things discovered. Connecting the dots of both cases, you realize the lack of communication and warmth in the family is missing also.
There are a lot of family issues going on...infidelities, dark secrets, lies and a sister-in-law, Marin, that may have something to do with Vera's disappearance. This shady character is hard to like, as well as some of the other ones. The twist at the end will sum up some of the behavior. The author manages to mesh the story lines together. At times, I struggled to make it work, but it kept me engaged to see what the outcome would be. I will definitely continue to indulge in this author's writing for she has a style that is worth escaping inside of.
Thank you NetGalley and Independent Publishers Group for this title in exchange for my review.
January 4, 2022
“Pretty Ugly Lies” was my introduction to Pamela Crane and it blew me away! ”A Slow Ruin” was a different type of story, but it gave me the same feeling. Once the twists started, I couldn’t read fast enough.
The conclusion left me a little bewildered and I had to read the Prologue again. Just to make sure I had fully grasped what I’d just read. This would make a fantastic buddy read. It would have been fun to discuss all my theories and “wtf-did-I-just-read” moments!
Slow burns don’t always keep my attention. In this case, the historical elements and the suspense of trying to figure out all the mysterious secrets being kept helped keep me focused. I also loved that Ms. Crane used an ancestor and a cold-case for her inspiration.
Huge thanks to Pamela Crane for an e-copy of this book!
#aslowruin #pamelacrane #tabellahouse #bookreview #inexchangeforreview #bookreviewer #justfinishedreading
The conclusion left me a little bewildered and I had to read the Prologue again. Just to make sure I had fully grasped what I’d just read. This would make a fantastic buddy read. It would have been fun to discuss all my theories and “wtf-did-I-just-read” moments!
Slow burns don’t always keep my attention. In this case, the historical elements and the suspense of trying to figure out all the mysterious secrets being kept helped keep me focused. I also loved that Ms. Crane used an ancestor and a cold-case for her inspiration.
Huge thanks to Pamela Crane for an e-copy of this book!
#aslowruin #pamelacrane #tabellahouse #bookreview #inexchangeforreview #bookreviewer #justfinishedreading
February 3, 2022
This is the story about the sudden disappearance of a young teen, Vera Portman. Ironically, Vera's namesake and great grandmother also happened to disappear on the same day as Vera but in 1910 during the women’s suffrage movement.
Vera's parents are besides themselves with worry wondering where Vera may have disappeared. Felicity Portman worries that she may be responsible for her daughter possibly running away.
Things get exponentially complicated when the body of a missing teen girl appears, the family anxiously awaits for the forensic report hoping that it is not Vera.
Suspicions further arise when Felicity's sister-in-law Marin, the last person to speak to Vera may know where she is, or what happened to her. Marin doesn't fit perfectly into the family. Marin isn't rich, she's had a broken past, she isn't....well perfect.
A Slow Ruin is a slow burn book with twists and turns. It was like putting a key into a lock and turning until you think the door is fully unlocked but then realizing you haven't fully unlocked it.
I like to pride myself on having a good sense of where a book will turn, but I must say that Slow Ruin really took me in different directions. I was left with a gaping mouth as the story unraveled.
Pamela Crane does a wonderful job of surprise and mystery. However, the connection between the great grandmother and Vera never came together for me. I believe the book would have done better as a stand alone without the secondary mystery.
Overall, A Slow Ruin was a fun thriller/mystery.
4/5 Stars.
Thank you to Pamela Crane, Tabella House and NetFalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Vera's parents are besides themselves with worry wondering where Vera may have disappeared. Felicity Portman worries that she may be responsible for her daughter possibly running away.
Things get exponentially complicated when the body of a missing teen girl appears, the family anxiously awaits for the forensic report hoping that it is not Vera.
Suspicions further arise when Felicity's sister-in-law Marin, the last person to speak to Vera may know where she is, or what happened to her. Marin doesn't fit perfectly into the family. Marin isn't rich, she's had a broken past, she isn't....well perfect.
A Slow Ruin is a slow burn book with twists and turns. It was like putting a key into a lock and turning until you think the door is fully unlocked but then realizing you haven't fully unlocked it.
I like to pride myself on having a good sense of where a book will turn, but I must say that Slow Ruin really took me in different directions. I was left with a gaping mouth as the story unraveled.
Pamela Crane does a wonderful job of surprise and mystery. However, the connection between the great grandmother and Vera never came together for me. I believe the book would have done better as a stand alone without the secondary mystery.
Overall, A Slow Ruin was a fun thriller/mystery.
4/5 Stars.
Thank you to Pamela Crane, Tabella House and NetFalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
October 15, 2021
This is my 4th read by this author enjoying all the novels especially ‘The Sister in-law’ so was looking forward to this one.
Alvera Fields, a women’s rights activist mysteriously vanishes from her home in April 1910. Her husband and newborn baby never saw her again and the mystery remained unsolved. In April 2021 on the anniversary of her great-great-grandmother’s disappearance, Vera Portman also vanishes.
The police discover the body of a girl six moths later leaving the Portman family eagerly waiting to find out if it is Vera. Her mother Felicity desperately hopes against the odds that her teenage daughter is still alive. While Felicity senses a link between the two cases all the suspicion is focussed on the last person who saw Vera alive, Felicity’s sister-in-law, Marin.
As Felicity makes a shocking discovery in Vera’s journal, she questions who her daughter really is. The deeper she digs, the more she’s ensnared in the same mysteries that claimed their ancestor in a terribly slow ruin.
Although I did enjoy the novel I didn’t feel the book achieved the same high standards of the other four books by this author I have read.
I would like to thank both Netgalley and Tabella House for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Alvera Fields, a women’s rights activist mysteriously vanishes from her home in April 1910. Her husband and newborn baby never saw her again and the mystery remained unsolved. In April 2021 on the anniversary of her great-great-grandmother’s disappearance, Vera Portman also vanishes.
The police discover the body of a girl six moths later leaving the Portman family eagerly waiting to find out if it is Vera. Her mother Felicity desperately hopes against the odds that her teenage daughter is still alive. While Felicity senses a link between the two cases all the suspicion is focussed on the last person who saw Vera alive, Felicity’s sister-in-law, Marin.
