Predictable Twists in 'Count My Lies' | #BuddyRead Book Chat ၏ စာသားမှတ်တမ်းအပြည့်အစုံ

sad little life a little more interesting. 72 00:04:12.000 --> 00:04:14.520 So when Sloane sees a young girl in tears at 73 00:04:14.560 --> 00:04:18.040 a park one afternoon, she can't help herself. She tells 74 00:04:18.079 --> 00:04:21.600 the girls very attractive dad she's a nurse and helps 75 00:04:21.639 --> 00:04:25.279 him pull a bestinger from the girl's foot. With this 76 00:04:25.439 --> 00:04:29.680 lie and chance encounter, Sloane becomes the nanny for the 77 00:04:29.720 --> 00:04:33.920 wealthy and privileged Jay and Violet Lockhart, the perfect New 78 00:04:34.000 --> 00:04:37.879 York couple with a brownstone a daughter in private school 79 00:04:38.040 --> 00:04:41.800 in summers on Block Island. But maybe Sloane isn't the 80 00:04:41.839 --> 00:04:46.199 only one lying, and all that picture perfect harbors a 81 00:04:46.319 --> 00:04:50.240 much more dangerous truth. To say anything more is to 82 00:04:50.279 --> 00:04:55.839 spoil the most exciting, twisty, invitingly smart suspense novel to 83 00:04:56.000 --> 00:04:59.120 come out in years. The thing about lies is that 84 00:04:59.199 --> 00:05:03.199 they add up form their own truth in a twisted 85 00:05:03.319 --> 00:05:07.360 prison of a world. And count My life, Sophie Stava 86 00:05:07.439 --> 00:05:13.560 spent a breakneck put down able thriller about secrets we 87 00:05:13.720 --> 00:05:17.160 keep and the terrifying dangers that lurk under the images. 88 00:05:17.240 --> 00:05:21.680 We spend so much time trying to maintain care for 89 00:05:21.839 --> 00:05:27.319 what you lie for. I don't like that synopsis at all. 90 00:05:27.600 --> 00:05:31.000 But any who, Yeah, so. 91 00:05:36.519 --> 00:05:39.480 I'm sorry. I'm pretty dry over here. 92 00:05:41.240 --> 00:05:44.560 Sitting here thinking like, how do I want to start this? Because, 93 00:05:46.199 --> 00:05:51.199 to be really honest, I called it a million miles ahead. 94 00:05:53.639 --> 00:05:57.319 I even texted you that this felt like it was 95 00:05:57.480 --> 00:06:00.399 like the Housewife, and it kind of was. I knew 96 00:06:00.399 --> 00:06:02.439 it was going to be a team up against him. 97 00:06:02.480 --> 00:06:07.399 Such was I knew. I said, even though the plan 98 00:06:07.680 --> 00:06:09.800 is and this is all before we even got there. 99 00:06:09.920 --> 00:06:12.720 The minute I felt that, I said, oh, I'm sure 100 00:06:13.439 --> 00:06:16.160 it's over for you, ma'am. And then I said, oh no, 101 00:06:16.319 --> 00:06:17.879 she's not gonna do it. She's not gonna do it. 102 00:06:18.680 --> 00:06:21.959 And I knew so early on. I just it was. 103 00:06:22.120 --> 00:06:24.199 It was just me just waiting for it to happen, 104 00:06:24.360 --> 00:06:27.319 because it was so obvious. 105 00:06:28.240 --> 00:06:33.759 It was very predictable. Yeah, it really was. And and 106 00:06:33.800 --> 00:06:37.360 I did not read the synopsis. But me neither reading 107 00:06:37.399 --> 00:06:42.439 this synopsis, I probably would have figured it out even sooner, 108 00:06:43.160 --> 00:06:45.720 or I would have been like, see, oh my god, 109 00:06:45.959 --> 00:06:50.319 I knew, you know all the things, especially with what 110 00:06:50.439 --> 00:06:55.879 did what was the one line I've read? But maybe slow, Oh, 111 00:06:55.959 --> 00:06:59.519 but maybe Sloan isn't the only one lying, and all 112 00:06:59.600 --> 00:07:03.519 that picture perfect harbors a much more dangerous truth. To 113 00:07:03.600 --> 00:07:07.800 say anything more is to spoil you already spoiled it. 114 00:07:07.839 --> 00:07:10.879 Did Yet they did, they sure did. I'm like, who 115 00:07:11.879 --> 00:07:14.959 who wrote this? I know we wouldn't have had any 116 00:07:15.000 --> 00:07:18.120 surprises if we had actually read the synopsis beforehand. 117 00:07:18.720 --> 00:07:24.839 Yeah, this, this synopsis is a spoiler, big time. 118 00:07:25.360 --> 00:07:27.480 Yeah, especially if you read in this genre. 119 00:07:27.600 --> 00:07:31.959 We know what that means, m h exactly. And then 120 00:07:34.879 --> 00:07:38.319 and sometimes I really hate that we read so much 121 00:07:38.399 --> 00:07:41.639 of this these types of books, because I feel like 122 00:07:43.480 --> 00:07:47.079 we're like our worst, our best our worst best enemy. 123 00:07:47.360 --> 00:07:49.399 I guess that might be the correct way to see it, 124 00:07:49.439 --> 00:07:52.879 because we we realize, Okay, so if you have this 125 00:07:53.079 --> 00:07:57.399 many narrators, that means we're going to have this many 126 00:07:57.439 --> 00:07:59.920 points of view and with those many points of view, 127 00:08:00.160 --> 00:08:04.279 that's possibly that means something's going, you know, with this 128 00:08:04.399 --> 00:08:10.079 twist in this story, and something's going to happen. And 129 00:08:10.079 --> 00:08:15.439 it's not just Sofia, I mean Sophia Sloan, who you know, 130 00:08:15.600 --> 00:08:18.800 who we are, who we need to look at in 131 00:08:18.839 --> 00:08:26.920 this plot. So yeah, so I'm like, even though, no, 132 00:08:27.160 --> 00:08:29.720 if I read the print, it would definitely be different 133 00:08:29.839 --> 00:08:35.159 because we wouldn't have gotten to violet point of view 134 00:08:35.240 --> 00:08:38.120 until later on. But when you read, when you listen 135 00:08:38.159 --> 00:08:41.000 to audio right at the beginning, you know how many 136 00:08:41.120 --> 00:08:42.320 narrators there are. 137 00:08:43.080 --> 00:08:45.799 So to be honest, I kind of tune that out. 138 00:08:46.440 --> 00:08:49.039 So I need to I need to do that more often. Yeah, 139 00:08:49.159 --> 00:08:52.159 I didn't hear how many narrators, And I didn't even 140 00:08:52.240 --> 00:08:54.240 when I got the is my thumb going up on 141 00:08:54.279 --> 00:09:01.240 the front. When I downloaded the book, I was listening 142 00:09:01.279 --> 00:09:04.600 and ever ran. So it's not like it

doesn't jump 143 00:09:04.639 --> 00:09:07.080 out at me like it does on Audible. So I 144 00:09:07.200 --> 00:09:09.919 literally I saw the title and just started downloading it. 145 00:09:09.960 --> 00:09:12.919 I really didn't pay much attention, and it's almost by 146 00:09:12.960 --> 00:09:15.080 design that I do that. I just like, let me 147 00:09:15.200 --> 00:09:20.240 just go, And yeah, I'm like, oh, because I was 148 00:09:20.320 --> 00:09:23.440 surprised about the one chapter from Jay. I was like, Oh, 149 00:09:23.440 --> 00:09:25.679 there's a male narrator. I didn't even know. I didn't 150 00:09:25.679 --> 00:09:29.399 even know because I didn't see look at the names. Yeah, 151 00:09:29.559 --> 00:09:34.440 so that was a nice surprise. But yeah, yeah, if 152 00:09:34.440 --> 00:09:36.840 we look at the details of the book beforehand, it 153 00:09:36.879 --> 00:09:39.360 just spoils a lot of things immediately. 154 00:09:39.000 --> 00:09:43.919 Because it does, and I need to stop. But yeah, 155 00:09:44.120 --> 00:09:47.440 you know, I stopped doing the synopsis because it seems 156 00:09:47.480 --> 00:09:50.559 like of late that a lot of the synopsis is 157 00:09:50.600 --> 00:09:54.440 probably within the last two years, if not, I would 158 00:09:54.440 --> 00:09:56.879 say at least the last two years, a lot of 159 00:09:56.879 --> 00:10:02.240 the synopsises have been had not been spoiler free. There's 160 00:10:02.279 --> 00:10:05.559 either a line or two that gives the whole damn 161 00:10:05.639 --> 00:10:09.679 story away. And so I think, you know, you and 162 00:10:09.720 --> 00:10:12.759 I have even discussed that that would just kind of 163 00:10:12.799 --> 00:10:15.840 go in blind or I think we kind of like 164 00:10:15.960 --> 00:10:19.279 base it on when the book was published and some 165 00:10:19.360 --> 00:10:26.000 of the ratings because the synopsises can be telling, and 166 00:10:27.480 --> 00:10:30.440 or if we do read the synopsis, or when we 167 00:10:30.480 --> 00:10:32.639 picked the book so early on in the beginning of 168 00:10:32.720 --> 00:10:37.320 the year, we kind of forget exactly. So, but yeah, 169 00:10:37.440 --> 00:10:43.240 this this book, I felt like if we did want 170 00:10:43.279 --> 00:10:46.519 to kind of talk about from a high level. After 171 00:10:46.600 --> 00:10:50.000 reading it, I was like, okay, so she did hit 172 00:10:50.039 --> 00:10:52.759 the three But what did they call it with thrillers, 173 00:10:52.840 --> 00:10:56.360 like the three c's that they you know the formula 174 00:10:56.399 --> 00:10:58.960 because you know, like in romance, there's a formula when 175 00:10:58.960 --> 00:11:03.080 you're writing a book. And I think with thrillers it's 176 00:11:04.480 --> 00:11:06.879 the three c's because I know I was telling you 177 00:11:07.000 --> 00:11:10.399 with with Dan Brown, I've heard it when he does 178 00:11:10.480 --> 00:11:15.440 masterclass those little commercials

on Instagram. One is the contract, 179 00:11:16.840 --> 00:11:22.919 the second contract the clock? Yes, because yes, right, So 180 00:11:23.039 --> 00:11:28.919 the contract is like something with the main character. Oh, 181 00:11:29.000 --> 00:11:31.200 come on, I had it at the top of my head. 182 00:11:31.639 --> 00:11:32.279 Did I write them? 183 00:11:32.600 --> 00:11:33.720 Not? Let me have it? 184 00:11:33.759 --> 00:11:34.840 I found it. I have it. Good. 185 00:11:34.919 --> 00:11:37.720 Good contract is the promise you make to the reader. 186 00:11:37.879 --> 00:11:41.960 You introduce a major overarching question at the very beginning, 187 00:11:42.600 --> 00:11:45.879 for example, will the protagonist stop the bomb in time? 188 00:11:46.039 --> 00:11:49.000 Who is the killer? Which assures the reader has all 189 00:11:49.000 --> 00:11:51.519 the clues and the build up will pay off by 190 00:11:51.559 --> 00:11:54.480 the end. So that's the contract. So you think the 191 00:11:54.519 --> 00:11:56.279 contract was fulfilled. 192 00:11:57.320 --> 00:12:00.519 I mean she did. She did give us. 193 00:12:03.639 --> 00:12:05.799 Although we didn't have a question. Though we didn't have 194 00:12:05.840 --> 00:12:09.639 a question at the beginning to answer, I didn't. I 195 00:12:09.679 --> 00:12:12.200 was like, what's going on? Okay, this girl's line about everything, 196 00:12:12.240 --> 00:12:13.879 but I didn't have a. 197 00:12:16.279 --> 00:12:23.440 I don't know, yeah, or was it going to be 198 00:12:23.720 --> 00:12:25.720 is she going to stop the lies? Is she going 199 00:12:25.759 --> 00:12:29.759 to tell the truth? Yeah? 200 00:12:30.000 --> 00:12:30.639 As there's no. 201 00:12:31.360 --> 00:12:31.720 Yeah. 202 00:12:32.039 --> 00:12:39.240 Basically, so the clock, the clock introduces an exponential tension amplifier. 203 00:12:39.759 --> 00:12:43.399 Giving your hero a ticking time bomb, a hard deadline 204 00:12:43.600 --> 00:12:47.600 or countdown creates an automatic, undeniable sense of urgency that 205 00:12:47.679 --> 00:12:51.879 forces them into conflict. She did have a little bit 206 00:12:51.919 --> 00:12:54.200 bit of that at the end, a little bit, yeah. 207 00:12:54.080 --> 00:12:58.519 Yeah, yeah, but it wasn't it was a slow ticking clock. 208 00:12:59.120 --> 00:12:59.879 Yeah, it was. 209 00:13:00.279 --> 00:13:03.159 It was, but it was a little a little deadline 210 00:13:03.279 --> 00:13:10.120 because of Jay's i mean, Violet's deadline of we need 211 00:13:10.159 --> 00:13:12.120 to get to block island and we need to get 212 00:13:12.159 --> 00:13:13.919 this done because I'm about to. 213 00:13:14.360 --> 00:13:16.080 Yeah, they had to do it while they were on 214 00:13:16.120 --> 00:13:19.360 the island on vacation. Had to get done or it 215 00:13:19.399 --> 00:13:23.639 wasn't gonna happen, right, Yeah, so yeah, she did have that. 216 00:13:23.960 --> 00:13:28.440 The crucible is the obstacle or confinement

