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ClareR (5721 KP) rated True Story in Books

Jan 16, 2022  
True Story
True Story
Kate Reed Petty | 2021 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry, Mystery, Thriller
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I thoroughly enjoyed this highly original book. It’s written as a series of emails, transcripts of audio interviews, successive drafts of annotated college admission essays and screenplays (some of which are written when the main female character was a child). True Story tells the story of a young woman who, when too drunk to defend herself, is sexually assaulted in the backseat of a car by two boys on the local lacrosse team. Or was she? Because they deny it, and the fact that they went to the local private school and were seemingly sober (or more so than she was), seems to help people side with them and call her a liar. They gaslight her, make her doubt herself, and the damage this causes her, follows her into adulthood. She finds herself in a very damaging relationship that she struggles to escape from.

Out of all the boys on the lacrosse team, Nick also struggles with the consequences of that night. Whilst he wasn’t in the car, he feels the guilt of those boys’ actions, and he slips into alcoholism as a result (there may well be other reasons as well, but this is what I read into it).

I think I probably inhaled this book. It’s one of those that you start and then find it very difficult to put down. I loved the jumps in presentation, particularly the screenplays. I was urging Alice to stand up for herself and walk out of her dangerous relationship.
It’s a fascinating novel that I’d most definitely recommend.
  
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BookInspector (124 KP) rated The Heatwave in Books

Sep 24, 2020  
The Heatwave
The Heatwave
Katerina Diamond | 2020 | Mystery, Thriller
8
7.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
The protagonists in this book were Jasmine and Felicity, and the story was told from their perspectives. Felicity is telling the story at the present day, she has to go back to her home-town where she grew up, to find a girl that has been kidnapped. Because “only she knows how to find her”. Felicity is a very troubled character, she has a drinking problem, and suffers from quite a few mental health problems. Jasmine and Felicity were best friends at school, and Jasmine is a person who tells the story from the past. I really liked Jasmine’s story, it is more intriguing and gripping compared to Felicity’s.

The narrative was very well balanced, in my opinion. Felicity keeps kindling the suspense with “her big secret” and “what have I done?” moments, making me restless to find out what this huge secret is. And Jasmine is telling a really absorbing story, leading very cleverly to all these huge discoveries. The topics discussed in this book were alcoholism, teenagers and their behaviour, mental health issues, forbidden romance and many more.

I really enjoyed the author’s clever writing style. The book feels quite calm and smooth, there is no police involved and it is only alone, an ordinary woman trying to uncover what actually happened. But at the same time, this book is carrying a shroud of mystery, that my curious side could not wait to unravel. The chapters felt quite short, and the dual perspective made this book very entertaining. The culmination of this novel did not disappoint me, I was not expecting the “Big Secret” to be this awesome.
  
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Kristina (502 KP) rated The Woman in the Window in Books

Dec 7, 2020  
The Woman in the Window
The Woman in the Window
A.J. Finn | 2018 | Thriller
6
8.0 (42 Ratings)
Book Rating
The Woman in the Window ended on a high and unexpected note. The surprise ending pushed it from a 2.5 to a 3, really. On and off, the story became boring, then interesting, so on and so forth. It took me quite a while to read it because of this switch off, but the moments it became interesting kept me going all the way until the end - and I'm glad I persevered. Anna was dealing with so many things: the separation from her husband, agoraphobia, multiple medications, and alcoholism. As I berated her for swallowing another glass of wine, I also felt bad for her and the unimaginable situation she lived in. Every part of me empathized with her as each introduced character found a way to discredit what she believed she had seen; I was continuously wagging a figurative finger at the empty bottles of wine in her kitchen. I waited for her to realize just how much damage the alcohol was causing, how mixing it with her medications (especially the one with hallucinations as a side effect) was causing her to spiral out of control. Even still, I wanted to believe her - she was so adamant, so sure of herself, you can't help but wish she weren't drunk and doped on meds all the time. It was fun watching each piece of the puzzle shift, fitting in multiple places or not fitting in at all, to suddenly adding up to a whole picture. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I would look forward to seeing this one on the big screen, if it were to happen.
  
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Phillip McSween (751 KP) rated Smashed (2012) in Movies

Feb 9, 2018  
Smashed (2012)
Smashed (2012)
2012 | Comedy, Drama
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Awesome
After a horrible lie goes wrong for Kate Hannah (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), she finally decides she needs to do something about her alcoholism which is causing her life to spin out of control. Throughout this Movie-a-Day experience, I have already watched a number of classics (see previous reviews). I randomly sprinkled in some films I had never heard of, Smashed being one of them. This is one hidden gem of a film that I'm so thankful it found its way on to my list.

The messages in the film aren't preached, but still manage to resonate strongly due to a powerful delivery. Kate's character shows us that it doesn't matter how you start (or the cards you're dealt in life), rather it's about how you decide--and only YOU get to decide--to finish. Kate wants to change but she has no support system as her husband is just as bad as her. In spite of the incredible adversity she's battling, she decides to go for it anyway, refusing to make excuses.

What makes this so important is the fact that Kate is a complete wreck and you recognize it almost instantly. Her life is a downwards tailspin, kind of like watching a car crash in slow motion. Her story is layered seamlessly into the film and you slowly start to understand that she never really had much of a chance to be anything other than what she became. Winstead captures the role in phenomenal fashion, aided by yet another strong performance from Octavia Spencer as Jenny. Through the two of them, we experience a powerful meaning that says doing the hard thing will always come with a sacrifice.

Recommended. I give Smashed an 86.