As Felicity makes a shocking discovery in Vera’s journal, she questions who her daughter really is. The deeper she digs, the more she’s ensnared in the same mysteries that claimed their ancestor in a terribly slow ruin.
Although I did enjoy the novel I didn’t feel the book achieved the same high standards of the other four books by this author I have read.
I would like to thank both Netgalley and Tabella House for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
May 5, 2022
In 1910, a women's rights activist disappears. 111 years later, on the exact same day, her great great granddaughter, Vera, disappears.
Her mom, Felicity has been hiding something from Vera, and assumes she found out and she ran away. It's been six months with no word from her. At the center of the mystery is Marin, Vera's aunt and the last person to see her alive.
Told in alternating perspectives of Felicity and Marin, you learn about all of the secrets and betrayels. There are a few surprises. I'll call them major twists, both shocking and one of them was expertly crafted.
Superbly done on audio.
Her mom, Felicity has been hiding something from Vera, and assumes she found out and she ran away. It's been six months with no word from her. At the center of the mystery is Marin, Vera's aunt and the last person to see her alive.
Told in alternating perspectives of Felicity and Marin, you learn about all of the secrets and betrayels. There are a few surprises. I'll call them major twists, both shocking and one of them was expertly crafted.
Superbly done on audio.
February 16, 2022
4.5 stars
Oh wow! I really liked this psychological thriller! It was probably one the twistiest books I’ve read in recent memory. Deceit, lies and secrets…you’ll find all of this and more. In the spirit of giving nothing away, I will just say that I had to go back and re-read some parts. My mind was blown!
When 15 year old Vera disappears from her home, her mother Felicity and father Oliver are beside themselves with worry. It is presumed that she ran away based on a cryptic message Felicity received from her earlier that day. However, as time goes on, there’s no sign of Vera and the police run into a brick wall, Felicity takes it upon herself to start digging into her daughter’s life to hopefully find clues that will tell her where she went and why. Mixed in with the plot is another mystery that involves Vera’s great grandmother, a suffragette involved in the early 20th century women’s movement, who disappeared without a trace leaving her wealthy husband and young daughter. This mystery is told through a series of newspaper clippings dating back to when she disappeared.
My only criticisms were that the two mysteries didn’t really converge all that well despite, what appeared to be attempts, to do so. The ending was a tad far fetched with one reveal explanation not making much sense to me. But I still had a fun time with this audiobook. The narrators are all seasoned performers and were able to add depth to the characters.
Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
Oh wow! I really liked this psychological thriller! It was probably one the twistiest books I’ve read in recent memory. Deceit, lies and secrets…you’ll find all of this and more. In the spirit of giving nothing away, I will just say that I had to go back and re-read some parts. My mind was blown!
When 15 year old Vera disappears from her home, her mother Felicity and father Oliver are beside themselves with worry. It is presumed that she ran away based on a cryptic message Felicity received from her earlier that day. However, as time goes on, there’s no sign of Vera and the police run into a brick wall, Felicity takes it upon herself to start digging into her daughter’s life to hopefully find clues that will tell her where she went and why. Mixed in with the plot is another mystery that involves Vera’s great grandmother, a suffragette involved in the early 20th century women’s movement, who disappeared without a trace leaving her wealthy husband and young daughter. This mystery is told through a series of newspaper clippings dating back to when she disappeared.
My only criticisms were that the two mysteries didn’t really converge all that well despite, what appeared to be attempts, to do so. The ending was a tad far fetched with one reveal explanation not making much sense to me. But I still had a fun time with this audiobook. The narrators are all seasoned performers and were able to add depth to the characters.
Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
November 8, 2021
JFC. this was absolutely terrible. there were so many unnecessary filler details. there were 3 or 4 different stories in the book that the author TRIED to tie together but didn’t have enough in the main story not to make them all into their own. it was annoying. oh and the prologue had nothing to do with the pittsburgh article before it. and never got mentioned again until the last chapter. yet had nothing to do with the rest of the book. the girl dying at the beginning wasn’t even vera, it was marin and marin’s dead mother, risen from the ashes like some days of our lives shit, was the one that killed marin. then the random “foster” that the grandma briefly mentioned on ONE page of the book decides to crawl outta the woodwork at the end to become something.
my blood was boiling by the end of this book i was so irritated. what a waste.
my blood was boiling by the end of this book i was so irritated. what a waste.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 13, 2021
“A Slow Ruin” is a slow burn for sure. I found myself wavering all over while reading this. I really liked some things, and other things, not so much. This is a hard one for me to rate and review!
The synopsis is about all that can be revealed - in April of 2021, a teenage girl named Vera goes missing. Coincidentally(?), on the same day in April of 1910, the girl’s great-great-grandmother also went missing. Personally, I think the whole 1910 story wasn’t necessary, but I guess it added an extra layer, as did the suffragette who is loosely based on a relative of the author.
The author wrote a note at the beginning, explaining that the 1910 parts were a true story of a woman who went missing and was never found. She took that story and tied it with a modern-day missing child story, with her niece writing Vera’s journal entries and her own daughter posing for the cover. I love that she put a lot of thought into this book, so I feel badly that I only found it to be average.
Cons:
*The first half is really slow and cumbersome, and it took awhile to get interesting
*The characters were pretty one-dimensional; I found it hard to keep everyone straight in the beginning
*The ending was a bit too dramatic for me
Pros:
*The second half was much better, and had many twists (nothing too crazy, though)
*The author must be around my age, because the pop culture references were fantastic and I think I caught them all (Mortimer Randolph is a great one)
*I didn’t hate this, and even the slow parts were decent with twists galore
Overall, I’m going right down the middle with three stars on this one. I think some people’s opinions may be higher, but this one just didn’t hit me the way it could have.
(Thank you to Tabella House, Pamela Crane, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.)
The synopsis is about all that can be revealed - in April of 2021, a teenage girl named Vera goes missing. Coincidentally(?), on the same day in April of 1910, the girl’s great-great-grandmother also went missing. Personally, I think the whole 1910 story wasn’t necessary, but I guess it added an extra layer, as did the suffragette who is loosely based on a relative of the author.
