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Book Tour // This Is Not Over by Holly Brown

January 17, 2017January 16, 2017 Crystal // Dreams, etc. 9 comments
Book Tour // This Is Not Over by Holly Brown

Note – I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. No affiliate links were used in this post.

About This is Not Over

Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks; Reprint edition (January 17, 2017)

You’ll have your deposit within seven business days, just like it says on Getaway.com. I’ve put through a refund to your credit card for the full amount, minus $200 to replace the stained sheets…

Miranda

When 30-year-old Dawn reads Miranda’s email, she sees red. People have always told Dawn she’s beautiful, and she just hopes they don’t see beneath–to how she grew up, to what she’s always tried to outrun. She revels in her getaways with her perfect (maybe too perfect) husband, the occasional long weekend in luxurious homes, temporarily inhabiting other people’s privileged lives. Miranda’s email strikes a nerve, with its lying intimation that Dawn is so dirty you need to throw out her sheets.

Beware of your “host”

I wouldn’t have left a review at all, if I didn’t feel it was my civic duty to warn others…

57-year-old Miranda thought she’d seen it all, but she can’t believe her eyes when she reads Dawn’s review. She’s a doctor’s wife but she needs that rental money, desperately. People might think her life is privileged, but they don’t know what’s really going on. They don’t know about her son. She won’t take this threat to her livelihood–to her very life–lying down.

Two very different women with this in common: Each harbors her own secret, her own reason why she canít just let this go. Neither can yield, not before they’ve dredged up all that’s hidden, even if it has the power to shatter all they’ve built.

This is not over.

This is so not over.

Purchase Links

HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

My Thoughts

This was a different reading experience for me. When I picked this up I was hoping for a thriller that would be fast-paced and explosive. This wasn’t it.

However, I kept turning pages. I wouldn’t say it was “unputdownable,” because I did take breaks while reading, but I kept coming back to it. I wanted to know how the book would end. This was due in large part to the characters. I didn’t understand them–how could two women let this correspondence get to the point that it did? I even went back to reread the messages they sent to see how they jumped to the interpretations that they did… I never understood. And, I didn’t like any of the characters either.

But even though I didn’t understand them or like them, I felt for them at certain points throughout the novel. Not any of the side characters, really, but I definitely felt for both Miranda and Dawn at one point or another.

The narrative moves a bit slowly and I felt like I spent a lot of time in Miranda and Dawn’s heads/thought-processes. At first it seemed like a bit much, however I think one of the strengths of this book was to see how quickly both Miranda and Dawn were able to work themselves up and how they let outside factors twist their perception and recollection of the messages. I don’t think that would have been as apparent if we didn’t spend as much time in their heads.

Their reactions also helped build up the tension. I kept asking, “Is this going to happen?” or “Is that going to happen? But I knew something was going to happen and I wanted to know what that was.

Read this book if:
>> You enjoy character studies–even if the characters aren’t ones that you love.
>> You like thrillers, but you don’t want to read something that will have you looking over your shoulder.

 

About Holly Brown

Photo by Yanina Gotsulsky

Holly Brown lives with her husband and toddler daughter in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she’s a practicing marriage and family therapist. She is the author of the novel Don’t Try to Find Me, and her blog, “Bonding Time,” is featured on the mental health website PsychCentral.com.

Connect with Holly on Facebook.

 

 

About Crystal

About Crystal

Hi! I'm Crystal, a millennial learning how to live slowly and sustainably, while still seeking adventure and following my dreams, etc.

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9 comments

  1. Lecy | A Simpler Grace says:
    January 17, 2017 at 8:15 am

    Ugh, I kind of get annoyed when a book doesn’t read like I was expecting it to, but I guess it keeps us on our toes. This sounds like it might be interesting. I might give it a try! 🙂

    Reply
    1. Crystal @ Dreams, etc. says:
      January 17, 2017 at 3:44 pm

      I do too! Although in this case I think it was really my expectations that weren’t reasonable. There was nothing there to indicate that it would be action-packed, I just kind of assumed it would be for whatever reason. 🙂 It was interesting, though, to watch as their thought process spiraled out of control. If you decide to read it, I’d love to hear your thoughts!

