Reviews

When The Lights Go Out by Mary Kubica

handilibrarian's review against another edition

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3.0

Jessie Sloane has spent the last five years of her life circling the reality of her mother’s cancer battle. When she passes during the night, all Jessie can think about are the last words her mother said to her “find yourself.” Living up to those words, Jessie applies for college, rents a new apartment and starts down the path of rebuilding her life.

But when the college calls to inform her that her social security number has returned as being from a deceased person, Jessie’s shock and insomnia cause her to doubt everything she’s ever known. Now, at the center of a bizarre mystery, her judgement is blurred and she begins to see things until she can no longer tell the difference between what’s real and what’s imagined. Meanwhile, twenty years earlier, another woman’s decisions may hold the key to the secret surrounding Jessie’s life.

Eden believes her life is perfect. Her husband is wonderful, they have the best house and they’re ready to start a family. But when it turns out getting pregnant is harder than she expected, it becomes an all-consuming, devastating bomb that erodes her happiness. Every month of nothing is a game of mental angst, which leads down the road of increased doctors’ bills and debt. When nothing else matters but the determination to become a mother, her marriage shatters and depression sets in. Then, one split second decision changes the course of her future.

In a suspenseful mind-game of ‘what’s the truth,’ Jessie tries to navigate her own mystery while the past is slowly revealed to the readers. Mary Kubica does an excellent job of creating intrigue and suspense in an emotional thriller that is not in any way a murder mystery or spy game novel, which has seemed to overtake the market at the moment.

chrisinnh's review against another edition

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4.0

Kind of disappointing ending.

kirstensviews's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

I love Mary Kubica. But I hated this book.
 

It was all just a bad dream. I felt like I was watching an old episode of Dallas.

marisaandrews's review against another edition

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5.0

AMAZING!!! I truly enjoyed this book from beginning to end. Thank you Mary Kubica for another great read!

skymichan's review against another edition

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mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

brandy_ritch's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

lblanke724's review against another edition

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3.0

Told in alternating voices, this thriller follows Eden, a woman desperate to have a child, and Jessie, a young woman who has just made a discovery that throws her into a crisis of identity.

The novel veers into the realm of psychological thriller as each woman falls further down the rabbit hole of grief and confusion. Jessie, in particular, is also suffering from insomnia, and her lack of sleep makes it difficult for her to differentiate between what's real and what's in her head.

This was a quick read for me as I sped through to get to the reveal . . . . and the author threw in a twist I didn't see coming! Recommend to fans of thrillers like Gone Girl.

krose713's review against another edition

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3.5

I usually love unreliable, narrators, and the story was not different. I will say I was disappointed in the ending. The book led me to believe there would be a really crazy plot twist sort of ending which I’m a sucker for. Unfortunately I feel like the ending fell sort of flat which impacts my rating.

marieburton2004's review against another edition

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3.0

A very good book till a certain plot twist just ruined it..
I'll be spoiler free but don't waste your time. Like I did.

slaporte's review against another edition

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3.0

The story is told from the Eden's perspective and Jesse's perspective.
There are twists from what you might predict to happen.
Is perhaps a horror story of the danger of not sleeping.