The author wrote a note at the beginning, explaining that the 1910 parts were a true story of a woman who went missing and was never found. She took that story and tied it with a modern-day missing child story, with her niece writing Vera’s journal entries and her own daughter posing for the cover. I love that she put a lot of thought into this book, so I feel badly that I only found it to be average.
Cons:
*The first half is really slow and cumbersome, and it took awhile to get interesting
*The characters were pretty one-dimensional; I found it hard to keep everyone straight in the beginning
*The ending was a bit too dramatic for me
Pros:
*The second half was much better, and had many twists (nothing too crazy, though)
*The author must be around my age, because the pop culture references were fantastic and I think I caught them all (Mortimer Randolph is a great one)
*I didn’t hate this, and even the slow parts were decent with twists galore
Overall, I’m going right down the middle with three stars on this one. I think some people’s opinions may be higher, but this one just didn’t hit me the way it could have.
(Thank you to Tabella House, Pamela Crane, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.)
November 28, 2021
3.5/5
The Sister-in-Law was my first time reading Pamela Crane earlier this year, and after really enjoying it I was really excited to dive into A Slow Ruin. The cover caught my attention immediately and I love that it is her actual daughter on the cover, plus the fact that Alvera Fields was loosely based on someone in Crane's family. I found the history parts to be really interesting and I loved the way she scattered newspaper articles about Fields throughout the book. The first chapter starts with an unknown narrator and her daughter, and I ended up having to go back to read it again after I was done with the book just to fully understand what had happened. The twist was completely crazy and there are also a couple of other twists along the way that I wasn't expecting.
There are multiple narrators along with the newspaper articles, and all of the viewpoints minus the articles felt very unreliable. There is so much mystery surrounding both Marin and Felicity and I really enjoyed the way Crane slowly brought their secrets to the surface. I did get a little confused with the timelines and what happened when, so the major twist really threw me for a loop. I would imagine this was done on purpose to up the shock value, but I would have liked it if things had been a bit clearer in that respect. Besides that, I loved the secrets and all the drama, and I thought this was a very solid plot. It is a really slow burn which I think is important to note so you go in with the correct expectations. A Slow Ruin definitely lived up to its name in that respect, but I was engaged the entire time and was happy with the level of suspense. If you like slow-burn mysteries I would definitely recommend giving this one a try!
Thank you to the author for my free digital copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
The Sister-in-Law was my first time reading Pamela Crane earlier this year, and after really enjoying it I was really excited to dive into A Slow Ruin. The cover caught my attention immediately and I love that it is her actual daughter on the cover, plus the fact that Alvera Fields was loosely based on someone in Crane's family. I found the history parts to be really interesting and I loved the way she scattered newspaper articles about Fields throughout the book. The first chapter starts with an unknown narrator and her daughter, and I ended up having to go back to read it again after I was done with the book just to fully understand what had happened. The twist was completely crazy and there are also a couple of other twists along the way that I wasn't expecting.
There are multiple narrators along with the newspaper articles, and all of the viewpoints minus the articles felt very unreliable. There is so much mystery surrounding both Marin and Felicity and I really enjoyed the way Crane slowly brought their secrets to the surface. I did get a little confused with the timelines and what happened when, so the major twist really threw me for a loop. I would imagine this was done on purpose to up the shock value, but I would have liked it if things had been a bit clearer in that respect. Besides that, I loved the secrets and all the drama, and I thought this was a very solid plot. It is a really slow burn which I think is important to note so you go in with the correct expectations. A Slow Ruin definitely lived up to its name in that respect, but I was engaged the entire time and was happy with the level of suspense. If you like slow-burn mysteries I would definitely recommend giving this one a try!
Thank you to the author for my free digital copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
January 28, 2022
I have mixed emotions about this book. Part of me truly enjoyed it, while the other part was irritated. I liked the idea of connecting the disappearance of the suffragette with the disappearance of the daughter, but I felt like that parallel wasn't quite complete. I also felt like some of the big reveals were obvious. Especially when it came to Felicity's big crime. I also had a hard time liking many of the characters. Felicity's whininess drove me nuts. I understand that she was struggling with the loss of her daughter, but her helplessness irritated me.
There were also a lot of different perspectives. There were the two sister-in-laws Marin and Felicity, but there was also an unknown person who wasn't revealed until the end, the suffragette, the daughter, and the husbands. Usually, I do enjoy seeing through the eyes of multiple different people, but I felt like the beginning and the end of this book gave me a bad case of whiplash. There were too many switches, and some of the perspectives didn't make any sense until the very end of the book.
Overall, I felt like this was almost a fantastic book. It feels like the author was reaching for it and would have been there with a few tweaks. I get her underlying goal here and I think it is a wonderful idea, she just didn't quite make it through to the book's full potential.
There were also a lot of different perspectives. There were the two sister-in-laws Marin and Felicity, but there was also an unknown person who wasn't revealed until the end, the suffragette, the daughter, and the husbands. Usually, I do enjoy seeing through the eyes of multiple different people, but I felt like the beginning and the end of this book gave me a bad case of whiplash. There were too many switches, and some of the perspectives didn't make any sense until the very end of the book.
Overall, I felt like this was almost a fantastic book. It feels like the author was reaching for it and would have been there with a few tweaks. I get her underlying goal here and I think it is a wonderful idea, she just didn't quite make it through to the book's full potential.
October 22, 2021
A women’s rights activist named Alvera Fields completely disappears one night in 1910. She left a husband and newborn baby behind. The case went cold and unsolved. Fast forward 111 years and Alvera’s great-great-granddaughter, Vera Portman vanishes into thin air. Vera’s mother, Felicity, never gives up hope that her daughter is still alive. Felicity senses that the 2 cold cases are somehow related and that Felicity’s sister-in-law, Marin, had something to do with her daughter’s disappearance!
A SLOW RUIN was a twisty tale that kept me glued to the pages. This thrill ride will keep you on your toes with lots of characters and family drama. I felt that the storylines all tied together nicely in the end and it was a great book!
Many thanks to Pamela Crane for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.
This review will be posted to my Instagram Blog (@coffee.break.book.reviews) in the near future.
