A review by 13rebecca13
Little Stranger by Leigh Rivers

dark fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book has been all over Booktok and I had a little bit of FOMO. I'd heard the audiobook was good so I decided to listen to it whilst I read on my Kindle. I am very glad I did. If I was solely reading this book, I probably would have given it three stars but the narration bumped it up one.

Little Stranger is a taboo, dark romance between Olivia and Malachi Vize who have been raised as foster siblings. Please read the content warnings if you want to read it. I have zero triggers but even I had moments where I thought, "what the hell am I reading?" There are a lot of scenes that I felt were clearly written for shock factor and I did have moments where I thought the writing wasn't great and a bit cringey. There are some quite obvious nods to Haunting Adeline which I felt could have been changed more to differentiate.

As I mentioned, I'm glad I listened to the audiobook. Joe Arden added extra depth to Malachi, especially in part two, and there were a lot of comedic elements there. I felt his narration helped me understand his character more. All in all, it was entertaining and I will be reading the second in the series for sure!