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A review by bookgirlbrown_reviews
The Revenge List by Hannah Mary McKinnon
4.0
Anger management was designed to help people build the tools needed to combat their anger outbursts. Everyone thought Frankie Morgan desperately needed these skills; Frankie, on the other hand, thought the people in her life needed a little help of their own. If she had anger issues, she wasn’t sure what these people in her life had. During a group session she is tasked with making a list of everyone in her life that has ever wronged her – a “forgiveness” list. Thinking this exercise is a waste of time she doesn’t put much thought into it until that list goes missing and the people on it start dying.
I have seen a couple of shows and movies with this same plot – self-help group where someone in the group enacts revenge for another member without their knowledge. I find these stories interesting enough, however this book isn’t that exactly. I thought the plot would have been centered on this anger management group and its members, but the group session felt more like a distance memory that slowly fades with time. A majority of the story centers on Frankie and her list of people, events in her life, while the anger management group sessions aren’t a part of the storyline for very long. Still, I found this book intriguing.
The pacing was a little too slow for my likes, I need action happening and happening everywhere – on the first page, the first chapter, and every chapter after. It didn’t feel like this was the case here; for a thriller, I didn’t find it very thrilling. The twists and turns are what save this book for me. It makes everything worthwhile and leaves your jaw dropped at the end. I would recommend reading this book – the writing is exceptional with descriptions so palpable you’d think they were actually happening in front of you. It takes a special talent in writing to have that effect. Hannah Mary McKinnon is truly gifted.
I received an ARC of this book and leave this review of my own accord. Thank you NetGalley and MIRA for the opportunity to read this.
I have seen a couple of shows and movies with this same plot – self-help group where someone in the group enacts revenge for another member without their knowledge. I find these stories interesting enough, however this book isn’t that exactly. I thought the plot would have been centered on this anger management group and its members, but the group session felt more like a distance memory that slowly fades with time. A majority of the story centers on Frankie and her list of people, events in her life, while the anger management group sessions aren’t a part of the storyline for very long. Still, I found this book intriguing.
The pacing was a little too slow for my likes, I need action happening and happening everywhere – on the first page, the first chapter, and every chapter after. It didn’t feel like this was the case here; for a thriller, I didn’t find it very thrilling. The twists and turns are what save this book for me. It makes everything worthwhile and leaves your jaw dropped at the end. I would recommend reading this book – the writing is exceptional with descriptions so palpable you’d think they were actually happening in front of you. It takes a special talent in writing to have that effect. Hannah Mary McKinnon is truly gifted.
I received an ARC of this book and leave this review of my own accord. Thank you NetGalley and MIRA for the opportunity to read this.