A SLOW RUIN was a twisty tale that kept me glued to the pages. This thrill ride will keep you on your toes with lots of characters and family drama. I felt that the storylines all tied together nicely in the end and it was a great book!
Many thanks to Pamela Crane for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.
This review will be posted to my Instagram Blog (@coffee.break.book.reviews) in the near future.
November 28, 2021
This was such a good book! I loved the dual POVs and timelines between Marin and Felicity and how they both had deep, dark secrets. It definitely made it hard to figure out the mystery behind Vera's disappearance. The twists and turns were great and had me flying through the pages!
Fun Fact: The author's daughter is on the book cover and her niece wrote the diary entries, which I think is just so cool!
Thank you to the author, Pamela Crane, for the gifted e-copy of this book!
Fun Fact: The author's daughter is on the book cover and her niece wrote the diary entries, which I think is just so cool!
Thank you to the author, Pamela Crane, for the gifted e-copy of this book!
February 1, 2022
This is hard to rate and review. There were things that I liked and things that I didn’t so I kind of went all over the place with my thoughts and feelings. There’s not a lot to share that doesn’t give spoilers so I’ll keep this short.
On April 16, 2021, 15 year old Vera goes missing, which is coincidentally is the exact date in 1910 that her great great grandmother went missing as well. Her great grandmother was an important part of the suffragette movement. In the process of trying to find their daughter, Vera’s parents and other family members are forced to face all the lies and hidden secrets of their past that led up to her being gone.
The author did make a note at th beginning of the book explaining that the chapters that took place in 1910 were based on a relative of the author and she was never found. She tied that story with the thriller concept of the missing child.
The first half as kind of clunky and cumbersome but the second half helped make up for it but the characters were pretty unlikeable and shallow but there were lots of fun pop culture references that made it kind of fun to think back on.
I liked that there were multiple narrators but a couple of them were really dreadful-especially Marin. She sounded like she’s just reading off the script. No personality whatsoever.
Thanks to Tabella House and NetGalley for the audiobook arc in exchange for my review.
On April 16, 2021, 15 year old Vera goes missing, which is coincidentally is the exact date in 1910 that her great great grandmother went missing as well. Her great grandmother was an important part of the suffragette movement. In the process of trying to find their daughter, Vera’s parents and other family members are forced to face all the lies and hidden secrets of their past that led up to her being gone.
The author did make a note at th beginning of the book explaining that the chapters that took place in 1910 were based on a relative of the author and she was never found. She tied that story with the thriller concept of the missing child.
The first half as kind of clunky and cumbersome but the second half helped make up for it but the characters were pretty unlikeable and shallow but there were lots of fun pop culture references that made it kind of fun to think back on.
I liked that there were multiple narrators but a couple of them were really dreadful-especially Marin. She sounded like she’s just reading off the script. No personality whatsoever.
Thanks to Tabella House and NetGalley for the audiobook arc in exchange for my review.
November 21, 2021
This is a great mystery thriller.
Through press cuttings we learn that Alvera Fields, a women’s rights activist mysteriously vanishes from her home in April 1910. Her husband and newborn baby never saw her again and the mystery remained unsolved.
In April 2021 on the anniversary of her great-great-grandmother’s disappearance, Vera Portman also vanishes.
Her mother, Felicity, is devastated and when six months have passed she is desparate to find her daughter, especially when a body is found.
Felicity doesn’t trust her sister in law, Marin, and it’s clear there’s a bitter rivalry between them for the affection of Vera.
Felicity faces up to her own truths and also learns some things about Marin, and it’s a race against time to find her daughter.
This is a bit of a slow burner but the final few chapters fly by as more and more is revealed.
Thanks to Bloodhound Books for the opportunity to read this book.
Through press cuttings we learn that Alvera Fields, a women’s rights activist mysteriously vanishes from her home in April 1910. Her husband and newborn baby never saw her again and the mystery remained unsolved.
In April 2021 on the anniversary of her great-great-grandmother’s disappearance, Vera Portman also vanishes.
Her mother, Felicity, is devastated and when six months have passed she is desparate to find her daughter, especially when a body is found.
Felicity doesn’t trust her sister in law, Marin, and it’s clear there’s a bitter rivalry between them for the affection of Vera.
Felicity faces up to her own truths and also learns some things about Marin, and it’s a race against time to find her daughter.
This is a bit of a slow burner but the final few chapters fly by as more and more is revealed.
Thanks to Bloodhound Books for the opportunity to read this book.
February 1, 2022
Book Review. Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this advanced audio version for my honest review. I love a good unsolved mystery. In April 1910 a women’s rights activist, Alvera Fields vanishes from her home. Her husband and newborn are left wondering what happened. The case goes unsolved.
Fast forward April 2021 Alvera’s great-great-granddaughter, Vera disappears as well. Could these cases be connected? As a body is discovered, Vera’s mother Felicity waits to find out if the body is her daughter. Suspicion falls on the last person to have seen Vera live, which is her sister-in-law Marin.
Marin’s background is trouble. While the investigation starts, Felicity discovers her daughter’s journal. Does she really know her daughter? Are they mysteries connected? Where they able to solve either mystery. This audio book is narrated well, and takes you on a wild ride. Do we ever know the people closest to us? Whom do we trust?
#netgalley, #aslowrun, #pamelacrane, #bookreview, #bookstagram, #stamperlady50, #booksconnectus, #dreamscapemedia, #audiobook
Fast forward April 2021 Alvera’s great-great-granddaughter, Vera disappears as well. Could these cases be connected? As a body is discovered, Vera’s mother Felicity waits to find out if the body is her daughter. Suspicion falls on the last person to have seen Vera live, which is her sister-in-law Marin.
Marin’s background is trouble. While the investigation starts, Felicity discovers her daughter’s journal. Does she really know her daughter? Are they mysteries connected? Where they able to solve either mystery. This audio book is narrated well, and takes you on a wild ride. Do we ever know the people closest to us? Whom do we trust?