that prevents your 217 00:13:28.480 --> 00:13:32.320 protagonists from simply running away, forces them to stay in 218 00:13:32.399 --> 00:13:36.960 harm's way, raise the stakes and make the conflict, deeply personal. 219 00:13:37.399 --> 00:13:38.120 Well we had that. 220 00:13:38.960 --> 00:13:42.279 Yeah, I will say she did that. She did that well, 221 00:13:43.159 --> 00:13:45.320 so I believe she, you know, like she followed the 222 00:13:45.399 --> 00:13:49.759 recipe was it to a tea? But the execution of 223 00:13:49.840 --> 00:13:52.480 it was just all, you know, like it felt it 224 00:13:52.559 --> 00:13:56.480 was lacking. It was just horrible. You know, I felt 225 00:13:56.480 --> 00:14:00.240 like she was trying to follow this formula, but she 226 00:14:00.399 --> 00:14:05.519 got really lost in the minutia of us learning about 227 00:14:05.559 --> 00:14:11.159 the characters, and by the like, we knew everything you 228 00:14:11.279 --> 00:14:14.759 needed to know about the characters. But then when it 229 00:14:14.799 --> 00:14:17.960 came to the plot twist and you know, all the 230 00:14:18.080 --> 00:14:21.279 execution of the ending, I'm like, she did all of that, 231 00:14:21.639 --> 00:14:26.000 but she didn't plot out the ending and the twist 232 00:14:26.120 --> 00:14:31.320 because they were unbelievable. I'm like, did you even like 233 00:14:31.639 --> 00:14:34.279 play this out in your head? None of them. It 234 00:14:34.360 --> 00:14:36.480 just didn't seem plausible to me. 235 00:14:38.519 --> 00:14:43.039 Okay, so let me think, all right, I okay, so 236 00:14:43.159 --> 00:14:46.279 let's just talk about the ending a little bit. And 237 00:14:46.360 --> 00:14:50.120 I agree with you saying it's not really plausible because 238 00:14:51.039 --> 00:14:53.519 when we found out, like she kept trying to elude 239 00:14:53.600 --> 00:14:57.399 that j Jay, I keep trying to say, Jade, my goodness, Jay, 240 00:14:57.519 --> 00:15:00.840 did this awful, awful thing. And they had such a 241 00:15:01.000 --> 00:15:06.840 horrible relationship. And yes, a chronic cheater is horrible. That 242 00:15:07.080 --> 00:15:10.279 is horrible, But I was expecting something with a little 243 00:15:10.279 --> 00:15:15.360 bit more weight to it, other than I'm gonna file 244 00:15:16.080 --> 00:15:18.960 a case against you for throwing a glass. That just 245 00:15:19.000 --> 00:15:25.240 did not seem like enough to like, yeah, I. 246 00:15:25.320 --> 00:15:30.360 Want him to to so call to frame him for 247 00:15:30.519 --> 00:15:34.200 murdering her, right, Like, usually when people go that far, 248 00:15:34.240 --> 00:15:36.840 it's because they're getting their butt beat by someone or 249 00:15:36.840 --> 00:15:38.759 they think someone will kill them. 250 00:15:39.000 --> 00:15:41.279 Yes, And I kept waiting for like the tide to 251 00:15:41.360 --> 00:15:43.279 turn on him and it never did. He's just a 252 00:15:43.320 --> 00:15:46.159 whiny

baby who likes to sleep with everyone, and that 253 00:15:46.279 --> 00:15:49.600 just seems very out of balance with what she was 254 00:15:49.600 --> 00:15:50.279 trying to do. 255 00:15:50.879 --> 00:15:56.519 Yeah, it did. And to bring in other people into 256 00:15:56.559 --> 00:16:00.960 this plot, you know, not just Sloan, but your your 257 00:16:01.480 --> 00:16:06.360 childhood friend to come, I'm just like, wow, you would 258 00:16:06.399 --> 00:16:09.440 think she needed to go underground, Like you were saying 259 00:16:09.480 --> 00:16:14.639 that she was an abused wife and he was abusing 260 00:16:14.759 --> 00:16:17.679 not just her but the daughter. You know. It was 261 00:16:17.799 --> 00:16:21.799 it was just so over the top for her catching 262 00:16:22.399 --> 00:16:27.600 him cheating and she threw a wine glass, Yeah it was. 263 00:16:28.240 --> 00:16:32.799 It was. I was like a you drug a nanny, 264 00:16:33.600 --> 00:16:36.840 a woman who lied into this. 265 00:16:38.000 --> 00:16:41.720 Yeah, she's she knew like what someone told her about 266 00:16:41.759 --> 00:16:44.519 her and the other she's hurt. 267 00:16:44.360 --> 00:16:47.879 The other bomb in the school line. Yeah, she was like, Ooh, 268 00:16:49.159 --> 00:16:52.600 I'm privileged. I'll just put this on someone who's less 269 00:16:53.000 --> 00:16:56.399 who's lesser than me. That's how I felt with this story, 270 00:16:56.519 --> 00:17:01.360 that oh, she's just a little we'll just put I'll 271 00:17:01.399 --> 00:17:04.759 just put this on her. And that was a tog 272 00:17:06.079 --> 00:17:07.279 order to feel. 273 00:17:07.240 --> 00:17:10.559 For you know, I guess the one thing that the 274 00:17:10.599 --> 00:17:14.200 author just happened to work out so perfectly because only 275 00:17:14.240 --> 00:17:17.240 someone likes Sloan will fall for that, because she's so 276 00:17:17.640 --> 00:17:22.240 desperate to be liked, right, She's so desperate to be 277 00:17:22.359 --> 00:17:26.440 what she is not, So only someone like her would 278 00:17:26.480 --> 00:17:28.599 even fall for it. Because there's one point in the 279 00:17:28.640 --> 00:17:32.440 book where, you know, of course, Violet kind of like 280 00:17:33.000 --> 00:17:36.039 gives a hint about dyeing her hair, right, and then 281 00:17:36.079 --> 00:17:38.119 Sloan goes and dyes her hair. She's like, she took 282 00:17:38.119 --> 00:17:42.039 the bait, haha. And she goes and she has her 283 00:17:42.079 --> 00:17:46.000 hair cut and died to look exactly like hers. And 284 00:17:46.119 --> 00:17:49.119 instead of Sloan being like, the fuck, why would you 285 00:17:49.160 --> 00:17:53.240 want me to look exactly like you, she rolls with it, 286 00:17:53.279 --> 00:17:56.799 and I'm like, only someone who is that deficient in 287 00:17:57.920 --> 00:18:02.200 friends life, you know, who has to make things up 288 00:18:02.240 --> 00:18:06.480 every day, Only someone like that would even go for that, so. 289 00:18:07.599 --> 00:18:12.240 Right, I would you even see the inadequacies or the 290 00:18:12.000 --> 00:18:14.119 the you know, the things that just don't line up 291 00:18:14.200 --> 00:18:16.480 like you're being there's a trap set. 292 00:18:16.880 --> 00:18:20.680 Ye go in there, girl. It was very obvious. So 293 00:18:20.720 --> 00:18:23.359 she's like, oh, now you gotta wear my clothes. Let 294 00:18:23.400 --> 00:18:26.599 me do your makeup like I do mine. You know, 295 00:18:27.000 --> 00:18:31.480 suddenly I'm gonna stop doing my makeup and look homely, 296 00:18:31.599 --> 00:18:36.200 Like wouldn't you say? What is right? 297 00:18:36.319 --> 00:18:39.599 And that was one And now that you say that, 298 00:18:39.599 --> 00:18:42.400 that falls in line with another plot hole that you 299 00:18:42.559 --> 00:18:47.680 find a flip phone. You find a flip phone, a 300 00:18:47.799 --> 00:18:50.759 secret phone, and all of a sudden you're like, oh, 301 00:18:50.799 --> 00:18:54.640 maybe she's talking to Danny, And then all these other 302 00:18:54.759 --> 00:18:59.240 little things, which, like you said, any reasonable person would 303 00:18:59.240 --> 00:19:03.240 be like, wait, why would she be doing xyz? And 304 00:19:03.279 --> 00:19:06.200 then on a flip phone, And then all of a 305 00:19:06.240 --> 00:19:13.160 sudden she could you're conveniently available to her husband, and 306 00:19:13.200 --> 00:19:17.240 she's no longer around where they used to be, so 307 00:19:17.440 --> 00:19:24.880 lovey douby and just close knit and now they're not. Yeah, 308 00:19:24.920 --> 00:19:29.039 you're right, only is someone that gullible would would fall 309 00:19:29.119 --> 00:19:29.680 for the bait. 310 00:19:30.200 --> 00:19:36.799 Yeah, so the author, Yeah, she picks Sloan's personality to 311 00:19:37.279 --> 00:19:40.720 cookie cutter fit the plot she was going for. And 312 00:19:42.759 --> 00:19:45.039 I don't know if I like that. Per se Yes, 313 00:19:45.160 --> 00:19:47.640 Lone is a compulsive liar. That kind of made her 314 00:19:47.839 --> 00:19:50.720 a little interesting. But she lie about everything and at 315 00:19:50.759 --> 00:19:53.480 one point stop being important because she's gonna lie about 316 00:19:53.480 --> 00:19:59.519 any and everything exactly. So yeah, because right, because even 317 00:19:59.559 --> 00:20:02.960 in for for Violet she lied too, But there it 318 00:20:03.000 --> 00:20:04.039 was calculated. 319 00:20:04.240 --> 00:20:07.400 This girl just was like, oh, let me lie, but 320 00:20:07.519 --> 00:20:10.079 let me remember because I lied about it. Was just 321 00:20:10.119 --> 00:20:14.720 like it just rolled off her tongue. Compulsive. But yeah, 322 00:20:14.799 --> 00:20:20.839 like you said, it was irritating, annoying. I didn't care 323 00:20:20.880 --> 00:20:25.119 for none of the characters, and that's usually not anything 324 00:20:25.440 --> 00:20:30.839 that will cause me to not