      Reply
  2. Neely says:
    January 17, 2017 at 9:30 am

    I may have to download this. I need some new books!

    Reply
    1. Crystal @ Dreams, etc. says:
      January 17, 2017 at 3:44 pm

      I’d love to hear your thoughts if you decide to read it! 🙂

      Reply
  3. ashortblonde says:
    January 18, 2017 at 9:21 am

    I think it’s easier to watch a TV show full of unlikable characters but in a single novel it’s tricky. Thank you for the extensive review!

    Reply
    1. Crystal @ Dreams, etc. says:
      January 18, 2017 at 12:19 pm

      You’re welcome! And that’s definitely true. This one is a little easier, though, since I definitely had moments where my heart went out to the two main characters and they weren’t incredibly frustrating, as in some books I’ve read.

      Reply
  4. Aishwarya says:
    January 18, 2017 at 10:32 am

    That’s one of the most real and helpful review! I don’t think it’d be my cup of tea! Thanks for the post! 🙂

    Reply
    1. Crystal @ Dreams, etc. says:
      January 18, 2017 at 12:20 pm

      Thank you! I’m glad to hear my review was helpful. 🙂 It’s definitely not for everyone. I think this is a book that one of my favorite book bloggers DNF’d.

      Reply
  5. HeatherTLC says:
    January 22, 2017 at 5:17 pm

    Thanks for being a part of the tour!

    Reply

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hi!

I'm Crystal, the storyteller behind Dreams, etc. I'm all about learning how to live slowly & sustainably, while also seeking adventure as we follow our dreams, etc.

May 2023. Savannah, Georgia. Lots of Mina. Lots of May 2023. Savannah, Georgia. Lots of Mina. Lots of new growth on plants.
The other day I realized that there is no Savannah The other day I realized that there is no Savannah on my feed and…well, Savannah is beautiful and needs to be there. These were taken in Lafayette Square on my second day in Georgia.
Picture it. It’s the day after Thanksgiving. I d Picture it. It’s the day after Thanksgiving. I didn’t go on my weekly dam walk earlier in the week when I was excited about it. On this day I was tired after a long week and my least favorite holiday. My bed was oh so comfortable. I forced myself to roll out of bed and journey to the dam. It was filled with people and I was pokey…taking my time to get there and even journeying down one of the other paths to avoid walking across the dam. (Which isn’t long.) I finally joined the crowd and walked across. And then came back, happy to have made my weekly journey. This is when the top layer of the water started to freeze.
From March: an old mini vlog from a bagpipe rock c From March: an old mini vlog from a bagpipe rock concert, which is mostly me trying the say bagpipe rock. Some word combinations are hard! 😂 There was a sign asking us not to film, which is why there’s no concert footage.
Some of my weekly dam walks have been therapeutic Some of my weekly dam walks have been therapeutic and while the walks haven’t fixed the problems, they’ve help me breathe and connect with the world and relieve stress. 💕
April 2023. We got more snow, but it also melted. April 2023. We got more snow, but it also melted. The dam was almost overflowing. The animals are beginning to emerge. Spring is here!
Happy Independent Bookstore Day! After a coffee st Happy Independent Bookstore Day! After a coffee stop (of course) a friend and I checks out two indie bookstores that we have never been to before. I definitely want to go back to Uncle Hugo’s and Uncle Edgar’s! Did you do anything for #independentbookstoreday

#indiebookstore #indiebookshop
After watching some shopping ASMR videos I had to After watching some shopping ASMR videos I had to try it.

#asmr #groceryshopping #groceryshop  #asmrvideos
I’m a little behind in weekly dam walk reels. Le I’m a little behind in weekly dam walk reels. Let’s go back to the third week in November when there was just a little snow on the ground and the footprints in the snow seemed notable.
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