#netgalley, #aslowrun, #pamelacrane, #bookreview, #bookstagram, #stamperlady50, #booksconnectus, #dreamscapemedia, #audiobook
May 20, 2022
Squeeze Me & Call Me A Rubber Ducky! 😳😯🤯😳😯🤯
Wholy cannoli! I cannot believe I haven't read this sooner - shame on me! Once again this book starts off with a deadly bang and keeps ramping up the tension and suspense. I'm certain I came close to having a heart attack a few times because boy did my chest feel tight. Addictive is an understatement for this novel! I couldn't put it down - I legit fed my dog & dad lunch on autopilot while reading; I couldn't tear my eyes away. Suspense & tension are so tight you need a compass to navigate!
Mყ 𝐒ყɴ𝐨ρѕιѕ: Felicity married into the Portman family but as we know, when you marry your significant other, you're marrying into the family - issues and all. But Marin, the sister-in-law seems to make everything competitive against Felicity and always one up her. Until the utmost unnerving thing can happen- Marin being the last person to see Felicity's daughter before she vanished. As months pass she will never stop searching for her daughter, but as her world starts to come undone from every aspect, can she fight for her family and survive the secrets she needs to unveil?
These two characters going back and forth are scrumptious, deeply dark, and so freakin' twisted I feel like a sailor's knot after it all! That ending was unreal and I LOVED it! The delish-ness for this thriller is insane. Forget making desert tonight - read this damn novel! 😍
𝐌𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐭: 4.5 / 5 Lily's! 🪷
Wholy cannoli! I cannot believe I haven't read this sooner - shame on me! Once again this book starts off with a deadly bang and keeps ramping up the tension and suspense. I'm certain I came close to having a heart attack a few times because boy did my chest feel tight. Addictive is an understatement for this novel! I couldn't put it down - I legit fed my dog & dad lunch on autopilot while reading; I couldn't tear my eyes away. Suspense & tension are so tight you need a compass to navigate!
Mყ 𝐒ყɴ𝐨ρѕιѕ: Felicity married into the Portman family but as we know, when you marry your significant other, you're marrying into the family - issues and all. But Marin, the sister-in-law seems to make everything competitive against Felicity and always one up her. Until the utmost unnerving thing can happen- Marin being the last person to see Felicity's daughter before she vanished. As months pass she will never stop searching for her daughter, but as her world starts to come undone from every aspect, can she fight for her family and survive the secrets she needs to unveil?
These two characters going back and forth are scrumptious, deeply dark, and so freakin' twisted I feel like a sailor's knot after it all! That ending was unreal and I LOVED it! The delish-ness for this thriller is insane. Forget making desert tonight - read this damn novel! 😍
𝐌𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐭: 4.5 / 5 Lily's! 🪷
February 11, 2022
A slow ruin is the perfect title for this book because it slowly ruined my day.
Thanks to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and the author Pamela Crane for the advanced copy of A Slow Ruin. Upon reading the synopsis for this book, I was instantly intrigued. Alvera Feilds vanishes without a trace in 1910, leaving behind her husband and baby. The case is never solved. Years later her great granddaughter and namesake Vera Portman also goes missing on the same day, also seemingly without a trace. Unfortunately for me, the synopsis was the most interesting part of the story. This book fell completely flat for me. I found the characters unlikeable and the story seemed to drag without ever giving any real details that might hook the reader. This is the first book I have read by this author and I do think there was potential here for the book to be interesting it just didn’t seem to deliver.
Thanks to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and the author Pamela Crane for the advanced copy of A Slow Ruin. Upon reading the synopsis for this book, I was instantly intrigued. Alvera Feilds vanishes without a trace in 1910, leaving behind her husband and baby. The case is never solved. Years later her great granddaughter and namesake Vera Portman also goes missing on the same day, also seemingly without a trace. Unfortunately for me, the synopsis was the most interesting part of the story. This book fell completely flat for me. I found the characters unlikeable and the story seemed to drag without ever giving any real details that might hook the reader. This is the first book I have read by this author and I do think there was potential here for the book to be interesting it just didn’t seem to deliver.
December 22, 2021
I have to admit, I was in two minds about this book as it had a great premise starting with one of our main character's namesakes and her disappearance back in 1910 and how she was never found again and then it jumps to the present moment and Felicity and Oliver's eldest daughter Vera has vanished. She hasn't been seen or heard from in six months and it looks like she could be gone forever. We also learn that not only Felicity and Oliver, but the "WHOLE" family are keeping some pretty messed up and dark secrets and they are all blaming themselves for Vera's disappearance. All Felicity wants is her daughter back as she feels like she has lost part of herself and can't function as is she without Vera and her marriage is starting to strain as their youngest daughter Sydney is dying and Vera was their only hope of saving her. I have to admit, this was a very busy book with what felt like a lot of characters' storylines and way too many secrets. Also, all the characters just felt so unstable. When the truth is revealed, I wanted to throw the book across the table as like seriously WTF and then to add that, the book took a weird twist with Aunt Marin that confused the heck out of me and even now I am still not 100% accurate to the timelines of the story as I got so confused with her twist. I do have to say. that one thing I do like about Pamela Crane's books as it was the same with Pretty Ugly Lies, was that you don't see the endings coming and they keep making you guess and even after you finish the book, it makes you think about it as you try and work out what just occurred.
I am now looking forward to trying her other books which I have three to read on my Kindle
I am now looking forward to trying her other books which I have three to read on my Kindle
December 20, 2021
I love when a story begins with an assault to my senses and A Slow Ruin by Pamela Crane does just that. Pamela does a great job of grabbing my attention and keeping me flipping pages, having to know what happens next.
A missing woman in 1910. 111 years later, a missing teen. What could they have in common?
Once we get going, I found myself being taken through each characters point of view. It has its good and bad points when done this way. I do like knowing what each character is going through, but it feels a bit choppy. Having read some of her work, I feel confident she’ll bring everything together as all their secrets are revealed. Secrets that haunt them. Secrets that dictate their feelings and actions every day.
No matter what, don’t become complacent. There is more going on than meets the eye.
If you are looking for dysfunctional, damaged characters, secrets, lies and betrayal, mystery and danger, life and death, all while clinging onto the edge of a roller coaster, jerked willy nilly, then A Slow Ruin by Pamela Crane is for you.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of A Slow Ruin by Pamela Crane.
