Thursday 5 July 2018

Before I Let Go by Marieke Nijkamp

Book Title: Before I Let Go
Author: Marieke Nijkamp
Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult
My Rating: ♥ ♥
Source: Netgalley

Goodreads, Amazon UK
Plot: Best friends Corey and Kyra were inseparable in their snow-covered town of Lost Creek, Alaska. When Corey moves away, she makes Kyra promise to stay strong during the long, dark winter, and wait for her return.

Just days before Corey is to return home to visit, Kyra dies. Corey is devastated―and confused. The entire Lost community speaks in hushed tones about the town's lost daughter, saying her death was meant to be. And they push Corey away like she's a stranger.

Corey knows something is wrong. With every hour, her suspicion grows. Lost is keeping secrets―chilling secrets. But piecing together the truth about what happened to her best friend may prove as difficult as lighting the sky in an Alaskan winter...
I got a review copy from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

What did I think?

My thoughts while reading this book were mostly one simple word: meh. I never really connected with the characters, didn't care about the town or the mystery and thought the writing was choppy and distracting.

It's just such a mediocre book. No scenes stand out, no characters stand out, and at no point did I think, yes, this is worth reading. Everything is so bland, that I've already forgotten the name of the main character and the name of the town.

Marieke Nijkamp is probably simply not the author for me. I read "This is Where it Ends" last year and was similarly underwhelmed by the execution. When I spotted this book on Netgalley, I thought the premise sounded fascinating, otherwise I wouldn't have requested it, but the book just does not deliver.

The style is weird. Nijkamp decided to add random scenes written as a script even though none of the characters have anything to do with film, and it didn't fit.

None of the characters get any development and the mystery turned out to be predictable and boring. A small town in Alaska should be a fascinating setting. Creepy and isolated, you'd think it would be perfect for a mystery, but oh well. On top of that, the plot just wasn't credible. In fact, it all felt a bit off. The only reason I finished this is because I usually finish books I request, and because it's such a short read.

I'm really disappointed I didn't like this better.

8 comments:

  1. oh dear, I'm sorry this one didn't meet expectations. That's always a really tough review to write.

    I also saw this one a lot on Netgalley but I'm kind of glad I never pulled the trigger on it now because it doesn't sound like a good fit for me either.

    Sorry it was a disappointment but great review.

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    1. I was excited because of the cover and the blurb, so quite disappointed, plus I'm not a huge fan of leaving bad reviews in general.

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  2. I’ve yet to read any truly positive reviews of this one. Between the writing style and the lack of character development (and what was with the script elements?) I’ll be taking a pass.

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  3. Aw that's disappointing. You're right, this has a good premise and the setting has potential! Sorry this one didn't work for you.

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  4. Sorry to hear you didn't enjoy this one! I haven't read any Marieke Nijkamp myself, but the premise did sound interesting so sorry to see it disappointed. Thanks for the honest review!

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  5. The premise caught my eye too and it's a shame this one doesn't live up to its potential. I think my favourite Alaskan-set novel is still The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

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  6. Sorry to hear this wasn't a better read for you. I've seen a lot of mixed reviews for it. Underdeveloped characters always bother me too so I'm pretty sure this wouldn't be a good fit for me either. I hope your next read is more enjoyable!

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  7. This one is sitting on my shelf and I am so sorry to hear that you did not like it better! BTW I am a new follower here! If you get the chance, stop by my blog!

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