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Book Tour // Red Leaves by Paullina Simons

April 25, 2017April 25, 2017 Crystal // Dreams, etc. 6 comments
Book Tour // Red Leaves by Paullina Simons

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

About Red Leaves

Paperback: 448 pages
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks; Reissue edition (April 11, 2017)

In the tradition of Ira Levin’s A Kiss Before Dying and Donna Tartt’s The Secret History comes a suspenseful thriller from the international bestselling author of The Bronze Horseman–an utterly captivating story about four Ivy League students whose bizarre friendship leads to a twisted maze of secrets, lies, betrayal, and murder.

As the star player of Dartmouth College’s women’s basketball team, Kristina Kim is beautiful, intelligent, and fearless. But though she’s just 21, Kristina has already had her share of heartache, loss, and dark secrets that haunt her. She’s best friends with Conni, Albert, and Jim, but the only one who seems to really know her is Albert. With long dark hair, tattoos, and a rebellious streak, Albert doesn’t fit in with the rest of the clean-cut Ivy Leaguers. Like Kristina, he has his share of secrets–secrets that are beginning to unravel this intimate circle of friends.

One wintry Thanksgiving weekend tragedy strikes…

When Detective Spencer O’Malley goes to investigate something suspicious at the foot of a steep hill on Dartmouth’s campus, he doesn’t expect that the frozen, naked body found in deep snow would belong to Kristina Kim–the remarkable young woman he met recently who entranced him. Now Spencer will never know if the chemistry he had with her was real. All he can do is find her killer.

Spencer is pulled into the strange, complex web of the surviving friends. Many important questions about Kristina’s murder cannot be answered, such as: why did none of them report her missing for nine days before her body was discovered? The more Spencer digs, the more clear it becomes that each of the three has a motive for killing Kristina. And as Spencer, seeking justice for a dead girl, is led down a labyrinth of deceit, every new revelation proves more shocking than the last–and more dangerous.

Simons handles her characters and setting with a certain skill, creating mystery from the ordinary, protected lives of these Ivy League kids, slowly peeling away their deceptions to reveal denial, cowardice, and chilling indifference–an engrossing story. Publishers Weekly

My Thoughts

This is a hard book to review. I have some mixed thoughts on it, so I’ll start with what I struggled with and end with what I enjoyed.

The book felt a little long. There were conversations that would last for pages and didn’t need to, in my opinion. The dialogue between characters often felt awkward and unrealistic. The characters themselves were hard to connect with. They often felt one-dimensional. There were also things that didn’t make a lot of sense to me, like Kristina’s dog, which felt like a contrived part of the plot. It felt like a very ’90s story to me–and I’m not just saying that because it takes place in the early ’90’s. It always threw me off when I saw dates listed, but there were certain ways things were described that reminded me of books I read when I was younger.

That being said, I was incredibly fascinated by the mystery and it definitely had me turning pages. As I read this I wondered if I would have enjoyed it more if I hadn’t read it during a super busy month. When I finished it, I thought it would be a book to read during a frigid, snowy night in the middle of winter with a hot beverage and cozy blanket.

Purchase Links

HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Photo by Renaissance Studio

About Paullina Simons

Paullina Simons is an internationally bestselling author whose novels include Bellagrand and The Bronze Horseman was born in Leningrad in 1963. As a child she immigrated to Queens, New York, and attended colleges in Long Island. Then she moved to England and attended Essex University, before returning to America. She lives in New York with her husband and children.

Find out more about Paullina at her website, follow her on Twitter, and connect with her 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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6 comments

  1. Beth Kondrick says:
    April 25, 2017 at 9:56 am

    It definitely sounds like it has a lot of intrigue and the plot sounds interesting. But I have a hard time with books that feel long, so I can understand your mixed feelings.

    Reply
  2. StephTheBookworm says:
    April 25, 2017 at 10:02 am

    I reviewed this one too and felt much the same way! Some of the dialogue and situations felt unrealistic but I couldn’t stop turning the pages! I became obsessed with the mystery aspect!

    Reply
  3. Julie Scott Thorne says:
    April 25, 2017 at 11:30 am

    Hmmm…sounds like something I’d like but now I’m not sure!! Should I read or no?

    Reply
  4. Kimberly M says:
    April 25, 2017 at 12:14 pm

    I am intrigued by the book just by the cover – yes, I am one of those people šŸ˜‰
    I need a book that has characters you can connect with – that is so important to me. I’ll get turned off right away, but I usually stick with the book right to the end.

