Review: Missing Sister (by Joshilyn Jackson)

My Rating: 2.5 stars

I’ve read several of Joshilyn Jackson’s previous novels and liked them all well enough, so I picked up her newest work, Missing Sister, with a certain amount of anticipation, especially after reading the interesting premise and understanding that this would be another novel in the thriller / suspense category, which she has been pretty solid in judging from past books I’ve read.  Indeed, this one started out fine – a bit slow burn, yes, but I was okay with that because I figured Jackson was setting up the backstory and the pace would pick up later once the action started happening (more on this later). Though with that said, I do have to say that, from the start, I honestly did not like the main character Penny Albright – not only did she come across to me as perpetually immature and frustratingly whiny, she was also entirely unconvincing as a police officer.  The entire time I was reading, I couldn’t shake the impression of Penny as a petulant teenager playing make believe cop -- her character is actually in her late twenties, I think, but she talks like a 15 year old (sorry, but it’s hard for me to take a cop seriously who constantly describes another person as sitting “crisscross applesauce”). Of course, it also didn’t help that Penny as a character was written in a way that I typically can’t stand – the “damsel in distress” type who is forever justifying her every thought and action (which, because the story is narrated in first person, felt like she was endlessly debating with herself in her head), constantly berating herself and putting herself down (she actually calls herself “dumb” and “stupid” on multiple occasions), and then backing all that up with one nonsensical decision after another (after another, after another, ad nauseam).  But Penny wasn’t the only annoying character – interestingly enough, every character in the story actually frustrated me in some way, which unfortunately made it difficult for me to stay invested in the story, since being able to connect with at least one of the characters (or, minimally, feeling like I want to root for them) is crucial for me and I didn't find any of that here.

Annoying characters aside, I was hoping the story would at least be enough to make this a worthwhile read for me, but unfortunately, I also had issues there as well.  Technically, the entire story didn’t work for me, but the plot was especially problematic, as it had way too many holes in it, to the point that it became distracting.  Speaking of distractions, I also felt that there was a lot of unnecessary “fluff” that bogged the story down – things such as stretched out descriptions of minute details (there was one scene that literally spent paragraphs describing everything the character sees within the half second it took to turn their head), drawn-out conversations about irrelevant things that seemed to have nothing to do with the story, and weird scenes where characters seem to be hallucinating and blubbering nonsense one minute but then speak coherently and seem completely fine the next minute. Overall, so much of the story didn’t make sense and I found myself having to suspend disbelief for so long that I ended up skimming large chunks of the story because I couldn’t bear the ridiculousness any longer.

With all that said, there were some bright spots, such as the set up in the opening pages, as well as the reveal at the end, which I didn’t figure out – but as a whole, the story was difficult to follow (because the writing was all over the place) and the frustrating aspects outweighed the non-frustrating ones too much for me.

While this book was a definite “miss” for me, it hasn’t put me off from reading Jackson’s other works -- though admittedly, I will probably be more selective in terms of choosing which ones to read (maybe I’ll stick with the historical-themed stories instead of the mystery / thrillers).

Received ARC from William Morrow via NetGalley.

Review: Mother May I (by Joshilyn Jackson)

My Rating: 4 stars

My exposure to Joshilyn Jackson's works so far has been limited to her 2019 release Never Have I Ever, which I remember was a well-written, brilliantly plotted thriller that kept me guessing throughout.  I also remember, when I wrote my review for that book, how impressed I was that an accomplished author who is used to writing books in a particular genre, could venture into a whole different genre (one that isn't easy to succeed in, to boot) and do such a good job with it.  With her newest novel Mother May I, Jackson once again takes on the thriller / suspense genre, this time centering the story around another flawed female protagonist, Bree Cabbat, and her wealthy, privileged family.   Just like with Never Have I Ever, Jackson  incorporated elements into the story that reflected societal issues from the last couple years — for example, drug addiction and the opioid crisis, disparity between rich and poor, racism, wealth and privilege, the metoo movement, etc.  

