Book Review: The Escape Game by Marissa Meyer and Tamara Moss

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The Escape Game  by Marissa Meyer and Tamara Moss  opens on the set of a reality television show called "The Escape Room" where one of the season four contestants, Alicia Angelos, is found in a coffin on set ... dead. Fast forward to season five where Sierra Angelos, the murder victim's younger sister and suspected killer, has been brought back to the show and paired up with Beck, Adi, and Carter. Sierra wants to find justice for her sister, but when Sierra and her teammates start uncovering clues about the true killer, they must figure out how to survive the game. A huge thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for approving my request and providing me with a digital copy of The Escape Game  for free in exchange for my honest review. I was immediately drawn to the title and cover of the young adult novel. Throw in the plot being about an escape room, and I was completely sold on the story before even reading it. The story is told from the perspective of fou...
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Book Review: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

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Book Club Book Review of Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn opens on a sweltering summer morning as Nick and Amy Dunne prepare to celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary. When Nick returns home, he finds their house in disarray and Amy mysteriously missing. As the police begin their investigation, suspicion quickly turns toward Nick, whose behavior during questioning does little to help his case. If he didn’t do it, then who did?

After reading the final words of Gone Girl, I set the book face down beside me and couldn't help but ask, "Did that really just end like that?" Never in my life has a book made me as angry as Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl. 

I had to sit there for a minute thinking about what I had just read before picking it back up and throwing across the room. Of course, I immediately jumped up to retrieve it, worried I might have damaged it because as much as the story frustrated me, I still like to keep my books in good condition.

Gone Girl as a whole didn't make me angry ... just the ending. I hated the fact that Nick decided to stay with Amy after all she put him through but understand his need to protect. For this reason alone, this made Nick a strong character in my mind because he was willing to go to extremes to protect the ones he loved. On the same time, it made me so angry that he didn't have the strength to stand up to her and leave. Unlike many readers, I actually liked Nick Dunne. Was he flawed? Absolutely. But he still had redeeming qualities that made him compelling.

new york times bestseller Amy Dunne, on the other hand, was a completely different story. I absolutely hated her character. She is manipulative, calculating, and downright terrifying. The lengths she goes to in order to frame her husband are deeply disturbing, and for me, she had virtually no redeeming qualities. She’s one of those characters you love to hate ... and hate with intensity.

Gone Girl is undeniably well written although a bit disturbing. The alternating points of views between Amy and Nick is executed flawlessly and briliantly. It helped keep the pacing tight, the tension high, and keeps the reader on edge, making it harder to put down. Three out of five stars is my rating of this thriller, and all anger aside, Gone Girl is a must read. 

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