like a book because 325 00:20:30.880 --> 00:20:35.559 I didn't like the characters. But this, right here, I 326 00:20:35.599 --> 00:20:38.079 didn't like nobody, not a one. 327 00:20:38.200 --> 00:20:40.559 So I can give you an example of this that 328 00:20:40.720 --> 00:20:43.240 was done really well. When you hate the characters but 329 00:20:43.319 --> 00:20:45.960 you love the book. You mentioned it earlier, and it's 330 00:20:46.000 --> 00:20:49.119 gone girl. No one can beat Gone, No one can 331 00:20:49.160 --> 00:20:51.559 beat Gone Girl. Of course, the husband was awful, the 332 00:20:51.599 --> 00:20:54.079 wife was awful. But that was a freaking good book. 333 00:20:55.359 --> 00:21:03.119 It was spectacular. Yeah, the plot twist, the the pacing, 334 00:21:03.359 --> 00:21:07.839 the development of the characters, everything. I mean, we were 335 00:21:08.200 --> 00:21:12.960 what like three fourths through the book before anything really 336 00:21:13.000 --> 00:21:17.839 got interesting. Three fourths and that okay, So I definitely 337 00:21:17.920 --> 00:21:20.440 I feel like I was at fifty four percent when 338 00:21:20.480 --> 00:21:23.519 I said, okay, I feel like the time might be turning. 339 00:21:23.599 --> 00:21:24.880 But it was still slow. 340 00:21:25.440 --> 00:21:26.359 Yeah, it really was. 341 00:21:26.880 --> 00:21:29.319 But that was the point I think where I realized 342 00:21:29.359 --> 00:21:32.640 that there's some shenanigans with Violet. I think that's where 343 00:21:32.680 --> 00:21:34.359 it was. I was like, oh no, she's up to 344 00:21:34.440 --> 00:21:36.240 no good. I know what this is now. And that 345 00:21:36.359 --> 00:21:39.119 was fifty four percent. So I'm pretty sure I fifty 346 00:21:39.119 --> 00:21:41.240 four percent I could call the entire rest of the book. 347 00:21:41.799 --> 00:21:42.720 I'm pretty sure. 348 00:21:43.319 --> 00:21:44.200 Yeah. 349 00:21:44.759 --> 00:21:48.119 And before that, it was us Nail's pace. It was 350 00:21:48.440 --> 00:21:51.160 a slow. 351 00:21:51.799 --> 00:21:53.960 It was dragging ass. 352 00:21:54.079 --> 00:21:58.039 Yeah, it was a good price. Yeah. And actually on 353 00:21:58.119 --> 00:22:01.640 the description they mentioned Laura Day, you know, as comparing 354 00:22:01.880 --> 00:22:04.240 to her, and I remember her book. I felt like 355 00:22:04.319 --> 00:22:07.640 that as well. I'm like, ah, it's gonna be slow. 356 00:22:08.400 --> 00:22:12.640 But you did see in that synopsis they mentioned gone Girl, 357 00:22:12.720 --> 00:22:18.440 but they didn't mention the author. No, and the gone 358 00:22:18.480 --> 00:22:23.759 girl that was listed there was not capitalized like it 359 00:22:23.839 --> 00:22:26.680 was mentioning the title of the books. It was probably 360 00:22:26.720 --> 00:22:31.759 just mentioning gone girls as saying women from those two 361 00:22:31.839 --> 00:22:38.240 stories the three author's books. But no, you cannot. I 362 00:22:38.279 --> 00:22:40.359 wish they would have tried to compare this. 363 00:22:41.240 --> 00:22:45.559 They couldn't have done on the same level close. But 364 00:22:46.799 --> 00:22:49.279 I think this is about the same level as that 365 00:22:49.359 --> 00:22:51.880 Lord Dave book. I mean, it wasn't the worst thing 366 00:22:51.920 --> 00:22:54.200 I ever read, but it wasn't really good either. 367 00:22:55.200 --> 00:22:59.279 No, because I said yeah, because I finished it Sunday. 368 00:22:59.359 --> 00:23:01.599 Did I finish it Sunday night? Yeah? I think I 369 00:23:01.599 --> 00:23:03.960 finished this Sunday night. And I was like, okay, let 370 00:23:04.039 --> 00:23:09.680 me just let it sit with me. And I really 371 00:23:09.680 --> 00:23:11.519 had to kind of go back a little bit today 372 00:23:11.559 --> 00:23:13.920 to remember a few things because I had forgot about 373 00:23:13.920 --> 00:23:19.960 some shit already. It was just that it was not memorable, frustrating. 374 00:23:20.319 --> 00:23:22.880 I mean, I think you know what the memorable things are, 375 00:23:22.880 --> 00:23:31.759 the frustrating things. But yeah, it wasn't the worst. The 376 00:23:31.799 --> 00:23:38.519 best part of the book probably was the last I 377 00:23:38.519 --> 00:23:41.880 wouldn't even say the last part because that little epilogue 378 00:23:41.920 --> 00:23:44.839 of them living Happily ever After, I was like, get 379 00:23:44.880 --> 00:23:46.160 the fuck out of here. 380 00:23:47.720 --> 00:23:50.480 I'm like, that doesn't seem quite right. 381 00:23:50.839 --> 00:23:53.960 I'm like, are you kidding me? And they all live 382 00:23:54.039 --> 00:23:59.319 happily ever after? Caitlin Violet in Harper. 383 00:23:59.480 --> 00:24:04.680 Yeah, Kaitlyn and Caitlyn slash Sloan and Violet sharing the 384 00:24:04.680 --> 00:24:07.799 same identity, swapping back and forth with the same identity 385 00:24:08.119 --> 00:24:10.720 true Twins girls. 386 00:24:12.319 --> 00:24:14.880 And whenever they said that, remember I can't remember which 387 00:24:14.920 --> 00:24:17.240 book we had read, and it was The Birthday Twins. 388 00:24:17.319 --> 00:24:19.440 I was like, oh my god. If they say Birthday 389 00:24:19.480 --> 00:24:22.920 Twins one more damn time, I'm gonna lose it. Gemino 390 00:24:23.119 --> 00:24:31.359 Twins tweet that Taylor Swift. I was like, okay, y'all, 391 00:24:31.559 --> 00:24:32.119 I'm done. 392 00:24:32.640 --> 00:24:35.839 So when the authors do stuff like that, that makes 393 00:24:35.839 --> 00:24:39.759 me wonder are they a fan of Taylor Swift? Or 394 00:24:39.799 --> 00:24:42.839 are they a hater of Taylor Swift? And she wants 395 00:24:42.880 --> 00:24:49.759 to drive us a battye with that shit? M like, 396 00:24:49.839 --> 00:24:52.319 what is it? Is it by design? You trying to 397 00:24:52.359 --> 00:24:54.559 annoy us with it? Or do you just really love 398 00:24:54.599 --> 00:24:55.319 Taylor Swift? 399

00:24:55.519 --> 00:24:58.319 I don't know, I don't know. I always I assumed 400 00:24:58.319 --> 00:25:03.480 that she liked her but I don't know because why 401 00:25:03.519 --> 00:25:08.279 would you Why would you antagonize your your reader like that? 402 00:25:09.440 --> 00:25:10.000 Why not? 403 00:25:11.880 --> 00:25:15.680 True? It is a thriller, that's bits. 404 00:25:16.319 --> 00:25:20.599 Maybe if we're so distracted by our disdain for Taylor Swift, 405 00:25:20.680 --> 00:25:24.000 we might miss something on the page. 406 00:25:24.200 --> 00:25:26.680 But my my other thing too, is like when you 407 00:25:26.720 --> 00:25:32.359 have to talk that much about a singer, which really 408 00:25:32.400 --> 00:25:36.759 didn't bring that much to this story except for it 409 00:25:36.799 --> 00:25:40.319 was something that you two had in common. What did 410 00:25:40.359 --> 00:25:45.160 it bring to the story besides word count nothing? You 411 00:25:45.200 --> 00:25:50.359 know that those Yeah, it wasn't a plot device. It 412 00:25:50.480 --> 00:25:54.519 was you liked Taylor Swift. She liked Taylor Swift. We 413 00:25:54.559 --> 00:25:57.519 had things in common. Oh, I really did like her. 414 00:25:57.799 --> 00:26:01.279 But it was it was just like, okay, we get it. 415 00:26:01.599 --> 00:26:02.680 I get the point. 416 00:26:02.920 --> 00:26:07.160 Maybe there's one true thing that they liked that they 417 00:26:07.200 --> 00:26:09.960 both each other liked on the beginning that wasn't a 418 00:26:10.000 --> 00:26:14.480 live Maybe that's it, hm hmmm, because everything else was alive. 419 00:26:14.640 --> 00:26:14.880 You know. 420 00:26:17.039 --> 00:26:19.279 Well she said she did like her, that she was, 421 00:26:19.680 --> 00:26:20.039 but that. 422 00:26:20.119 --> 00:26:22.519 Was after a while. But I mean on the onset, 423 00:26:22.599 --> 00:26:24.400 like when they first met each other and she's like, 424 00:26:24.400 --> 00:26:28.160 what are you listening to? You know, she said, maybe 425 00:26:28.200 --> 00:26:29.440 on the onset that was the. 426 00:26:29.319 --> 00:26:32.559 Only true thing true that could have been the one. 427 00:26:32.640 --> 00:26:33.160 I don't know. 428 00:26:34.000 --> 00:26:40.279 Yeah, but but I mean that's because I'm not a 429 00:26:40.319 --> 00:26:42.720 Tailor Swift fan. I used to like a little a 430 00:26:42.759 --> 00:26:44.720 few of her things, but now I'm just like, I'm 431 00:26:44.880 --> 00:26:45.640 so over it. 432 00:26:45.960 --> 00:26:48.680 She's somebody else. She's not who she presented herself to be. 433 00:26:48.759 --> 00:26:49.920 But that's another topic. 434 00:26:50.960 --> 00:26:54.480 Yeah it is, yes, it is, you know, but to 435 00:26:54.559 --> 00:26:57.400 be Oh, maybe maybe it wasn't. No, Okay, I always 436 00:26:57.440 --> 00:27:00.240 say that maybe it really was a plot device, because 437 00:27:00.319 --> 00:27:02.680 you know, Sloan is it who she said she was? Either? 438 00:27:03.000 --> 00:27:06.160 But anyway, yeah, okay, it could. 439 00:27:06.240 --> 00:27:07.240 I mean we don't know. 440 00:27:08.640 --> 00:27:16.519 Yeah, now that you say that out loud, hmm, okay, 441 00:27:16.559 --> 00:27:19.160 I can't help but wonder because I mean, she brought 442 00:27:19.240 --> 00:27:23.319 up Taylor Swift quite a few times. Eh, that'd be 443 00:27:23.400 --> 00:27:27.039 interesting to see. But she probably be wouldn't say that 444 00:27:27.160 --> 00:27:33.200 out loud, or she probably lose some readers. She probably 445 00:27:33.200 --> 00:27:37.519 wouldn't say that in an interview, for Oh, they probably 446 00:27:37.559 --> 00:27:44.160 hang her to dry on threads or TikTok oh god, Okay, 447 00:27:44.440 --> 00:27:48.000 they might just be one of those subliminal messages. We'll 448 00:27:48.079 --> 00:27:48.680 leave it at that. 449 00:27:49.039 --> 00:27:54.680 Yeah, but I'm trying to think what else? So okay, 450 00:27:54.720 --> 00:28:01.200 So outside of it being slow and predictable, I guess 451 00:28:01.200 --> 00:28:05.720 if we consider Caitlin slash Sloan, if we kind of 452 00:28:05.759 --> 00:28:10.279 like just consider, maybe we can talk about how she 453 00:28:10.480 --> 00:28:15.680 lies or the utility of her lying. So are Sloans 454 00:28:16.079 --> 00:28:19.240 lies inherently malicious or are they kind of just a 455 00:28:19.279 --> 00:28:24.079 defense mechanism do you think? And second to that, just 456 00:28:24.160 --> 00:28:28.640 for further discussion, do you think White lies at some 457 00:28:28.720 --> 00:28:33.119 point turned into like some kind of thing that ends 458 00:28:33.200 --> 00:28:36.359 up harming her because she's told so many lies. 459 00:28:38.640 --> 00:28:45.200 I don't think they're of malicious intent. I believe they 460 00:28:45.279 --> 00:28:47.839 were because at the beginning of the book when she 461 00:28:48.000 --> 00:28:57.079 quoted Ripley, Tom Ripley from the whatever Ripley the believe. 462 00:28:56.799 --> 00:28:59.240 It or not or something? What was it? No, it 463 00:28:59.319 --> 00:29:01.279 was like the what about that guy who was. 464 00:29:01.240 --> 00:29:04.400 A Tom Ripley? Oh gosh, yeah, I don't know, I 465 00:29:04.440 --> 00:29:07.079 know I wrote it down, but yeah, but where they 466 00:29:07.119 --> 00:29:11.880 said it was better to be a well liked somebody 467 00:29:12.039 --> 00:29:17.400 instead of a regular, regular nobody. So I believe she 468 00:29:18.079 --> 00:29:22.400 just she wanted to be liked and the life that 469 00:29:22.519 --> 00:29:29.880 she lived was so mundane and she didn't have many friends. 470 00:29:30.359 --> 00:29:32.839 So I don't you know, I don't think she meant 471 00:29:32.880 --> 00:29:37.000 to do it to be mean, she was just a 472 00:29:37.079 --> 00:29:43.400 lonely person with very few friends. But those lies were 473 00:29:43.640 --> 00:29:46.559 to the detriment of a few things in her life.

