I had loved Iliana Xander's previous work, Love, Mom. It had an interesting premise (revolving around a dead bestselling author), along with some really good twists and turns, which made it a global bestseller. Naturally, my expectations were quite high when I picked this one up by the same author. But honestly, I found this one to be a rather disappointing thriller.
Natalie, our protagonist, sees her best friend Cara leaving a nightclub with a handsome stranger, only to find her lying unconscious in a hospital bed the next day. What happened to her that dreadful night is an enigma that only Cara can reveal, but sadly, she is in a coma. Natalie is desperate for answers, and she can't believe her luck when she stumbles upon an opportunity to work in the mansion of that handsome stranger (who also happens to be a multimillionaire). Her plan is simple: get close to the "stranger," gather enough evidence, and make him pay. But pretty soon, she realizes that nothing is what it seems, and she might have made a horrible mistake.
Coming to the positives, this one is a fast-paced, popcorn read, with really short chapters and a quick narrative, thereby sticking true to its genre.
But then, why did this one disappoint me? I think the list is going to be endless! First of all, the basic premise itself is a bit implausible, and it almost reads like a bargain-basement version of The Housemaid series and the Riley Sager thriller Lock Every Door. The logical errors in the plot only serve to magnify the moth-sized loopholes in the wafer-thin story. The characterizations are very weak—the female protagonist, Natalie, behaves in the most foolish manner most of the time, and the less said about the antagonist, the better! By the time we reach the climax, we almost feel sorry for the "antagonist," who was introduced as a menacing villain somewhere in the middle of the story. The mystery surrounding the villain itself was so predictable that I could sense it pretty early on. There are also many unanswered questions towards the end (and what was the point of having that anonymous narrator, which added nothing relevant to the overall story?).
On the whole, this one is a run-of-the-mill thriller.
— nikhimenon
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