See more at fundinmental
A missing woman in 1910. 111 years later, a missing teen. What could they have in common?
Once we get going, I found myself being taken through each characters point of view. It has its good and bad points when done this way. I do like knowing what each character is going through, but it feels a bit choppy. Having read some of her work, I feel confident she’ll bring everything together as all their secrets are revealed. Secrets that haunt them. Secrets that dictate their feelings and actions every day.
No matter what, don’t become complacent. There is more going on than meets the eye.
If you are looking for dysfunctional, damaged characters, secrets, lies and betrayal, mystery and danger, life and death, all while clinging onto the edge of a roller coaster, jerked willy nilly, then A Slow Ruin by Pamela Crane is for you.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of A Slow Ruin by Pamela Crane.
See more at fundinmental
November 22, 2021
I am freaking DIZZY from being twisted this way and that way in this book!!! This isn’t your typical domestic thriller! First, I need to say that Pamela Crane has a way of writing that is both a professional novelist and also writing first person perspectives in which you feel like you’re reading actual thoughts in real peoples’ minds. Their personalities are so evident and I love the sarcasm, the wit, and the raw emotions. My zillions of theories were ALL FREAKING WRONG!!! Every last tiny one of them and I’m SO hear for it!!! That was my favorite part! And then I wanted answers. And I wanted MORE answers. And I wanted to know what happens after the end of this book and it’s like Pamela was like, “Oh, here you go, Stephanie!” And she kept giving me the answers to all of my burning questions! This is definitely on my list of favorite books of the year and is now on my permanent list of books to recommend!!!
May 4, 2022
3.5 ⭐⭐⭐
had to give it more tries but really grew into it
had to give it more tries but really grew into it
January 2, 2022
April 1910. Women’s rights activist Alvera Fields mysteriously vanishes from her home one night, leaving her newborn baby and husband behind, the case never solved.
April 2021. On the anniversary of her great-great-grandmother’s disappearance, Alvera’s namesake Vera Portman vanishes in an eerily similar manner..
This sets the scene for a remarkable and intense story by Pamela Crane. I read this book in one sitting as I was unable to put it down, the story spans over 100 years with two narrators leading us through this impressive read. I have read other books by Pamela Crane but for some reason this one resonated with me more, I think I identified with the characters more in this book than others and was just riveted to the pages wanting to know what would happen. in regard to these family dynamics, they definitely are a complicated bunch. The twits and turns continued throughout and I have to say that this book is one of my favourite all time reads. I will remember it for a long time.
Thank you to Netgalley the author and publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
April 2021. On the anniversary of her great-great-grandmother’s disappearance, Alvera’s namesake Vera Portman vanishes in an eerily similar manner..
This sets the scene for a remarkable and intense story by Pamela Crane. I read this book in one sitting as I was unable to put it down, the story spans over 100 years with two narrators leading us through this impressive read. I have read other books by Pamela Crane but for some reason this one resonated with me more, I think I identified with the characters more in this book than others and was just riveted to the pages wanting to know what would happen. in regard to these family dynamics, they definitely are a complicated bunch. The twits and turns continued throughout and I have to say that this book is one of my favourite all time reads. I will remember it for a long time.
Thank you to Netgalley the author and publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
February 27, 2022
Looking for spoilers? There's a summary on my blog: https://www.howdidthatbookend.com/pam...
A Slow Ruin lived up to its name in that it is an engaging slow-burn mystery about uncovering family secrets. The 1910 timeline in A Slow Ruin is loosely based on events in the author’s own family history, which made those chapters even more interesting to me. I would have liked more of Alvera’s story and timeline, since her story seemed so unique and interesting. The jacket blurb really has very little to do with the actual plot.
Most of my strong thoughts about this story can’t be said without spoilers, so if you’ve read it, head over to my blog for a spoiler discussion:
I found it hard to like many of the characters.
Overall, the storyline was interesting and I wasn’t expecting the big twist. In practice, though, many parts were somewhat convoluted. It seemed like the author was leading the reader through a maze in order to surprise them with the ending.
Audio Review: The audiobook was narrated by Angie Kane, Caitlin Cavannaugh, Lesa Lockford, and Carolina Hoyos. I’m not sure which was which, but I didn't like the narrator that did some of Marin's parts. Her voice was unnecessarily whiny, and she kept alternating how she pronounced "Marin". MARE-in vs. muh-RIN. I noticed the discrepancy in pronunciation a few times and at first thought that it was different voice actors saying it differently, but then someone changed the pronunciation within two adjacent sentences. That would have been such an easy thing to clarify/edit that really stood out to me.
Other than that, the audio was enjoyable. I think I would have preferred a physical copy to be able to flip back and remind myself what was going on (especially in the prologue), but I was happy with the production in general.
A Slow Ruin lived up to its name in that it is an engaging slow-burn mystery about uncovering family secrets. The 1910 timeline in A Slow Ruin is loosely based on events in the author’s own family history, which made those chapters even more interesting to me. I would have liked more of Alvera’s story and timeline, since her story seemed so unique and interesting. The jacket blurb really has very little to do with the actual plot.
Most of my strong thoughts about this story can’t be said without spoilers, so if you’ve read it, head over to my blog for a spoiler discussion:
I found it hard to like many of the characters.
Overall, the storyline was interesting and I wasn’t expecting the big twist. In practice, though, many parts were somewhat convoluted. It seemed like the author was leading the reader through a maze in order to surprise them with the ending.
Audio Review: The audiobook was narrated by Angie Kane, Caitlin Cavannaugh, Lesa Lockford, and Carolina Hoyos. I’m not sure which was which, but I didn't like the narrator that did some of Marin's parts. Her voice was unnecessarily whiny, and she kept alternating how she pronounced "Marin". MARE-in vs. muh-RIN. I noticed the discrepancy in pronunciation a few times and at first thought that it was different voice actors saying it differently, but then someone changed the pronunciation within two adjacent sentences. That would have been such an easy thing to clarify/edit that really stood out to me.
Other than that, the audio was enjoyable. I think I would have preferred a physical copy to be able to flip back and remind myself what was going on (especially in the prologue), but I was happy with the production in general.