474 00:29:46.599 --> 00:29:52.920 I mean she lost a job, well, lost two jobs, 475 00:29:51.720 --> 00:29:58.359 and began to be seen in a different light. I mean, 476 00:29:58.400 --> 00:30:01.559 she definitely needed some help. To be honest, she needed 477 00:30:02.000 --> 00:30:07.599 she needed to see a therapist because she was she 478 00:30:07.680 --> 00:30:11.119 was a compulsive liar. She had some issues. I mean 479 00:30:11.240 --> 00:30:15.279 from childhood, it wasn't just from an adult. The girl 480 00:30:15.359 --> 00:30:18.680 lied that her house was on fire, her dad was 481 00:30:18.720 --> 00:30:26.319 a movie star. She needed some help, but it did. 482 00:30:26.400 --> 00:30:31.240 It turned out her white lies got her almost killed. 483 00:30:31.519 --> 00:30:37.400 They show did. There's a quote here it says, sometimes 484 00:30:37.480 --> 00:30:40.640 I believe my own livies. They feel real. I get 485 00:30:40.680 --> 00:30:44.200 swept up in the fantasy, the telling of it, the retelling, 486 00:30:44.519 --> 00:30:47.240 lying in bed at night, adding to the story, drifting 487 00:30:47.279 --> 00:30:49.799 off and dreaming about it. I think it's because I've 488 00:30:49.839 --> 00:30:51.480 always felt like there had to be more to my 489 00:30:51.519 --> 00:30:53.559 life than what it was. I just couldn't be the 490 00:30:53.599 --> 00:30:57.279 poor kid with no dad. He had to be out there. 491 00:30:57.359 --> 00:30:59.240 He had to be special, which meant I had to 492 00:30:59.240 --> 00:31:05.000 be special. Doesn't everyone want to feel special. So it 493 00:31:05.039 --> 00:31:07.039 sounds like that might be the beginning of it, and 494 00:31:07.079 --> 00:31:11.640 it just kind of just morphed into or you just 495 00:31:11.759 --> 00:31:13.440 lie about everything. 496 00:31:15.519 --> 00:31:19.319 Yeah, I mean she she was trying to be extra special. 497 00:31:19.480 --> 00:31:21.440 I mean, I mean all of us do, but to 498 00:31:21.519 --> 00:31:30.279 a point where it's earned. And like, you know, like 499 00:31:30.359 --> 00:31:36.440 she she didn't even earn anything. You know, I don't 500 00:31:36.440 --> 00:31:40.119 even say your lies to be earned. But I mean 501 00:31:40.119 --> 00:31:43.519 we all want to be special, granted, or to be 502 00:31:43.640 --> 00:31:50.880 treated in a way where we feel special. But this 503 00:31:50.960 --> 00:31:53.640 girl was just I mean, it's just totally make believe. 504 00:31:54.519 --> 00:31:57.359 It was all fabricated, and. 505 00:31:58.319 --> 00:32:00.720 But she was very aware. She was self aware that 506 00:32:00.759 --> 00:32:03.839 she was doing it. Like she would talk about like 507 00:32:04.119 --> 00:32:07.039 not telling her mom things because she knew she'd be lying, 508 00:32:07.359 --> 00:32:07.680 you know. 509 00:32:08.200 --> 00:32:10.039 So her mother would stop her. Yeah. 510 00:32:10.160 --> 00:32:12.920 Yeah, so she was very self aware. So it wasn't 511 00:32:12.920 --> 00:32:16.279 even like I don't know she I feel like she 512 00:32:16.359 --> 00:32:18.440 could have tried to stop herself. Like even at the 513 00:32:18.559 --> 00:32:22.680 end there, when by some luck of her own, you know, 514 00:32:23.119 --> 00:32:26.480 Violet decided not to shoot her. She said she ran 515 00:32:26.519 --> 00:32:28.480 away and came back and said, oh I saw your husband, 516 00:32:28.480 --> 00:32:30.279 blah blah blah blah blah blah, blah, you know, and 517 00:32:30.319 --> 00:32:33.720 then she was like, look, no more lies between us. 518 00:32:34.960 --> 00:32:36.559 I don't give a fuck who you lie to, but 519 00:32:36.640 --> 00:32:41.000 not between us. The instant I right after that, I thought, 520 00:32:41.079 --> 00:32:43.599 I wonder how long that's gonna hold because she's such 521 00:32:43.680 --> 00:32:46.880 a liar, Like, I don't think she can help herself, Like, 522 00:32:46.960 --> 00:32:50.920 I don't think even this agreement between you would stop 523 00:32:50.960 --> 00:32:51.640 her from lying. 524 00:32:53.359 --> 00:32:57.079 No, because I mean, she even had the opportunity to 525 00:32:57.200 --> 00:33:00.920 truly come clean with the driver's license. 526 00:33:00.440 --> 00:33:01.599 Yes, and she didn't. 527 00:33:02.839 --> 00:33:05.759 And she couldn't even do it then. No, I mean, 528 00:33:05.799 --> 00:33:08.440 and she even thought maybe I should. I like her, 529 00:33:09.319 --> 00:33:11.680 I really like her, maybe if I just come clean. 530 00:33:12.000 --> 00:33:14.720 But I think she just got so carried away with 531 00:33:14.799 --> 00:33:18.160 it that it was like how do I I don't 532 00:33:18.200 --> 00:33:22.519 even think she knew how to to come clean, because 533 00:33:22.759 --> 00:33:26.440 you know, she she had to constantly keep counting, like 534 00:33:26.880 --> 00:33:29.799 to remember, wait a minute, so, I mean, to be honest, 535 00:33:29.839 --> 00:33:32.400 by the end of the story, she was she wasn't 536 00:33:32.440 --> 00:33:37.160 even Caitlyn anymore because of all the lies she had told, 537 00:33:37.359 --> 00:33:42.519 Like the Caitlyn that they originally knew from the at 538 00:33:42.519 --> 00:33:45.519 the park. She wasn't even her anymore, because you remember, 539 00:33:45.559 --> 00:33:48.920 she was like, Okay, I remember I'm Caitlyn d. There 540 00:33:48.960 --> 00:33:52.319 was always an add on. There was always an add on, 541 00:33:53.079 --> 00:33:57.119 So by the end of the story, she wasn't even that. Kate. 542 00:33:57.599 --> 00:34:01.680 Well, that was also by design. The character even said, 543 00:34:01.880 --> 00:34:06.240 you know, like sleight of hand with the lies, kind 544 00:34:06.240 --> 00:34:08.519 of redirect away from that line to something else so 545 00:34:08.559 --> 00:34:11.280 they don't ask about it anymore. Like with a nurse, 546 00:34:11.320 --> 00:34:14.920 I'm a nurse, Well, I'm not really a nurse, you know.

547 00:34:14.280 --> 00:34:15.400 Nursing school. 548 00:34:15.599 --> 00:34:17.280 And then I have to quit to help my mom 549 00:34:17.559 --> 00:34:21.000 because you know she's sick, you know so, and then 550 00:34:21.000 --> 00:34:24.639 in two seconds, no one's thinking about her being a nurse. Ever, No, 551 00:34:25.800 --> 00:34:30.400 I don't even think that Violet told Jay she wasn't 552 00:34:30.400 --> 00:34:32.880 a nurse. I don't think they had that conversation. 553 00:34:33.360 --> 00:34:35.440 No, but but they, like you said, the way this 554 00:34:35.519 --> 00:34:38.880 story was told, she wouldn't anyway, because she already knew 555 00:34:38.920 --> 00:34:41.320 she wasn't. But you know, and that was some of 556 00:34:41.360 --> 00:34:43.559 the things in this story too that I just felt like, 557 00:34:44.079 --> 00:34:50.000 which again, it was very obvious that Violet was up 558 00:34:50.039 --> 00:34:53.960 to no good, because there's no way you're going to 559 00:34:54.039 --> 00:34:57.000 take care of my daughter with a heart condition, and 560 00:34:57.039 --> 00:35:00.320 I have not checked out your your references there. 561 00:35:00.400 --> 00:35:03.159 Then we find out that her condition is no, it's 562 00:35:03.199 --> 00:35:05.760 not real as well. She's lying too. 563 00:35:06.519 --> 00:35:09.599 But yeah, you're not gonna nanny my child. You're not 564 00:35:09.639 --> 00:35:13.440 gonna pick up my child nothing. You're not even gonna 565 00:35:13.480 --> 00:35:16.840 get that close without me checking references. I'm not just 566 00:35:16.960 --> 00:35:21.639 going by your nurse or you. You know you took child, 567 00:35:23.079 --> 00:35:28.000 you worked in the schools. I need references, I need 568 00:35:28.039 --> 00:35:32.000 background checks. No, no news. 569 00:35:32.159 --> 00:35:35.239 I mean, honestly, I feel the worse for poor Harper 570 00:35:35.280 --> 00:35:37.639 because I feel like she's gonna turn into a mega 571 00:35:37.679 --> 00:35:41.119 liar between her mother and her quote unquote aunt her. 572 00:35:41.400 --> 00:35:46.360 Yeah right, because she the mom even said, hey, I 573 00:35:46.440 --> 00:35:49.000 need you to call me Cakelin and then you're gonna 574 00:35:49.000 --> 00:35:52.000 get em and m's she bribed her. She bribed her 575 00:35:52.079 --> 00:35:59.039 like throughout the story. Yeah, poor thing. I forgot about her. 576 00:35:59.559 --> 00:36:02.960 Yeah, girl gonna be the biggest liar ever. She gotta 577 00:36:02.960 --> 00:36:03.360 think it's. 578 00:36:03.280 --> 00:36:04.920 Normal both sides. 579 00:36:05.159 --> 00:36:09.840 Her dad was a lie. Yeah, everybody lies in this book. 580 00:36:10.559 --> 00:36:14.199 H Yeah, wow, I forgot about that. 581 00:36:14.880 --> 00:36:17.960 Yeah, wild I'm like, okay, So I gotta give the 582 00:36:18.320 --> 00:36:21.880 author some credit for that. She did utilize the line 583 00:36:22.119 --> 00:36:26.559 very effectively throughout the book. From every which side, everybody 584 00:36:26.679 --> 00:36:30.960 was flying. Okay, Actually, I think this is a great 585 00:36:31.000 --> 00:36:33.400 time to take a break. Check out the commercials by 586 00:36:33.440 --> 00:36:36.840 listening to those you are supporting the podcast. Don't forget 587 00:36:36.880 --> 00:36:38.760 to click around in the show notes and check out 588 00:36:39.039 --> 00:36:42.519 the book review journal available on Amazon by Yours Truly. 589 00:36:42.639 --> 00:36:45.360 So yeah, please pick a copy up. And when we 590 00:36:45.400 --> 00:36:47.840 come back, we will finish our conversation. We'll talk about 591 00:36:47.840 --> 00:36:50.840 the audio book exclusively, and we'll maybe give that a 592 00:36:50.880 --> 00:36:54.039 separate rating from the book as well. And yeah, we'll 593 00:36:54.039 --> 00:36:56.280 share what we're reading next at the end. So come 594 00:36:56.360 --> 00:37:05.079 right back, welcome back. We are on the back side 595 00:37:05.119 --> 00:37:08.599 of this conversation. What other things should we talk about? 596 00:37:08.639 --> 00:37:16.400 Should we talk about the money? The money, the consumerism 597 00:37:16.440 --> 00:37:18.559 and the money? 598 00:37:20.840 --> 00:37:26.199 Yeah, because that was that was so called Jay's motivation, right. 599 00:37:29.800 --> 00:37:31.880 He wanted her her grandmother's money. 600 00:37:32.599 --> 00:37:32.920 M hm. 601 00:37:33.159 --> 00:37:38.320 That they hadn't it was so much money that Violet 602 00:37:38.639 --> 00:37:42.320 and Sloan can never work again. 603 00:37:43.960 --> 00:37:48.440 Yeah, grandma left her a nice little penny and that 604 00:37:48.679 --> 00:37:51.119 was well, and that was kind of the reason why 605 00:37:51.199 --> 00:37:56.239 she wanted Jay Dad. Besides, because he was he was 606 00:37:56.280 --> 00:38:02.360 gonna what take custody of if the divorce happened. He 607 00:38:02.440 --> 00:38:04.760 was going to try and get full custody of Harper. 608 00:38:05.920 --> 00:38:08.719 Am I right? And then and get some of the 609 00:38:08.760 --> 00:38:11.920 money and she's like, hm, M, no, you're not. You 610 00:38:12.079 --> 00:38:16.679 cheat her? But yeah, they but you know she tried 611 00:38:16.679 --> 00:38:18.559 to live her well. 612 00:38:21.599 --> 00:38:23.599 I think I'm missing a part of that because I 613 00:38:23.599 --> 00:38:27.599 don't think that makes sense because inheritance, as long as 614 00:38:27.599 --> 00:38:31.000 you don't commingle your money, inheritance is inheritance, and I 615 00:38:31.000 --> 00:38:33.119 don't care if you get divorced. They are not entitled 616 00:38:33.119 --> 00:38:35.039 to that. I don't know what state they are, as 617 00:38:35.079 --> 00:38:37.559 long as you don't commingle it. 618 00:38:37.559 --> 00:38:41.760 It was something mentioned in the book, and I can't 619 00:38:41.800 --> 00:38:44.840 remember once you when you made