As with all thriller / suspense novels, I recommend going in knowing as little as possible, so my review will be deliberately short and vague.  One thing I will say though is that I actually liked Jackson's previous thriller (Never Have I Ever) a tad better.  While this newest one (Mother May I) was just as well-written, I feel it wasn't as tightly plotted and enthralling — I was able to figure out most of the plot points relatively easily and guessed the ending early on too.  I also thought that parts of the plot came across a bit melodramatic, though not to the point that it affected my reading experience.  I also wasn't particularly fond of the characters either — Bree annoyed me quite a bit, especially with some of her actions in the last part of the story — but again, not to the point that it detracted from the story.

Jackson definitely knows how to tell a compelling story!  Even though I figured out most of the plot early on, the story was still engaging enough to keep me continuously turning the pages, only putting the book down once (and reluctantly at that) to tend to some urgent matters.  I ended up finishing this one in two sittings.  If you're looking for a well-written, suspenseful story that goes beyond being a "run-of-the-mill" thriller, then definitely pick this one up.  Do be warned though that triggers abound, especially as it relates to sex and some of the characters' actions / behaviors.  

Of course I can't wait for Jackson's next book (whether it will be a thriller or not) — while I wait, I need to find time to read her other works as well (though easier said than done given my schedule).

Received ARC from publisher (William Morrow) via NetGalley.

Review: Never Have I Ever (by Joshilyn Jackson)

My Rating: 4.5 stars

This is one of those books that I would call "compulsively readable" — the kind of book that, once you pick it up and start reading, it's almost impossible to put down.  There was an addictive and engaging quality to the story and its characters, to the point that I couldn't bring myself to stop reading even when one of the characters frustrated me to no end.  It all starts with a book club gathering at the house of our protagonist Amy Whey, a night she thought would be like any other, where other mothers in the neighborhood get together along with her best friend Charlotte Baxter to discuss the latest book they chose.  But then a new neighbor shows up at the door, a beautiful woman named Angelica Roux, whose exotic charm captivates nearly everyone in the room and next thing they know, the book club discussion becomes instead a lively session of drinking and chatting.  Later in the night, Roux suggests playing a game, a grown-up version of the confession game Never Have I Ever — and that's when the troubles begin.  Suddenly, Amy finds herself locked in a twisted game with a woman whose skills in manipulation far exceed ordinary — a game that Amy quickly discovers she has no option but to win or else risk destroying the life and family she had worked so hard to build.

This book was a wild ride, intricately plotted and full of twists and turns that kept me constantly guessing — just when I thought I had things figured out, another bomb was dropped that took things in an entirely unexpected direction.  The characters too were well-developed and realistically crafted — I especially like how Amy was a character who was strong but yet at the same time flawed...whether it was dealing with the remnants of her past (a past that she spent most of her life trying to bury) or working through issues in the present, Amy's struggles felt so real.  Even Roux, as loathsome as she was, also proved to be an interesting yet still realistic character whose own complicated past shapes who she eventually becomes.  In terms of the writing, it was excellent — the story was cleverly crafted and flowed beautifully.  Even though this is my first time reading Joshilyn Jackson's works, I've heard many great things about her books as well as her writing and now I definitely understand why.  I'm glad I got the chance to experience her work for the first time and look forward to checking out her previous books (many of which are on my TBR already).  I'd heard that Jackson doesn't usually write in the suspense / thriller genre, so this book is a new experience for her — I definitely found this shocking because reading this book, the way it was so expertly crafted, I would've never guessed that this is her first time writing in the genre.

After reading a slew of average suspense thrillers in recent months, I'm happy to have gotten the chance to read a smart, emotionally engaging thriller that combines the elements of plot, character, and story so perfectly.  This one is definitely on my recommended list and I'm already looking forward to what Jackson will come up with next!

Received ARC from William Morrow (HarperCollins) via Edelweiss.