Blood Orange by Harriet Tyce
Format: Print, paperback
Pages: 378
Start Date: July 1st, 2023
End Date: July 4th, 2023
My Ratings
Overall: ★★★
Character Development: ★★★
Ending: ★★
Suspense Level: 🔪
Pace: Medium to Quick
Recommend: Yes
Triggers: Rape, Abuse
Summary - Goodreads
Harriet Tyce's debut thriller Blood Orange is a dark and addictive novel for readers who enjoyed Apple Tree Yard, The Nightingale and The Girl on the Train. Alison has it a doting husband, beloved daughter and career on the up. But nothing is quite what it seems. Alison drinks too much and she's having an affair with a colleague who likes to push boundaries. And it's all getting too much. Alison is representing a client who wants to plead guilty to stabbing her husband, but something about her story is amiss.
However, if Alison saves this woman, she believes she can save herself. But someone knows all of Alison's secrets - and wants to make her pay for what she's done...
My Thoughts - Contains Spoilers, Continue at Your Own Risk
Ok, I really give this 3.5 stars. I feel like the prelude sucked me in, then I was a bit disappointed from there. There are no likeable characters in the story, which is fine. Personally, I kept trying to root for Alison; trying to will her I to getting her life together. Of course she never does so I felt like I was left unsatisfied that things worked out for her in the end. Not that I felt like she deserved what Carl was trying to do to her, just seemed too "convenient".
Maybe it's the fact that Tyce is an English writer, but I found that sometimes I had to read a section a few times to understand what the author was trying to get across. Also, some of the sentence structures seemed odd....I'm probably being nit picky.
The overall storyline and plot twists were just fine. Maybe I built the book up in my mind too much before hand, but I just felt like I was a bit let down by this. Edwin and Carl were the same character. Alison was being abuse by everyone in her life. Even when it was revealed that James actually killed Edwin, I felt underwhelmed by that twist. I felt like it was pretty obvious Carl was drugging Alison, even though it wasn't ever really said. I honestly was waiting for the twist that Carl actually killed Patrick....
The review on my book over says "Dark, original, and utterly compelling....." I just don't get it. The book wasn't really dark except for the fact everyone's lives are miserable. The storyline isn't original...it's always the husband....always the parent covering for the child.... I can't say i disliked the book. I feel like I just kept waiting to be blown away by this and I just wasn't.....
I'm Curious
If you were Alison, would you risk everything to fight Carl given the same circumstances (before she knew the full extent of her abuse)?
Did you think Madeleines story was fishy from the start or were you surprised James was the one who killed Edwin?
Was there any characters in the book you were rooting for?
Did you think Alison had a right to be jealous that Patrick was sleeping around?
Did you get the impression Carl was drugging Alison?
Next Book: To Die For by Lisa Gray
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