This Is Not Over: A Novel

Yes, this book is literally about an online review from a guest to the host of a vacation rental property. And somehow the author is able to create twists and turns and develop complex characters. I really like how I was never led on to think the story was going a certain way -- all the elements in the story are very relevant and concise. I very much appreciate the way the story constantly kept coming together and every detail was meaningful all the way to the end. It maintained my interest the entire time and I do recommend this book.

I would absolutely recommend this book to a friend. It was different from most books I have read, and I read 3-5 books a week. This fictional story is about how misunderstandings effect lives.

This question is hard to answer. Both women were people I loved and hated at the same time. I saw both sides and became aggravated at them both. Comparable to the soap opera stars, the one everybody loves to hate, maybe.

When one figures out her husband wasn't who she thought. Nothing more to say, or I would give too much away.

There are a couple of parts that were sad for me, as a mother.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, but have been trying to branch out from the genres I usuallly read. (Lots of romance for many years, now mostly thrilllers and horror.) I'm so glad I gave this book a try. I can't really explain why I enjoyed it so, but I found it drew me in and I didn't want to stop listening.

Listened for Fun (Audible)
Overall Rating: 3.25
Story Rating: 3.50
Character Rating: 3.00

Audio Rating: 4.50 (not part of the overall rating)

Quick Thoughts: This is a hard book for me to review. I listened to it in one day but there were points I thought about DNFing it. The characters really were hard to take and I think they were supposed to be. I couldn't sympathize with either of them (even at the end). That being said, the idea that a negative review could lead to this kind of thing absolutely made sense to me. In that essence, the characters were spot on. It would take two incredibly narcissistic people to take it as far as these two did. Did I like the book? Hard to say. Did I find it fascinating? At times. Would I recommend it? Maybe it would depend on the reader.

Audio Thoughts:

Narrated by: Madeleine Maby , Donna Postel /Length: 11 hrs and 15 mins


The narrators nailed this. I honestly think I stuck with the book because of how well they did. They really brought out every little thing about the characters. This was great audiobook casting.

Part of my Read It, Rate It, File It, DONE! Reviews

This book was hard to put down. Start to finish. I enjoyed it very much.

Wow! Brilliant execution. <br/><br/>The first indication that this isn't going to be one of those drippy, cliche filled thrillers with gut wrenching circumstances that don't have the tone or punch to back it up, is the quote on the front by Mary Kubica, a master of psychological depth and suspense herself. "A Master storyteller and an expert of suspense," Kubica says. I almost missed this one, as it wasn't recommended to me like all the others I see on my Audible queue. I found it because I typed the authors name in, and found this book, which appears to have not garnered that much attention. (And it deserves more than most of the recommendations/suggestions I'm offered on kindle.) <br/><br/>Swerving from one disillusioned pov to the other, these two women in very different circumstances encounter each other online through trivial coincidence, and somehow become embedded in each others thoughts until they're total enemies. A lot of the chapters begin with letters written or reviews from one to the other, followed by the characters thoughts. I really like the way Brown started out with such a superficial premise, the kind of thing you'd expect to see in a Jane Green or Sophie Kinsella book that's light and comic, but that superficial premise was just one guise to draw you into the tumultuous depths of these two women's lives. <br/><br/>Holly Brown delivers both povs with unflinching individuality. I sided with one voice more than the other (Miranda's) but I'm sure there are probably just as many people who sided more with Dawn. I'm in awe of the way the author was able to grow a faint grudge into a war with casualties on both sides, and the way these two women kept misinterpreting each other at every turn. That was the brilliant part: Brown really captured those insightful psychological details of what goes on when you're misunderstanding someone else's motives. <br/><br/>However, if you're the type of reader that needs to really root for a character, to have a hero that is going to inspire you with their moral clarity, this isn't your type of book at all. While the characters do find a way to overcome their circumstances and their biases, the trip is filled with rocky moments of moral grey, incidents that might might make you hate the characters before you reach any satisfaction. (I'm guessing if I read other reviews there will be complaints like "the characters were unlikable" which seems to be a complaint I hear a lot in plenty of the books I tend to like.) <br/><br/>This is the second Holly Brown book I've read, (The first was "Don't Try To Find Me") and I have not been disappointed yet. I hope that the next one I read (A Necessary End) is as good.

I'm enjoying this novel, but the woman who narrate's the chapters for the character Dawn really does a horrible male voice, but she insists. It's quite distracting.

Not if it is like this one.

No

I could not get past the PETTINESS!

Madeleine

Not a book I would recommend