November 29, 2021
April 1910: Women’s rights activist Alvera Fields mysteriously vanished from her home one night, leaving her newborn baby and husband behind, the case never solved.
April 2021: On the anniversary of her great-great-grandmother’s disappearance, Alvera’s namesake Vera Portman vanishes in an eerily similar manner.
Six months go by with no answers, and then a girl’s body is found. The more they search, the more secrets and mysteries are unveiled.
A family strewn together amid lies, betrayals and more lies. I was taken in by the history and story of disappearance of Alvera in 1910 and the eeriness of Execution Estate, the home where Vera lived with her parents after a brutal family execution occurred decades earlier.
Although there are are several characters and multiple storylines, they all align in the end. I was thoroughly surprised with the twists and all the family drama. I was also stunned to learn that this book is loosely based on the author’s family history and her niece had a part in writing Vera’s journal entries. This story is a slow ruin full of suspense!
Thank you @author.Pamela.crane for my gifted e-arc!
April 2021: On the anniversary of her great-great-grandmother’s disappearance, Alvera’s namesake Vera Portman vanishes in an eerily similar manner.
Six months go by with no answers, and then a girl’s body is found. The more they search, the more secrets and mysteries are unveiled.
A family strewn together amid lies, betrayals and more lies. I was taken in by the history and story of disappearance of Alvera in 1910 and the eeriness of Execution Estate, the home where Vera lived with her parents after a brutal family execution occurred decades earlier.
Although there are are several characters and multiple storylines, they all align in the end. I was thoroughly surprised with the twists and all the family drama. I was also stunned to learn that this book is loosely based on the author’s family history and her niece had a part in writing Vera’s journal entries. This story is a slow ruin full of suspense!
Thank you @author.Pamela.crane for my gifted e-arc!
November 24, 2021
The title explains it all perfectly… Ruin ! I couldn't get enough of this one. There was many twists I didn’t see coming! There was so much lying and secret keeping. Once you think you think you know a little boom more unfolds and you can not put it down! You can relate to the characters in one way or another, but you also dislike them in ways too, it made them so much more relatable. I didn't guess any of the twists, I love that! I really enjoyed that is was told partially in the past with letters and articles from when Alvera went missing.
Thank you to Pamela Carne for my copy for honest review.
February 6, 2022
Book Review: A Slow Ruin by Pamela Crane
A Slow Ruin is an adult domestic mystery suspense about a teenage girl that goes missing (just like her great-great grandmother over 100 years prior) and the dysfunctional family she leaves behind.
A Slow Ruin is told in alternating POVs between Felicity and her sister-in-law Marin as they navigate life without teenage Vera. Felicity is obsessed with finding out what happened to Vera and lives in fear that the police will find her body. Marin has secrets of her own and is increasingly frustrated with her house on the wrong side of town, the racism she tolerates at work and general dissatisfaction with her husband Cody who is not wealthy like his older brother. Also interspersed throughout the novel are newspaper reports from 1910 about Alvera Fields (Vera’s ancestor she was named after) a women’s rights activist who mysteriously disappeared leaving her husband and baby behind.
Unfortunately this novel fell flat for me. The story was overly convoluted with excessive mundane details and very little action. The characters were all unlikable and felt completely unrealistic. If a bot was put in charge of writing a domestic thriller this is the kind of book it would throw together with very little emotional connection or tension but lots of unrealistic human interactions. I also feel like the jacket copy overstated how important the 1910 story was to the plot as it was barely present and added little to the overall story.
2 stars ⭐️⭐️
A Slow Ruin is an adult domestic mystery suspense about a teenage girl that goes missing (just like her great-great grandmother over 100 years prior) and the dysfunctional family she leaves behind.
A Slow Ruin is told in alternating POVs between Felicity and her sister-in-law Marin as they navigate life without teenage Vera. Felicity is obsessed with finding out what happened to Vera and lives in fear that the police will find her body. Marin has secrets of her own and is increasingly frustrated with her house on the wrong side of town, the racism she tolerates at work and general dissatisfaction with her husband Cody who is not wealthy like his older brother. Also interspersed throughout the novel are newspaper reports from 1910 about Alvera Fields (Vera’s ancestor she was named after) a women’s rights activist who mysteriously disappeared leaving her husband and baby behind.
Unfortunately this novel fell flat for me. The story was overly convoluted with excessive mundane details and very little action. The characters were all unlikable and felt completely unrealistic. If a bot was put in charge of writing a domestic thriller this is the kind of book it would throw together with very little emotional connection or tension but lots of unrealistic human interactions. I also feel like the jacket copy overstated how important the 1910 story was to the plot as it was barely present and added little to the overall story.
2 stars ⭐️⭐️
January 29, 2022
Thank you to NetGalley and Pamela Crane for this audio-ARC in exchange for my honest feedback and review.
Reading the synopsis for this book it sounded very interesting. The idea of a ancestor and a today family member going missing is a interesting concept and would work very well, However, in this book it did not work well at all. I was very frustrated by the side characters and main characters never being flushed out. I did not connect with anyone and felt the only character that could be considered flushed out was Marin. I got so frustrated I had to DNF this book. I hate doing that because I feel like very author deserves to have their work read until the end but this one I could not listen to anymore. Maybe when it comes out in print I will rent from the library and give it another shot. Unfortunately my rating reflects my letdown of this book.
Reading the synopsis for this book it sounded very interesting. The idea of a ancestor and a today family member going missing is a interesting concept and would work very well, However, in this book it did not work well at all. I was very frustrated by the side characters and main characters never being flushed out. I did not connect with anyone and felt the only character that could be considered flushed out was Marin. I got so frustrated I had to DNF this book. I hate doing that because I feel like very author deserves to have their work read until the end but this one I could not listen to anymore. Maybe when it comes out in print I will rent from the library and give it another shot. Unfortunately my rating reflects my letdown of this book.
October 19, 2021
I received a gifted copy and am providing a review. Publishing November 2021.