that statement. It was 620 00:38:44.880 --> 00:38:48.800 something mentioned in there about. 621 00:38:49.119 --> 00:38:51.519 See and I think he took okay, So maybe I'm 622 00:38:51.559 --> 00:38:55.079 remembering it wrong, but I feel like he used Harper 623 00:38:55.239 --> 00:38:59.519 as leverage for her not to divorce him, like, if 624 00:38:59.519 --> 00:39:03.360 you divorce me, I'll take Harper and otherwise we just 625 00:39:03.400 --> 00:39:06.079 stay together, because as long as they're together, he's as 626 00:39:06.119 --> 00:39:07.239 well off as she is. 627 00:39:07.840 --> 00:39:16.039 Right I believe. So, yes, he did use that, but 628 00:39:18.000 --> 00:39:20.559 in the divorce she would he would have gotten something 629 00:39:20.719 --> 00:39:24.000 right some of her inheritance. 630 00:39:24.039 --> 00:39:26.039 Don't get me to lying, but I think might depend 631 00:39:26.119 --> 00:39:29.360 on the state. But from my knowledge, if you don't 632 00:39:29.360 --> 00:39:32.199 commingle your money and you can prove its inheritance, which 633 00:39:32.199 --> 00:39:35.079 you can, that kind of money, there's a paper trail. 634 00:39:36.199 --> 00:39:40.880 It's not theirs, it's not a part of your joint funds. Right, 635 00:39:41.079 --> 00:39:44.599 But what was different? But there was an issue like 636 00:39:44.679 --> 00:39:47.679 her parents did not want her to marry him because 637 00:39:49.159 --> 00:39:52.400 they thought that he just wanted her for the money, 638 00:39:52.440 --> 00:39:54.840 and she was like, he doesn't know anything about it, 639 00:39:54.920 --> 00:39:57.480 and then she overheard that conversation. 640 00:39:59.400 --> 00:40:03.199 So yeah, like you said that that part. The author 641 00:40:03.360 --> 00:40:07.599 probably could have delved a little deeper or made us 642 00:40:07.719 --> 00:40:10.000 understand better because it was she made it just seem 643 00:40:10.079 --> 00:40:14.960 like it was so obvious that her inheritance, she would 644 00:40:15.000 --> 00:40:17.840 lose some of it if she divorced him, and that 645 00:40:18.079 --> 00:40:24.239 was part of the reasoning for killing wanting him to 646 00:40:24.239 --> 00:40:28.599 to say he killed her, which now that say that 647 00:40:28.639 --> 00:40:35.079 out loud if he killed her. 648 00:40:35.840 --> 00:40:40.079 So she had papers made that all the money would 649 00:40:40.079 --> 00:40:41.199 go to her daughter. 650 00:40:41.239 --> 00:40:46.800 Right, that's right, that's right, because she had slown Okay, yeah, 651 00:40:46.840 --> 00:40:50.440 well she has clone so called signed paperwork to say 652 00:40:50.480 --> 00:40:52.199 she was going to be the Leo Guardian, But that 653 00:40:52.440 --> 00:40:53.960 wasn't really it Okay. 654 00:40:54.480 --> 00:40:57.280 So that's right. I'm not really sure. So who has 655 00:40:57.320 --> 00:41:01.039 the money now? I don't know, are they Does Sloan 656 00:41:01.159 --> 00:41:03.400 have access to the money because she is now the 657 00:41:03.519 --> 00:41:07.400 legal guardian and she has stewardship, so she has access 658 00:41:07.440 --> 00:41:11.280 to the money. Yeah, which is dangerous for Violet to 659 00:41:11.320 --> 00:41:13.679 do that because that means you really have to trust 660 00:41:13.880 --> 00:41:16.719 Sloan not to be psychopath and run off with your money. 661 00:41:17.639 --> 00:41:25.480 Mm hmm, yeah, which I thought was a big It 662 00:41:25.599 --> 00:41:28.000 was like, you don't you know this woman's a liar? 663 00:41:28.440 --> 00:41:34.000 You barely, I don't know. Suddenly this Gemini twins thing 664 00:41:34.519 --> 00:41:38.400 where they're also connected just didn't really ring true for 665 00:41:38.559 --> 00:41:42.599 me really, Like nothing happened between them that made me 666 00:41:42.719 --> 00:41:46.280 believe that they were that close and to the point 667 00:41:46.320 --> 00:41:48.639 where she would trust her like that. 668 00:41:49.599 --> 00:41:55.760 Yeah exactly. I mean you had a good relationship with Harper, 669 00:41:55.880 --> 00:41:59.440 like but you, I mean, you worked in child early childhood, 670 00:41:59.480 --> 00:42:02.480 you knew how to work with kids. But that, like 671 00:42:02.599 --> 00:42:07.760 you were saying, but for me to trust you with 672 00:42:08.000 --> 00:42:14.679 an inheritance and knowing your background that you won't turn 673 00:42:14.800 --> 00:42:19.400 on me, right, Like, we didn't have that much time 674 00:42:19.440 --> 00:42:25.159 together to build such trust, and the trust that we 675 00:42:25.280 --> 00:42:27.960 did build was all based on lies. 676 00:42:28.440 --> 00:42:30.559 Yes, for both of us. 677 00:42:30.639 --> 00:42:35.320 To be honest, it was based on lies from both ends. 678 00:42:35.960 --> 00:42:39.000 You know, I said, oh, can you take care of her? 679 00:42:39.039 --> 00:42:42.800 As would you be her legal guardian? Because I trust you? No, 680 00:42:42.960 --> 00:42:47.480 I only did that because of X y Z, so 681 00:42:48.000 --> 00:42:51.320 you know our friendship. I mean I did like you, 682 00:42:51.440 --> 00:42:54.679 but a lot of the things that well, and you 683 00:42:54.920 --> 00:42:58.400 liking me. When I'm saying me, I'm saying as if 684 00:42:58.440 --> 00:43:05.320 I'm Violets like a me based on lies. But it's 685 00:43:05.360 --> 00:43:09.360 not really vice versa because Violet knows that Sloane is 686 00:43:09.400 --> 00:43:09.840 a liar. 687 00:43:10.280 --> 00:43:15.800 Yeah she does. Yeah, it's definitely not even footing because 688 00:43:15.800 --> 00:43:18.920 Slane is just lie lying and Violet's like laughing behind 689 00:43:18.920 --> 00:43:21.360 her back about it. Essentially m hm. 690 00:43:22.760 --> 00:43:25.800 So who is to say, you know, shoot, Violet could 691 00:43:26.159 --> 00:43:30.760 knock off Sloan. Yeah, this happily ever after is really 692 00:43:30.800 --> 00:43:36.920 not a

