You Will Know Me
Thriller
Little, Brown
July 26, 2016
Advanced Reader's Copy
352
Publisher via BookSparks
Katie and Eric Knox have dedicated their lives to their fifteen-year-old daughter Devon, a gymnastics prodigy and Olympic hopeful. But when a violent death rocks their close-knit gymnastics community just weeks before an all-important competition, everything the Knoxes have worked so hard for feels suddenly at risk. As rumors swirl among the other parents, revealing hidden plots and allegiances, Katie tries frantically to hold her family together while also finding herself drawn, irresistibly, to the crime itself, and the dark corners it threatens to illuminate. From a writer with "exceptional gifts for making nerves jangle and skin crawl," (Janet Maslin) You Will Know Me is a breathless rollercoaster of a novel about the desperate limits of desire, jealousy, and ambition.
My review:
I'm just going to admit it, this author just isn't for me. I have read a previous book by her (Dare Me) and really didn't like it much, but since I received this for review, I thought I'd give her another shot. Make no mistake, there is nothing wrong with Abbott's writing, or her ability to pull you into a story, it's more that I hate the characters in her stories. For some books, unlikable people are part of the plan, we are supposed to not like them. Sometimes they redeem themselves, sometimes not. Except that in the case of this book, I think the reader was supposed to feel something for these characters. The only one I liked was the younger brother Drew, who I felt extremely sorry for throughout the story. Basically we are taken on a journey where these parents will do anything for their daughter to achieve her gymnastic goal of the Olympics. And when I say anything, well that is where I draw the line with these parents. I get it, my daughter was a competitive cheerleader for ten years, but this was just too much! I did enjoy the gymnastics aspect of the book, and that whole competition feel, but then it just got crazy. All I came away with at the end was that too many people knew the secret, and some day someone was going to crack.
Bottom line, there are tons of people who love Abbott's books, so read some other reviews before making your decision. It was very readable, even page turning, but it just hit some hot spots for me, and I can't say I would personally recommend it.
This book is part of the BookSparks summer reading challenge. Click the link to find out more about the challenge and follow along on social media using #SRC2016 and #BestSummerEver to find more reviews of this book and others.
I think I'll pass on this one. I know that for competitive sports the parents have to be involved but I also know from having 2 kids in competitive soccer that it doesn't bring out the best in people. It does sound like a book that pulls you in but ultimately like one that probably isn't for me.
As I mentioned in my review, it's not the writing that bothers me, it's the characters. I know a lot of people really like her books, but I think I'm going to sit them out from now on.
I've seen a lot of people who love this one, and I've never read an Abbott book. I do think this one would make me angry...at the parents. I don't think this one is for me.
She's a really good writer, I just can't seem to get into her characters. I never like any of them....lol.