April 16, one hundred eleven years ago, Alvera Fields goes missing. No one really knows what happened to her. April 16 present day, Vera Portman goes missing; no one knows what happened to her. Is this simply history repeating itself? Or something more sinister? The question is – did Vera find out some dark family secrets that made her run or is she dead?
The family members: Oliver Portman husband to Felicity Portman, father to Vera, Eliot, and Sydney. Sydney, the three-year-old, is sick and only Vera can help her. Is this why Vera ran? Cody, Oliver’s brother, and his wife, Marin. Who has more secrets they need to keep hidden? Debra and Joe, Oliver (Ollie) and Cody’s parents.
Other characters who play an integral part in this story: Austin, Vera’s “secret” boyfriend. Blythe, Vera’s “secret” friend. Barrett Hunter, Marin’s stepdad.
This story is told in the voices of Felicity and Marin in the present and in the past. While I was reading along, I kept waiting for what happens next. Then, boom! At the end this tale ties together and the waiting is over, the secrets are unveiled, and it left me thinking … wait, what? Did I miss something? I will definitely have to read this one again to pick up on all the nuances.
There is one line that I want to share with you that really resonates; Ms. Crane has a subtle way of incorporating hidden messages into her writing. This is a scene where Felicity has found Vera’s journal and has come across a person known as “BS.” Upon figuring out who this mysterious “BS” is, Felicity decides to confront her, maybe get some answers. At first glance, all Felicity sees is a “Goth Girl,” and how could Vera possibly be her friend? Upon talking to her, Felicity finds out there is a person hiding behind the “Goth Girl” look. This is the line I want to share: “Wow. A true athlete. And college-bound. I couldn’t believe how wrong I had been about her. I had been so quick to judge her outside I hadn’t even bothered to see who she was.” There is a lesson here. There is also a lesson at the very, very end of this story, forgiveness and love.
One of the many things I admire about Ms. Crane is the fact that she incorporates her family into her writing. Such is the case with A Slow Ruin. This story is loosely based on her own family’s history, and her niece wrote the diary entries contained with these pages. Ms. Crane is going to have some steep competition between her niece and her own daughter, both of whom are blossoming writers.
April 16, one hundred eleven years ago, Alvera Fields goes missing. No one really knows what happened to her. April 16 present day, Vera Portman goes missing; no one knows what happened to her. Is this simply history repeating itself? Or something more sinister? The question is – did Vera find out some dark family secrets that made her run or is she dead?
The family members: Oliver Portman husband to Felicity Portman, father to Vera, Eliot, and Sydney. Sydney, the three-year-old, is sick and only Vera can help her. Is this why Vera ran? Cody, Oliver’s brother, and his wife, Marin. Who has more secrets they need to keep hidden? Debra and Joe, Oliver (Ollie) and Cody’s parents.
Other characters who play an integral part in this story: Austin, Vera’s “secret” boyfriend. Blythe, Vera’s “secret” friend. Barrett Hunter, Marin’s stepdad.
This story is told in the voices of Felicity and Marin in the present and in the past. While I was reading along, I kept waiting for what happens next. Then, boom! At the end this tale ties together and the waiting is over, the secrets are unveiled, and it left me thinking … wait, what? Did I miss something? I will definitely have to read this one again to pick up on all the nuances.
There is one line that I want to share with you that really resonates; Ms. Crane has a subtle way of incorporating hidden messages into her writing. This is a scene where Felicity has found Vera’s journal and has come across a person known as “BS.” Upon figuring out who this mysterious “BS” is, Felicity decides to confront her, maybe get some answers. At first glance, all Felicity sees is a “Goth Girl,” and how could Vera possibly be her friend? Upon talking to her, Felicity finds out there is a person hiding behind the “Goth Girl” look. This is the line I want to share: “Wow. A true athlete. And college-bound. I couldn’t believe how wrong I had been about her. I had been so quick to judge her outside I hadn’t even bothered to see who she was.” There is a lesson here. There is also a lesson at the very, very end of this story, forgiveness and love.
One of the many things I admire about Ms. Crane is the fact that she incorporates her family into her writing. Such is the case with A Slow Ruin. This story is loosely based on her own family’s history, and her niece wrote the diary entries contained with these pages. Ms. Crane is going to have some steep competition between her niece and her own daughter, both of whom are blossoming writers.
January 31, 2022
Fifteen-year-old Vera went missing six months ago. Her family is heartbroken and still hoping and praying for their daughter to come home. After finding excerpts of Vera’s diary, her mother, Felicity, starts to question if she really knew her daughter at all. Her daughter was clearly hiding things from Felicity, making her disappearance so much more confusing. Felicity realizes that Vera’s disappearance has a lot of similarities to her ancestor, Alvera, who went missing in 1910. Alvera was a women’s rights activist and her disappearance led to many questions. Felicity’s sister-in-law Marin is the only one who knows the truth about what happened to Vera. But Marin also knows that Felicity has secrets as well. One of those secrets could be her absolute ruin.
This book was a very slow burn. A little too slow for my liking. But the ending was fantastic, tying everything together. Going through most of the book, we hear about these secrets and how these secrets would destroy everything if they got out. The secrets finally come out right at the very end, making everything finally make sense. The twists at the end were surprising and unpredictable. I ultimately gave this book 4 stars because of the ending redeeming itself, however if I could give half stars, it would earn a 3.5 from me.
I listened to this as an audiobook. I loved the use of different narrators for different characters; however, I was not a fan of the narrator for Marin, which made the book seem to drag on in the middle. The other three were great, especially the one for Felicity.
A great big thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and Pamela Crane for allowing me to listen to this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
This book was a very slow burn. A little too slow for my liking. But the ending was fantastic, tying everything together. Going through most of the book, we hear about these secrets and how these secrets would destroy everything if they got out. The secrets finally come out right at the very end, making everything finally make sense. The twists at the end were surprising and unpredictable. I ultimately gave this book 4 stars because of the ending redeeming itself, however if I could give half stars, it would earn a 3.5 from me.
I listened to this as an audiobook. I loved the use of different narrators for different characters; however, I was not a fan of the narrator for Marin, which made the book seem to drag on in the middle. The other three were great, especially the one for Felicity.
A great big thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and Pamela Crane for allowing me to listen to this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 180 reviews