happily ever after And but again, Sloan could 693 00:43:36.960 --> 00:43:41.840 just be ill, gullible, dumb, dumb who's just like, I'm. 694 00:43:41.679 --> 00:43:44.280 Just happy to be here and be alive. I mean, 695 00:43:44.400 --> 00:43:46.559 she's so obsessed with people. I mean, she had a 696 00:43:46.599 --> 00:43:48.880 restraining word against the one woman because she died her 697 00:43:48.920 --> 00:43:51.559 here to look like her and she just sloan And 698 00:43:51.599 --> 00:43:54.000 that's another thing. So the author was really trying to 699 00:43:54.079 --> 00:44:00.199 make Sloan slash Caitlin seem like really borderline, something like 700 00:44:00.239 --> 00:44:04.719 she got some screws loose. Yeah, and she could turn 701 00:44:04.800 --> 00:44:10.400 into you know, single white female at any moment. I 702 00:44:10.440 --> 00:44:12.400 feel like, you know, that's what the author was trying 703 00:44:12.400 --> 00:44:13.480 to imply about her. 704 00:44:14.320 --> 00:44:17.519 Yeah, I mean she's in the closet looking at nude 705 00:44:17.559 --> 00:44:21.559 that the woman was taken for her husband, trying on clothes. 706 00:44:22.880 --> 00:44:29.079 She was creepy, yes, you know who h Yeah, Yeah, 707 00:44:29.079 --> 00:44:31.679 I don't know. I don't know how Violet could just so. 708 00:44:31.880 --> 00:44:35.000 The only thing that they had similar was their disdain 709 00:44:35.119 --> 00:44:40.679 for Ja. After Violet thought that Jay really liked her, 710 00:44:40.920 --> 00:44:44.719 and he didn't. He just wanted some So she was 711 00:44:44.800 --> 00:44:47.280 angry about that when she saw Jay with the neighbor. 712 00:44:47.360 --> 00:44:50.280 But is that enough? Is that enough to have a 713 00:44:50.280 --> 00:44:55.159 bond about Jay over Jay? I don't think so. 714 00:44:56.119 --> 00:44:57.360 No. 715 00:44:57.360 --> 00:45:00.800 No, I'm like, you tried to take my husband even 716 00:45:00.840 --> 00:45:04.360 though he's an answer. You tried it. She did, Yeah, 717 00:45:04.400 --> 00:45:04.800 she did. 718 00:45:05.800 --> 00:45:09.679 I mean she was this close. Yes, she was the 719 00:45:09.800 --> 00:45:10.719 risk in it all. 720 00:45:10.840 --> 00:45:12.360 She thought they were going to skip off in the 721 00:45:12.400 --> 00:45:19.960 sunset together. Hmmm, I don't know. Again, just really unbelievable. 722 00:45:20.159 --> 00:45:22.880 And yeah, the twist was a little twisty at the end, 723 00:45:23.000 --> 00:45:26.039 just because of the fact that everything had to just 724 00:45:26.079 --> 00:45:29.000 come out like at a like a like it was 725 00:45:29.039 --> 00:45:30.079 a race at the end. 726 00:45:31.239 --> 00:45:35.880 Hmm. It was. It was breakneck that ending was everything 727 00:45:36.000 --> 00:45:41.760 was just like they just just throwing everything at us. 728 00:45:43.000 --> 00:45:46.199 And he was like, okay, But like I said, I 729 00:45:46.239 --> 00:45:53.639 don't I don't see that their friendship was that close 730 00:45:53.840 --> 00:45:59.960 that they ride off to the sunset. Because if if 731 00:46:00.519 --> 00:46:05.440 we take the neighbor whatever her name was, Anne Marie 732 00:46:05.559 --> 00:46:09.519 or whatever, the talkative one out of the picture, and 733 00:46:09.800 --> 00:46:17.159 you didn't, I mean violeate you you were questioning my 734 00:46:17.280 --> 00:46:21.000 relationship and if I really I mean not Violet, Sloan 735 00:46:21.159 --> 00:46:26.599 was questioning violet relationships, you know, because she was believing Jay. Right, 736 00:46:27.480 --> 00:46:29.679 So all of a sudden, now that you find out 737 00:46:29.719 --> 00:46:33.400 that Jay is a cheater all around, he's gonna cheat 738 00:46:33.400 --> 00:46:37.519 on you too. Now you guys become bosom buddies. 739 00:46:40.440 --> 00:46:45.119 So again, it really has the housemaid flavor, but wrong. 740 00:46:45.719 --> 00:46:49.159 So like for example, like the housemaid, yeah, you know, 741 00:46:49.280 --> 00:46:52.280 the one wife brought that woman in under false circum 742 00:46:52.719 --> 00:46:54.679 false pretenses, she tricked. 743 00:46:54.360 --> 00:46:55.480 Her mm hmm. 744 00:46:56.519 --> 00:46:59.840 And then when she's like, oh shit, that woman, I 745 00:47:00.079 --> 00:47:02.519 can't let her be abused by him. I have to 746 00:47:02.559 --> 00:47:04.480 do something right. 747 00:47:04.360 --> 00:47:06.679 She's like, oh shit, yeah about that. 748 00:47:07.039 --> 00:47:09.239 Yeah she felt bad, And then of course they both 749 00:47:09.280 --> 00:47:12.199 got their revenge because he had abused both of them, 750 00:47:12.760 --> 00:47:15.559 Like you know, obviously the wife a lot longer, but 751 00:47:15.679 --> 00:47:18.920 still the housemaid help her clean that up. She cleaned 752 00:47:19.000 --> 00:47:22.880 up the mess. So in this case, what's similar is 753 00:47:22.920 --> 00:47:27.199 you brought this woman in under false circumstances. You think 754 00:47:27.239 --> 00:47:29.719 you're gonna, you know, throw her to the wolves like 755 00:47:29.840 --> 00:47:31.840 they did in the Housemaid, but instead you changed your 756 00:47:31.840 --> 00:47:36.079 mind like she did in the Housemaid. And then y'all 757 00:47:36.079 --> 00:47:40.639 both take your revenge on the guy. It feels very similar, 758 00:47:41.000 --> 00:47:46.840 just lower stakes because he wasn't that bad exactly right. 759 00:47:47.000 --> 00:47:50.280 He wasn't scum of the earth like we all wanted him, 760 00:47:50.360 --> 00:47:51.360 like die die. 761 00:47:51.280 --> 00:47:54.719 You deserve this. I mean, he's a cheater that sucks, 762 00:47:54.800 --> 00:47:56.760 but does he deserve life in prison? 763 00:47:57.800 --> 00:47:58.360 Yeah? 764 00:47:58.480 --> 00:47:59.079 I don't know. 765 00:47:59.119 --> 00:48:03.039 He accepted the plea of twelve years, but yeah, it 766 00:48:03.119 --> 00:48:08.639 wasn't for cheating girl

critchal losses. 767 00:48:08.119 --> 00:48:12.440 And twelve years, so that's not even enough time. That's 768 00:48:12.559 --> 00:48:14.559 enough time for him to get out and murder you 769 00:48:14.639 --> 00:48:17.159 for real, because guess what. The first thing he's gonna 770 00:48:17.199 --> 00:48:19.159 do is try to find his daughter, and his daughter 771 00:48:19.440 --> 00:48:21.960 will be seventeen years old, and we'll be able to 772 00:48:22.000 --> 00:48:24.280 say I've been living just fine with my mother and 773 00:48:24.320 --> 00:48:28.599 my aunt for the last since you've been away, which 774 00:48:28.599 --> 00:48:31.239 will prove exactly what he thought the whole time. And 775 00:48:31.280 --> 00:48:34.719 they tried to trick him by having Sloan go there, 776 00:48:35.159 --> 00:48:37.840 you know, right, yep, But that's all for not if 777 00:48:37.880 --> 00:48:39.719 he gonna take a plea deal and he'll probably be 778 00:48:39.760 --> 00:48:42.119 out in less than ten I don't know, or less 779 00:48:42.119 --> 00:48:46.360 than twelve, that just seems silly. That seems silly. 780 00:48:47.320 --> 00:48:50.480 It was far fetched. It was so far fetched. I was. 781 00:48:50.760 --> 00:48:53.599 I felt like this and I don't even The bad 782 00:48:53.639 --> 00:48:56.840 part is, I'm like, I'm not even sure how she 783 00:48:56.920 --> 00:49:00.559 could have ended this book, probably if I sat here 784 00:49:00.599 --> 00:49:02.840 and thought about it long enough, but I don't even 785 00:49:03.000 --> 00:49:08.880 give two cares about it. Of what's an alternate ending? 786 00:49:09.239 --> 00:49:11.840 But I felt like this was just just so. 787 00:49:12.000 --> 00:49:15.719 Far fetched, So honestly I thought, I guess one thing 788 00:49:15.800 --> 00:49:18.760 that I did not have right is I thought she 789 00:49:18.920 --> 00:49:24.079 was gonna try to kill Jay and Sloan. I thought 790 00:49:24.079 --> 00:49:26.440 that she was going to like have them out somewhere 791 00:49:26.480 --> 00:49:29.280 together and then just kill them both so it would 792 00:49:29.320 --> 00:49:32.639 look like Violet and her husband died and then you know, 793 00:49:33.079 --> 00:49:35.639 Sloan quote unquote can take her daughter and raise her 794 00:49:35.679 --> 00:49:37.920 and have all the money and all the things. But 795 00:49:38.119 --> 00:49:40.400 so when she instead tried to get him, you know, 796 00:49:40.559 --> 00:49:44.199 arrested for murder, I'm like, that's stupid. That's instantly what 797 00:49:44.280 --> 00:49:46.559 I thought. I'm like, you'd been better off killing him 798 00:49:46.599 --> 00:49:49.840 plan wise and try to frame him for murder. 799 00:49:50.559 --> 00:49:54.440 Mm hmm exactly. I thought it was gonna be like 800 00:49:54.480 --> 00:50:00.480 a jealous revenge kill or jealous rage kill. That's what 801 00:50:00.559 --> 00:50:02.719 I thought it was going to be like. And I 802 00:50:02.760 --> 00:50:07.599 wasn't sure if because at first I got a little 803 00:50:07.639 --> 00:50:10.039 confused with so is she going to try and say 804 00:50:10.119 --> 00:50:17.000 Sloan came in and kill both of them, you know, thinking, hey, 805 00:50:17.119 --> 00:50:20.199 he said he loved me and blah blah blah, because 806 00:50:20.320 --> 00:50:22.679 you know, with the legal guardianship thing. And then when 807 00:50:22.760 --> 00:50:25.599 I figured it out, I was like, oh, so maybe 808 00:50:25.639 --> 00:50:29.440 she's going to come in and say she catches Sloan 809 00:50:30.440 --> 00:50:34.559 and Jay and she kills them and in a rage 810 00:50:34.880 --> 00:50:37.280 or whatever. But it's self defense. Yeah, it was. 811 00:50:37.400 --> 00:50:39.320 It was I don't know. I just thought, y'all on 812 00:50:39.360 --> 00:50:43.199 a beach, there's ocean there, why not just drown him 813 00:50:43.280 --> 00:50:46.280 or something? I don't know, and then you just disappear. Oh, 814 00:50:46.320 --> 00:50:48.119 she must have drowned out there with him. 815 00:50:48.519 --> 00:50:52.119 Mm hmmm. Right, especially with you. He taught you how 816 00:50:52.199 --> 00:50:52.679 to boat. 817 00:50:53.199 --> 00:50:56.079 Yeah, and then you know, oh, you guys, go out 818 00:50:56.079 --> 00:50:57.480 there and just take them out while they're out there. 819 00:50:57.519 --> 00:50:59.199 I don't know, sneak on air, take them both out. 820 00:50:59.599 --> 00:51:01.719 But that would have made more sense to me than 821 00:51:01.760 --> 00:51:04.679 the whole frame him for murder, to send him to jail. 822 00:51:04.960 --> 00:51:08.960 That just didn't really, Yeah, I'm missing is a whole 823 00:51:09.000 --> 00:51:10.280 lot more interesting. 824 00:51:10.719 --> 00:51:13.800 Yeah. And once he's gone, he's gone. You can live 825 00:51:13.840 --> 00:51:16.920 your life. You'll have to worry about him peeking over 826 00:51:16.960 --> 00:51:20.679 your shoulder. And even if you decided, yeah, even if 827 00:51:20.679 --> 00:51:25.000 you decided to save Sloan, you know, and not murder her, 828 00:51:25.519 --> 00:51:27.559 y'all could have worked together to get his ass thrown 829 00:51:27.599 --> 00:51:31.239 in the mill of the ocean, it still skipped off 830 00:51:31.280 --> 00:51:33.880 into the sense and guess what, she wouldn't have to 831 00:51:33.920 --> 00:51:36.159 be a guardian to your child because her husband would 832 00:51:36.199 --> 00:51:36.679 just be gone. 833 00:51:37.280 --> 00:51:40.920 Yeah, I know you won't have that extra layer over 834 00:51:40.960 --> 00:51:43.559 your head because that's that's a big secret. 835 00:51:44.039 --> 00:51:46.119 That is a big secret, because I. 836 00:51:46.079 --> 00:51:48.719 Mean, if anything, Sloan could kill you. 837 00:51:49.280 --> 00:51:53.519 Yeah, I don't know. I kind of like hate a 838 00:51:53.559 --> 00:51:56.480 little bit the fact that I try to rewrite these books. 839 00:51:57.559 --> 00:52:00.320 But

