Scan barcode
stephanie_turner1983's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
bookswithnichol's review against another edition
2.0
This plot has so many holes it may as well be Swiss cheese.
armorcats's review against another edition
4.0
This is a tough one to rate. The first third to half of the book felt like a throwaway as things were set up. Really not very enjoyable. There were a lot of cliches that felt like a non-American writing American characters. But the book as a whole ended up being rather clever. I’m giving it four stars not really out of enjoyment but as a reward for that cleverness. It was such a different book from The last Thing to Burn, which I thought was brilliant. First Born didn’t live up to those expectations, sadly. I’ll be reading plenty more Will Dean. I think he’s a very talented writer.
lilysnape's review against another edition
4.0
4/5. I had some issues with the high level of drama that accompanied some of the twists, but this still ended up working for me in the end.
kirsten_canuck's review against another edition
4.0
Suspenseful - it gets dark - but a real page-turner.
kobrian12's review against another edition
5.0
Loved First Born and all of the twists, few of which I saw coming! The protagonist, and the tone of this novel, reminds me a lot of Molly, from The Maid. So fans of The Maid should give this one a try!
montanakim's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
heyitsdani_xo's review against another edition
5.0
I’m the type of person that ends up predicting certain plot elements without even trying, and I’m usually right. When I tell you I did not predict ANYTHING that happened in this book, I mean that in the best ways. While the entire book is well written, I will admit the first 40-50% of the book are more average than 5-star worthy. I honestly was predicting a 3-4 star read. But the middle of the book had me hooked. I MADE time to finish this book because of how intense it got out of no where.
This book was also very different for me. Thriller/suspense/mystery books aren’t normally my cup of tea. I honestly think the last time I read anything even close to this genre (and this is a huge stretch) would be Nancy Drew books as a child (again, huge stretch). But this book honestly has me interested in more books like this because I enjoyed the second half so much.
Definitely already recommending to friends, will continue recommending to friends, and hope to explore these genres more moving forward.
This book was also very different for me. Thriller/suspense/mystery books aren’t normally my cup of tea. I honestly think the last time I read anything even close to this genre (and this is a huge stretch) would be Nancy Drew books as a child (again, huge stretch). But this book honestly has me interested in more books like this because I enjoyed the second half so much.
Definitely already recommending to friends, will continue recommending to friends, and hope to explore these genres more moving forward.
speedreadstagram's review against another edition
3.0
I’ve read a few twin thriller books and at this point I’ve decided they are just not for me. They’re too cheesy – you always know what the twist is going to be; and that was the case with First Born.
Molly Raven lives a structured, quiet, safe life in London. Her twin, Katie is the exact opposite and moved to New York. Molly learns that Katie has been murdered and is thrown into a tailspin – she must help avenge the death of her sister. Molly methodically sifts through her sisters life to determine who killed her and along the way learns that her sister was not who she thought she was.
This was a solid book, good writing and well structured, but it wasn’t the thriller for me. I give this 3/5 stars. Thank you to @netgalley and the publisher for my free copy in exchange for an honest review.
Molly Raven lives a structured, quiet, safe life in London. Her twin, Katie is the exact opposite and moved to New York. Molly learns that Katie has been murdered and is thrown into a tailspin – she must help avenge the death of her sister. Molly methodically sifts through her sisters life to determine who killed her and along the way learns that her sister was not who she thought she was.
This was a solid book, good writing and well structured, but it wasn’t the thriller for me. I give this 3/5 stars. Thank you to @netgalley and the publisher for my free copy in exchange for an honest review.
mandasg's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5