    Reply
  5. Charlotte says:
    April 26, 2017 at 12:16 pm

    It sounds like an interesting read, for sure though I’m sorry to hear there were parts that felt long. I’m always (personally) put off by that in a book, because I like my murder mysteries to feel like compelling page-tuners all the way through. It does sound like an interesting book though and perfect for a cold winter night–great review, Crystal!! XOXO

    Reply
  6. HeatherTLC says:
    April 28, 2017 at 6:01 pm

    It is funny how certain books seem to want to be read at specific times of the year, but it is definitely something I feel as well.

    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.

If only we always remembered to be in touch with o If only we always remembered to be in touch with our loved ones regularly; to tell them that we love them.

This thought has been on my mind the last few weeks as I’ve been in touch with one of my best friends almost daily. They’ve been navigating a scary situation.

But that’s what everyone says, isn’t it? Reach out to those you love. Tell them you love them. Don’t let a lot of time pass.

We all know that. We think about it sometimes. We hear about it when others are in crisis. We’re thankful that we aren’t the ones in crisis and we can remember this lesson through someone else.

But eventually we get caught up in life. Our daily ā€œI love you’sā€ are reserved for those we live with and sometimes we forget to text someone back… or it takes a few days to do so.

This week as I wondered why we don’t remember this more often I realized it’s probably a good thing. It’s a good thing that we can live life without worrying that tragedy is right around the corner. That would be an exhausting way to live.

It’s also good that we can get little reminders, sometimes not from our own life. So from someone who spent one week numb, another week weepy, and this week sad, remember to send your friends a text. Tell them you love them.
I took these in early January when the snow still I took these in early January when the snow still felt a bit magical, but right now I’m just ready to walk barefoot in grass.

When I was younger I used to imagine what it would be like if we got so much snow that it would be piled high above our doors. I wondered if we’d be able to create tunnels in the snow to move around in.

And this year might just be the year we find out. I’m kidding, of course, but at this point I feel like we’ve been buried in snow. We’re even on track to beat some snow records I think (the amount of snow and the number of consecutive days with snow on the ground.

So. What’s the weather like where you are?
February was here and gone in the blink of an eye February was here and gone in the blink of an eye but contained moments I’ll carry with me forever.
When it’s almost halfway through February and yo When it’s almost halfway through February and you still haven’t posted January’s recap. January was filled with lots of family time. šŸ’™
Hello, friends! šŸ‘‹šŸ¼ Swipe through for a few g Hello, friends! šŸ‘‹šŸ¼ Swipe through for a few glimpses from January. As 2022 came to an end I had this feeling that I was preparing to hibernate and I guess, in a way, I have. I’ve been slowly easing into the new year, focused on getting back into a few routines after Iceland and the holidays. And it’s been a great month. I can’t believe it’s almost over. What have your favorite moments of January been?
2022. Looking back on this year it was the year of 2022. Looking back on this year it was the year of so many dreams experiences. Whales. Cape Cod/Nantucket. Iceland. I saw musicals that have I’ve been dreaming of with Moulin Rouge, Wicked, and Six. 

It wasn’t without its stresses and rough moments but I’m grateful for the good that can be found, even when it’s hard.
Let’s journey back to November for the second we Let’s journey back to November for the second weekly dam walk of the month. My dad joined me for this one and we made it somewhat fast because it was a chilly day. ā€œThe water looks cold,ā€ I said when we back to the car.

Between Iceland and the below zero, windy, and snowy weather we had last week (which came with requests from my parents not to go) it’s been a few weeks since I’ve been to the dam and I miss it!
Years ago I celebrated Christmas and New Years in Years ago I celebrated Christmas and New Years in Vienna and it still lives in my memory today as such a special time. I know December in Reykjavik will be the same—and not just because I came home with a little over $100 worth of ornaments of all 13 Yule Lads AND their mom AND the Christmas cat. (There was a little bit of miscommunication between my mom and me on that shopping trip. šŸ˜‚)

It might have been cold (and when that wind hits you don’t want to be outside or by the harbour…I speak from windswept, breath-stolen experience and will forever be grateful for the library we eventually found respite in) and we only saw the sun a few hours each day, but seeing this already charming city decked out in Christmas lights with a skating rink and the prettiest tree secured it’s place in my heart.

Reykjavik, I hope to see you again one day. Soon. Probably not in December, but I’m glad I got to see you in December once.
Last year my niece and I visited New York at Chris Last year my niece and I visited New York at Christmastime and it was fun to see the city decked out in lights. I can also now say that I’ve seen the Rockefeller Christmas Tree and skating rink and the Saks Christmas lights, but I’ve also seen the crowds they draw.

It was completely different in Reykjavik this year. You actually had a chance to skate on the ice rink if you wanted (and I never did the conversation, but I think it’s cheaper) and you could actually walk up to the Christmas tree. Two very different Christmas in the city experiences.
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