I also can't help myself because I'm I'm like, 840 00:52:00.400 --> 00:52:02.960 that just did not hit right, And there's something else. 841 00:52:03.400 --> 00:52:07.760 Where is the editor? Where is the content editor? Where 842 00:52:07.880 --> 00:52:10.599 is your I don't know. I don't mean to be 843 00:52:10.719 --> 00:52:11.239 like that, but. 844 00:52:13.360 --> 00:52:14.719 They're not doing their jobs. 845 00:52:15.079 --> 00:52:17.320 This was. 846 00:52:18.000 --> 00:52:21.679 Yeah, this editing, it could have helped this a whole 847 00:52:21.760 --> 00:52:24.239 lot more because, like I was saying, at the end, 848 00:52:24.719 --> 00:52:28.840 the way this played out, like nobody played this this, 849 00:52:29.079 --> 00:52:31.880 you know, like nobody played this out in their head 850 00:52:31.960 --> 00:52:34.599 to figure out that this is not realistic. 851 00:52:35.119 --> 00:52:37.800 This twist at the end is not realistic. 852 00:52:38.599 --> 00:52:42.039 It doesn't fit, you know, like even if it said 853 00:52:42.079 --> 00:52:47.280 that the the the sentence doesn't fit the crime this, 854 00:52:47.599 --> 00:52:53.039 you know, her motive or her goal, her end goal 855 00:52:53.159 --> 00:52:58.760 did not fit what Jay did to her. I mean 856 00:52:58.800 --> 00:53:02.360 when when he asked this, she saycause did. 857 00:53:02.280 --> 00:53:03.800 She say anything about us? 858 00:53:03.840 --> 00:53:10.480 And I'm like, okay, what right? I mean to the 859 00:53:10.519 --> 00:53:14.599 point where once we got to how what she wanted 860 00:53:14.639 --> 00:53:17.920 to do with him, I'm like, ooh, he must be 861 00:53:18.039 --> 00:53:22.599 a piece of work. And she hides all her bruises 862 00:53:22.679 --> 00:53:25.800 under all this beautiful makeup which takes her so long 863 00:53:26.079 --> 00:53:31.280 to get ready. No, no, it's none of that. It's 864 00:53:31.400 --> 00:53:34.039 because she she's trying to look good for him, because 865 00:53:34.039 --> 00:53:35.880 that's the way he wants her to look, Like, oh 866 00:53:35.960 --> 00:53:37.000 my god, damn it. 867 00:53:37.039 --> 00:53:40.079 And it's crazy because even from Jay's POV, this guy 868 00:53:40.119 --> 00:53:43.320 doesn't even think that he is causing her to look 869 00:53:43.440 --> 00:53:46.400 or act the way she acts. He seems like, from 870 00:53:46.400 --> 00:53:50.079 his little point of view, like that she's a crazy one. Yeah, 871 00:53:50.079 --> 00:53:52.440 Like that's just how she's always been. Like she's just 872 00:53:52.519 --> 00:53:55.119 done it, and you know, I'm like, what the heck 873 00:53:55.239 --> 00:53:56.079 is going on here? 874 00:53:56.760 --> 00:54:00.519 Yeah, at one point I did think she was going 875 00:54:00.599 --> 00:54:03.599 to be the crazy one, and she and we had 876 00:54:03.639 --> 00:54:06.679 it all wrong. It was her who was crazy and 877 00:54:06.880 --> 00:54:09.679 he wasn't. He was really a good guy. At one 878 00:54:09.719 --> 00:54:13.320 point I was like, I would have rather that, And 879 00:54:13.360 --> 00:54:15.920 here's another lie that somebody needed to count. 880 00:54:17.599 --> 00:54:20.199 Instead, he had gone to the neighbor's house at the 881 00:54:20.239 --> 00:54:22.920 beach trying to get somebody else, like get the heck 882 00:54:23.119 --> 00:54:24.639 out of here. I don't know. 883 00:54:25.360 --> 00:54:26.480 Yeah, it was. 884 00:54:28.400 --> 00:54:33.559 So let's talk about the audiobook, the narrators. How'd you 885 00:54:33.599 --> 00:54:36.119 think the narrators did? You know what? 886 00:54:38.280 --> 00:54:41.000 I enjoyed the narrators. I thought they did a good job. 887 00:54:41.920 --> 00:54:44.519 I had no complaints at all about the narration. 888 00:54:46.199 --> 00:54:49.679 Yeah. Same, I think that I'm glad they had three 889 00:54:49.760 --> 00:54:54.800 narrators because you know, did rely on multiple perspectives, and 890 00:54:55.239 --> 00:54:58.800 the two women sounded different enough where it wasn't like, 891 00:54:58.960 --> 00:55:02.320 oh who is talking? You know, it was fine. It 892 00:55:02.360 --> 00:55:05.440 worked out great. I think it was balanced. I have 893 00:55:05.480 --> 00:55:08.800 no complaints about the narrators. The performances were good. The 894 00:55:08.880 --> 00:55:11.280 quality of the audiobook was good. I have to say 895 00:55:11.280 --> 00:55:14.119 that they always do a good job with audiobooks usually. 896 00:55:16.440 --> 00:55:18.639 I think the audiobook helped me get through it faster. 897 00:55:18.960 --> 00:55:21.320 If I had to read it, I don't know. That 898 00:55:21.360 --> 00:55:24.039 would have been a really tough first half of that book. 899 00:55:24.760 --> 00:55:29.039 Yeah, because the POV didn't change until like with like 900 00:55:29.079 --> 00:55:32.400 the three quarters of the book, mark like right when 901 00:55:33.360 --> 00:55:38.000 we get just before we get to block Island, which 902 00:55:38.039 --> 00:55:44.000 is what probably seventy eight mark, isn't that. Yeah, So yeah, 903 00:55:44.159 --> 00:55:46.679 I think this probably would have been a really tough 904 00:55:49.400 --> 00:55:53.800 read because this story was told from Sloans point of 905 00:55:53.880 --> 00:56:00.159 view for a long portion of the book. Yeah, it 906 00:56:00.199 --> 00:56:05.639 was boring. She just kept lying, lie lie Lie, ye Lie. Yeah. 907 00:56:05.760 --> 00:56:10.280 Yeah. I think also hearing the narration kind of maybe 908 00:56:10.559 --> 00:56:14.159 might help a little bit with the unreliable narrator trope, 909 00:56:14.320 --> 00:56:19.159 you know, just because her performance was good, you know, yeah, 910 00:56:19.519 --> 00:56:23.320 I agree with that. Mm hmm. I'm trying to think, 911 00:56:23.480 --> 00:56:27.719 I still think. So. Ultimately, the audiobook helped for me 912 00:56:28.719 --> 00:56:32.039 instead of hinder, which is always good

to note, and 913 00:56:32.079 --> 00:56:34.360 I was able. I listened I think one point five. 914 00:56:34.480 --> 00:56:35.960 Most of the time. I could have sped it up, 915 00:56:35.960 --> 00:56:37.440 but I didn't really feel the need to. It was 916 00:56:37.480 --> 00:56:42.199 going fast along fast enough at one point five, even 917 00:56:42.239 --> 00:56:44.679 though I probably could have listened at two x or 918 00:56:44.719 --> 00:56:48.199 one point eight, but things got interesting towards the end, 919 00:56:48.239 --> 00:56:50.719 so I didn't feel the urge to let me just 920 00:56:50.800 --> 00:56:51.960 hurry up and get this over with. 921 00:56:52.199 --> 00:56:55.760 So that was exactly That's how I felt, too, because 922 00:56:55.840 --> 00:56:58.679 everything that they were just throwing so much at us 923 00:56:59.239 --> 00:57:03.559 because she brings in Dave, you know, so I felt 924 00:57:03.559 --> 00:57:06.320 like I felt like that too, that I needed to 925 00:57:06.440 --> 00:57:10.400 really pay attention because if we're at the seventy to 926 00:57:10.440 --> 00:57:13.679 eighty percent mark, and things are getting good. We know 927 00:57:14.719 --> 00:57:20.000 just from reading these books, we know shit is about 928 00:57:20.039 --> 00:57:24.760 to hit the fan and get ready. So yeah I did. 929 00:57:24.920 --> 00:57:26.480 I did one point five as well. 930 00:57:27.159 --> 00:57:33.360 Yeah yeah, not bad, not bad. So let's see anything 931 00:57:33.360 --> 00:57:40.199 else before we rate. Trying to think, you know, okay, well, 932 00:57:40.280 --> 00:57:42.840 I want to give a rating for the audiobook and 933 00:57:42.840 --> 00:57:44.840 a rating for the book like we did last time. 934 00:57:45.480 --> 00:57:46.840 Okay, So. 935 00:57:48.519 --> 00:57:51.880 I think I would give the audiobook a four because 936 00:57:51.880 --> 00:57:54.719 it really helped me get through it. The audiobook was 937 00:57:54.880 --> 00:58:00.880 very good. I think overall the story, the book in itself, 938 00:58:01.039 --> 00:58:05.840 it is a three. It's not bad, it's not great. 939 00:58:06.119 --> 00:58:10.079 I would recommend the audiobook over reading the book just 940 00:58:10.119 --> 00:58:13.039 because of all the issues I had. I don't think 941 00:58:13.039 --> 00:58:17.199 it would translate well, you know reading it. No, yeah, 942 00:58:17.280 --> 00:58:17.920 what about you? 943 00:58:19.000 --> 00:58:21.159 That was the same reading I was. I would give it. 944 00:58:24.920 --> 00:58:27.400 I know I would not have gotten through this. I 945 00:58:27.480 --> 00:58:30.480 probably would have DNF this if I had to read 946 00:58:30.519 --> 00:58:33.079 it and it took you know how I am with 947 00:58:33.119 --> 00:58:36.000 slow mercy, and I've gotten a lot better with a 948 00:58:36.039 --> 00:58:45.760 slow burn. But the time she took on getting to 949 00:58:45.840 --> 00:58:50.960 know these characters, I mean, we knew everything about well 950 00:58:51.079 --> 00:58:55.320 Sloan anyway. You know, we knew everything there was about 951 00:58:55.320 --> 00:59:00.360 Sloan any other characters, but without this audiobook and kind 952 00:59:00.400 --> 00:59:04.360 of hearing her, like you know, the dialogue, that dialogue 953 00:59:04.440 --> 00:59:08.440 between her and her co workers, and and you know, 954 00:59:08.599 --> 00:59:12.679 and the little second voice, that part you know of 955 00:59:12.760 --> 00:59:16.960 her talking to herself when she would ce J and 956 00:59:16.960 --> 00:59:22.239 those different things. So the audiobook did help with bringing 957 00:59:22.360 --> 00:59:26.239 that part of the story to life for me, But 958 00:59:26.920 --> 00:59:32.800 the the plot, the story, the execution of the ending 959 00:59:33.320 --> 00:59:39.000 was definitely subpar. In A three for me, it was okay, Yeah, 960 00:59:39.119 --> 00:59:41.960 it wasn't the worst I've read this year, but it 961 00:59:42.039 --> 00:59:46.239 was kind of close. It was getting there, Yeah, it 962 00:59:46.360 --> 00:59:47.280 was getting close. 963 00:59:48.000 --> 00:59:50.239 Yeah, I just think, and you know, I don't mind 964 00:59:50.280 --> 00:59:53.880 a slow burn too much if they can keep if 965 00:59:53.920 --> 00:59:59.440 the author can keep the tension going exactly gradually increase 966 00:59:59.559 --> 01:00:03.320 the ten tension as we go on, even though some 967 01:00:03.480 --> 01:00:08.360 other things are still slow or mundane. But she didn't 968 01:00:08.400 --> 01:00:11.440 do that. Well, it's like slow, slow, slow, and then 969 01:00:11.519 --> 01:00:15.320 turn a corner. Okay, here we are, So that part 970 01:00:15.480 --> 01:00:17.960 was missing, that clock part. 971 01:00:18.199 --> 01:00:22.000 Yeah, the formula, you know, like there wasn't that constant 972 01:00:22.039 --> 01:00:26.119 pressure and she didn't speed up the pacing until the. 973 01:00:26.280 --> 01:00:29.039 End, right when they got to the island. Hurry up now, 974 01:00:29.840 --> 01:00:30.880 like John Mars. 975 01:00:31.159 --> 01:00:34.000 Like John Mars could be a slow pace, I mean 976 01:00:34.039 --> 01:00:39.440 a slow burn, but he increases the pressure. It's constant 977 01:00:39.480 --> 01:00:42.400 with him because you're just like, what the like, you know, 978 01:00:43.440 --> 01:00:46.440 it's like a slow creep up that hill because you know, 979 01:00:46.840 --> 01:00:52.039 once we get up there, you're going for a ride. 980 01:00:52.599 --> 01:00:57.679 But this was yeah, and that's probably a great example 981 01:00:57.760 --> 01:00:59.920 for me with the slow burn that I do. Like 982 01:01:00.880 --> 01:01:06.079 John will drag you, but you know there's some tension there. 983 01:01:06.119 --> 01:01:09.719 He only gives you a little bit, so you know. 984 01:01:09.880 --> 01:01:12.360 So for shitts and giggles, I just google like some 985 01:01:12.400 --> 01:01:18.280

