Welcome to Litsy!

Not for me. I went into it thinking it could be some Secret History-ish story but that‘s not at all what it was. Beyond that, the story fell flat. The big reveals were saved for the very end of the book and told to the reader instead of relying on any kind of thought or mystery. I felt like the main character had no growth or arc, the manipulation fell flat, and overall I read it in two days just to tick it off my list.

About half way through and I‘m so out off by a character that I‘m considering not finishing.
Maybe that‘s the point.
I hope that‘s the point.

I enjoyed this book, but for all its anti-elitism sentiment, it felt very pretentious at times. I‘m not sure if it was the characters or just the way it was written, just felt a bit snobby. Still a fun read but I don‘t think I‘d recommend it.

This was a solid literary mystery. I can totally see the comparisons to A Secret History.

I admit it, I was sucked in by the cover. A hearse in a wood? Yes please!
The original summary I read made me think it was a murder investigation. It's not.
Instead it is about friendship with betrayal as a central theme. 
Not what I was expecting and after reading a few online reviews I nearly didn't even start it but am glad I did. It was character driven and while I struggled to relate to the main character, I'm glad I persisted.

I never really got into this one. It‘s okay.

I saw this on a list of best “campus novels” which is a niche that I love very much. The weather is bad here today so I‘ll get to listen to a bunch on my long walk home from work.

Intrigued by the comparison to The Secret History and the Agatha Christie references, I started this book with reservations. While I would agree that it's definitely not as good as Donna Tartt's The Secret History, I did enjoy it. I've always been fascinated by Agatha Christie and that element added to the story for me. As her debut novel, Kate Weinberg shows a great deal of promise, and I look forward to reading more by her.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ I feel bad giving this book such a low rating, and I think that if it had not been hyped as being like Donna Tartt‘s ‘The Secret History‘ or having a Christie like mystery, I would have enjoyed it more. As a first novel it was good, with some excellent twists. University life, friendships, love affairs and betrayal. I loved the passages that tried to discern Christie‘s motives in writing. I look forward to more books by Weinberg.

So wishing I‘d been able to study Agatha Christie at University.

Sorry this was just deeply forgettable. The reviews promised a lot "it's mainly set in a university therefore it MUST be compared to Donna Tartt". Bleurgh. Not even close. That's not to say it's a bad book it's just, well it just is. I vaguely enjoyed parts of it, I actively disliked other parts but to be honest I'll have forgotten it tomorrow.

Somewhere between a pick and so-so. For a debut it shows great promise and I‘ll certainly read others. A bit too many cliches squashed in really. It picked up in the middle and didn‘t have a neat ending, which I appreciated.
One thing did annoy me - in my UK experience, student and work, undergrad students do not start dissertations in first year or have an allocated supervisor that early. It niggled me.

#weeklyforecast
Currently reading tagged book then The Most Fun is still on the horizon, then I haven‘t got a clue at the moment. Just stood looking at the stacks this morning and nothing appealed to me. Hopefully this will change!

This was a wonderful novel, and all the more impressive given that it was, I believe, the author‘s debut. See my Goodreads review at: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3398434333. #kateweinberg #thetruants #book #books #bookstagram #dauntbooks #booksbooksbooks #bookphotography #bookish #booknerd #booklive #agathachristie #fiction #crimefiction #guardianreads #moreofthesameplease #debutnovel

Just about to embark on this. I hope it lives up to all the hype. #kateweinberg #thetruants #fiction #books #bookish #book #bookstagram #newbooks #bookporn #booklove #bloomsbury #suspense #bookphotography #bookcommunity

Starting my first novel in quite some time as seem to have been on a nonfiction kick. Looking forward to getting lost in something, hopefully! Very short chapters in this so should be s quick read as well.

#Booked2020 #Spring #AnimalOnCover

I‘m going to give this book a solid 4 stars (out of 5). It‘s good—it‘s well written with a good plot and fairly deeply drawn characters. However, I‘ve read similar books, e.g., “The Secret History,” “If We Were Villains,” “Black Chalk,” “Special Topics in Calamity Physics,” to name a few. This book falls somewhere in the middle of the scale of those I catalogued, and if you know these books, you know exactly ⬇️

New book alert. I'm very aware that "like Donna Tartt" reviews NEVER deliver but the Liane Moriarty, Agatha Christie refs helped sell this to me.

Note to reviewers, please, please stop saying every book set in a university is "like Donna Tartt". It's got to be one of the most commonly used comparisons and you know nothing comes close.

So excited about my recent #libraryloot !

Weinberg delivers everything you want from a campus novel; just enough academic banter, sex, drugs, moody landscapes, and mystery. What I enjoyed most was the bit of extra depth the Agatha Christie angle added. Weinberg manages to weave into this an interesting exploration of Christie herself and her novels. It‘s a novel which is interestingly referential if you like Christie, but stands on its own if you don‘t engage at this level. clever.

Love this section

bailed at 3:24:42 35%

Another "meh" here. I had high hopes after reading about this "college group of friends with dark secrets" crime novel (ahhumm The Secret History). But nope. So perplexing, the way some books try to pull off implausible plots. I'm often left scratching my head at the ridiculousness of "twists". But it wasn't all bad, I did enjoy the setting and the Agatha Christie tie in.

I finished this book mid week and while I enjoyed it I didn't love it. I read it at the same time as The Lost Ones which I loved and I think that affected my feelings for Truants. #bookcover

When I started this book I thought I had picked up the perfect book for my mood. A girl goes to university and finds a smart and charming circle of friends as well as a charismatic and mysterious professor. I loved the beginning but then it just became tedious and silly in my opinion. I need to stop looking for books like The Secret History and just reread The Secret History.

This book surprised me. It felt like it wasn't really going to go anywhere at times but had a few interesting twists. A reflection on human weakness and the destruction people can bring to one another.

Literary fiction in a campus setting, this is a coming of age story wrapped in a clever mystery with plenty of Agatha Christie references.

Sitting in my happy place for #AustralianReadingHour I was planning on a nice outdoor shot but it‘s been raining cats & dogs for days here in Sydney and will continue to do so till Monday. I hope all my fellow Aussie Littens get in some reading time today🇦🇺

I think I‘ve caught my 2nd wind, headaches have eased(touch wood!)and got my readers mojo back. So I‘m in my happy place, my library chair, eating cheese & tomato salad as, listening to the rain and starting another of my library holds. A debut novel set on a University campus in Norfolk England, it‘s about a group of students who encourage each other to cross lines until tragedy happens. So far I‘m on pg75 and very much enjoying it.

My local library has an amazing system where you can reserve books online then either someone can pick them up for you or they send them by volunteer or mail. Such a godsend for those of us that find it hard to get around. All but three of this stack are brand new books, I love being the first to open a library book. Can‘t wait to finish my current book so I can dive into these beauties. Which one should I start with?