slow burn recommendations, some thrillers. Okay, okay, Behind Closed Doors 986 01:01:18.280 --> 01:01:20.480 by Ba Paris. Yes, that was a slow burn, but 987 01:01:20.519 --> 01:01:24.360 that stuff was good. It was good. I was like, 988 01:01:24.519 --> 01:01:26.880 oh my god, I want to pull my girt out, 989 01:01:27.000 --> 01:01:29.039 but it was right on the edge of your seat, 990 01:01:29.159 --> 01:01:31.400 like what's gonna happen next? Yeah, I'm like, why should 991 01:01:31.400 --> 01:01:34.079 do that? Why do that? But you know, it was 992 01:01:34.119 --> 01:01:37.920 a slow burn, but it was still intense. Let's see 993 01:01:37.920 --> 01:01:47.400 they said The God of the Woods by Liz Moore. Yeah, 994 01:01:47.440 --> 01:01:50.360 so I guess it just depends. I think sometimes people 995 01:01:50.480 --> 01:01:53.119 just think slow burn means it moves slow, and I 996 01:01:53.159 --> 01:01:58.639 don't think that's necessarily right. Yeah, in my two cents, 997 01:01:58.679 --> 01:02:02.079 you know, like they consider The Last Thing He Told 998 01:02:02.119 --> 01:02:07.159 Me by Laura Davis a slow but The Good Girl 999 01:02:07.199 --> 01:02:09.360 by Mary ku Beacaus a slow burn, and we loved 1000 01:02:09.400 --> 01:02:10.639 that book. 1001 01:02:11.440 --> 01:02:15.960 Because it was the constant pressure Tenants was a slow burn. 1002 01:02:16.000 --> 01:02:17.559 But we loved that book. 1003 01:02:18.760 --> 01:02:20.480 And you know what, I don't know if it's because 1004 01:02:20.519 --> 01:02:24.440 the way they would end, like a chapter, you know, 1005 01:02:24.599 --> 01:02:30.440 it was always this what if the intensity of it. 1006 01:02:30.639 --> 01:02:33.559 Where with this it was just like, okay, she's gonna 1007 01:02:33.639 --> 01:02:37.360 lie again with this book? That was that was it. 1008 01:02:37.599 --> 01:02:42.119 She kept fucking lying and that there was nothing new 1009 01:02:42.199 --> 01:02:49.000 to that. We knew she was going to keep lying. Yeah, yeah, 1010 01:02:49.320 --> 01:02:53.039 so hmmm, yeah, those were good. Those the three that 1011 01:02:53.119 --> 01:02:57.199 you mentioned besides Liz, Liz is the God of the Woods, 1012 01:02:57.199 --> 01:02:59.800 which we both felt the same way about all those 1013 01:02:59.800 --> 01:03:05.760 other ones. Definitely definitely So if you guys haven't read. 1014 01:03:05.559 --> 01:03:11.480 Those, I know you should. You definitely should highly recommend. Yeah, okay, 1015 01:03:11.519 --> 01:03:15.079 so what's next? Where is my little? Oh? Here we go? 1016 01:03:15.119 --> 01:03:20.119 I'm like I can't even think. Yeah, okay. So up next, 1017 01:03:21.159 --> 01:03:25.440 we are returning to this world from Karen Slaughter the 1018 01:03:25.519 --> 01:03:33.239 secrets we hide. We usually don't go back for round 1019 01:03:33.360 --> 01:03:36.440 two for with the Buddy Reads, but we don't. 1020 01:03:36.920 --> 01:03:40.760 Yeah. I want to though with this one, I know. Yeah, yeah, 1021 01:03:40.760 --> 01:03:46.079 because the way this one ended, it's like I just 1022 01:03:46.119 --> 01:03:46.639 want to know. 1023 01:03:47.079 --> 01:03:53.159 Yeah. So this is the North Falls series and if 1024 01:03:53.239 --> 01:03:57.760 you are, let's see. Nope, there's I'm not gonna mention 1025 01:03:57.800 --> 01:04:02.119 it because it ends before we air this uppisode, so sorry, no, 1026 01:04:02.199 --> 01:04:08.400 but yeah, I'm very intrigued by this. It's uh coming out? 1027 01:04:08.400 --> 01:04:13.119 Oh no, it delayed, it did. Shoot. Yeah, it was 1028 01:04:13.119 --> 01:04:15.440 supposed to come out in June. 1029 01:04:15.719 --> 01:04:20.440 Now it says August eleventh, but is it that late? Yeah, 1030 01:04:20.519 --> 01:04:21.679 it says August eleventh. 1031 01:04:21.719 --> 01:04:25.480 Now, oh no, so we'll have to change. 1032 01:04:25.760 --> 01:04:34.239 Okay, so we're gonna instead do Judge Stone okay by 1033 01:04:34.320 --> 01:04:36.400 Biologrvis and James Patterson. 1034 01:04:37.119 --> 01:04:39.599 M hmm. I'm glad we did talk about that. I'm like, 1035 01:04:39.639 --> 01:04:42.199 I know it got delayed because her tour got moved. 1036 01:04:42.800 --> 01:04:45.519 Oh that's I see. I didn't even know what was delayed. 1037 01:04:46.159 --> 01:04:48.639 I forgot about Yeah, I forgot that that was on 1038 01:04:48.679 --> 01:04:49.239 our list. 1039 01:04:50.079 --> 01:04:56.239 So okay, Okay, so we're gonna do Judge Stone. I 1040 01:04:56.280 --> 01:04:59.280 hope it's good. Like I feel like I've heard good things, 1041 01:04:59.719 --> 01:05:03.079 but I I haven't had the best luck with co 1042 01:05:03.239 --> 01:05:07.559 written James Patterson books. I know me, I haven't had 1043 01:05:07.559 --> 01:05:07.800 the best. 1044 01:05:07.840 --> 01:05:10.920 I think I've done one, and after that I was just. 1045 01:05:10.920 --> 01:05:14.719 Like, eh, yeah, I just want to hope that Viola 1046 01:05:14.840 --> 01:05:17.960 Davis has a good story that she wanted to tell 1047 01:05:18.719 --> 01:05:21.559 and he just like maybe buttoned it up a little bit, 1048 01:05:22.440 --> 01:05:24.719 you know, like it's not his story, but it's her story. 1049 01:05:25.360 --> 01:05:29.320 Yeah. I mean, I'm looking at reviews still if they're 1050 01:05:29.400 --> 01:05:35.280 still at a four point four two how many fifty 1051 01:05:35.320 --> 01:05:39.760 one thousand, one hundred and eighty one ratings in five thousand, 1052 01:05:39.920 --> 01:05:44.360 six hundred and forty three reviews, Okay, so those are 1053 01:05:44.400 --> 01:05:45.760 those are pretty good numbers. 1054 01:05:46.079 --> 01:05:50.119 Yeah, not bad. Yeah, well, I definitely feel like that's 1055 01:05:50.159 --> 01:05:52.760 going to be a shift in the tone of what 1056 01:05:52.760 --> 01:05:54.960 we're reading, for sure. I think that's going to be like, 1057 01:05:55.039 --> 01:05:57.800 isn't it like a court room

thing? Is it a 1058 01:05:57.840 --> 01:06:05.159 court procedures legal thriller? 1059 01:06:05.239 --> 01:06:08.760 Yes, And we don't do too many of those. 1060 01:06:08.880 --> 01:06:11.360 So either it's gonna be really good or it's gonna 1061 01:06:11.400 --> 01:06:12.480 be like oh damn. 1062 01:06:13.679 --> 01:06:17.000 Yeah, And I don't think we've done Maybe you've done 1063 01:06:17.199 --> 01:06:21.679 one or two co authors, but you might not have 1064 01:06:21.800 --> 01:06:24.679 realized it was a co author because like Live Constantine 1065 01:06:24.800 --> 01:06:28.400 is two people, but they just use one name. But yeah, 1066 01:06:28.480 --> 01:06:33.760 I don't think we've done too many co written But I. 1067 01:06:33.719 --> 01:06:35.880 Feel like James Patterson is on a different kind of 1068 01:06:36.000 --> 01:06:38.719 level co authoring. I feel like he just stamps his 1069 01:06:38.800 --> 01:06:40.639 name on a lot of stuff for the money. 1070 01:06:40.719 --> 01:06:41.719 Yeah, so. 1071 01:06:43.119 --> 01:06:44.840 That's why I'm like, I don't know what we're gonna get. 1072 01:06:45.599 --> 01:06:49.239 Yeah, I'm excited, though I haven't read James Patterson in. 1073 01:06:51.360 --> 01:06:53.559 Yeah, it's been a while since i've read him as well. 1074 01:06:53.639 --> 01:06:56.480 The last time I tried was a co authored y 1075 01:06:56.639 --> 01:06:59.599 a thriller. I was like, oh god, that was not good. 1076 01:07:01.159 --> 01:07:01.920 It was not good. 1077 01:07:02.960 --> 01:07:08.519 Yeah, those two things. Okay, I'll shut up. 1078 01:07:09.039 --> 01:07:12.400 Yeah, all right, So I think we've come to the end. 1079 01:07:13.679 --> 01:07:16.719 Yes, ma'am, we have. I don't have anything else to 1080 01:07:16.760 --> 01:07:17.800 say about this book. 1081 01:07:18.079 --> 01:07:21.199 Okay, we have covered all the bases. We've said a 1082 01:07:21.320 --> 01:07:25.000 week and say, all right, everybody, thanks so much for 1083 01:07:25.039 --> 01:07:28.679 listening to the entire episode. We appreciate you for doing it. 1084 01:07:28.719 --> 01:07:32.280 Don't forget to like share and subscribe, and remember keep 1085 01:07:32.320 --> 01:07:36.039 your TPR high and your spoilers tagged. All right, we'll 1086 01:07:36.079 --> 01:07:38.519 see you in the next one. Take care of yourselves. Bye, guys. 1087 01:07:43.719 --> 01:07:46.639 Did you enjoy today's episode? If so, please head over 1088 01:07:46.719 --> 01:07:50.000 to Apple podcast or Spotify and leave a positive, five 1089 01:07:50.039 --> 01:07:53.719 star review. It's a simple action that makes a big difference. 1090 01:07:54.159 --> 01:07:56.960 You can also like this episode on your favorite podcast 1091 01:07:57.000 --> 01:08:00.320 player or share it with your fellow bookworm friends on 1092 01:08:00.360 --> 01:08:04.440 social media. Joining the shelf Addiction Patreon family is another 1093 01:08:04.480 --> 01:08:07.239 way to support us, whereas little as two dollars a 1094 01:08:07.280 --> 01:08:10.199 month you can help our team create even more amazing 1095 01:08:10.239 --> 01:08:14.599 bookish content. If Patreon isn't your thing, consider becoming a 1096 01:08:14.639 --> 01:08:17.600 supporter on this breaker app for just five dollars a 1097 01:08:17.640 --> 01:08:21.600 month and gain access to exclusive audio only content. You 1098 01:08:21.640 --> 01:08:25.600 can find me everywhere, including Instagram, x and TikTok under 1099 01:08:25.640 --> 01:08:28.279 the handle shelf Addiction. Join our book club of the 1100 01:08:28.319 --> 01:08:31.239 same name on the book club's website and app, where 1101 01:08:31.239 --> 01:08:34.840 we discuss all things bookish and more in a safe space. 1102 01:08:35.119 --> 01:08:37.479 The shelf Addiction podcast is a part of the Nerdy 1103 01:08:37.520 --> 01:08:39.439 Maven Network. Thanks for tuning in.