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4⭐
When I went into this I couldn't understand all the low ratings but as I read it made more sense. If you go into this expecting a twisty, edge of your seat thriller.. you're not going to get it. This is slow and drawn out and focuses more on the individual women's lives than the mystery at the center. Treat this as a literary women's fiction/historical fiction (Art & Jewish) with a dash of mystery in the background. If so, it's very enjoyable!

This was a slow burn mystery, and when I mean slow burn, think snails are faster. But the ending was worth it. All the little twists and turns were great.
Darcy and three of her best friends are called to France by her grandmother, who owns a Chateau and has some secrets thar she is ready to come clean on. Unfortunately, she dies before her secrets are out.
#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks
#WickedWords #Family @AsYouWish

About to bail - why do they all sound the same and why are they all awful? Anyone who has read this are any of them redeemable?

I think there are books that I'd just rather be reading. There's nothing wrong with the writing except it has a slow start. I'm about 100 pages in and the murder set up in the prologue has yet to occur.
@Andrew65 20in4
#RushAThon @DieAReader @GHABI4ROSES

Next up.

This was definitely a twisty whodunit story where every character could have been the one to murder the matriarch of the chateau. I loved the darkness of the secrets that each person was hiding and thought I had it figured out. I had the right person but the wrong reasons! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Pros: beautiful setting (could almost smell the lavender); a close knit group of friends; a brutal murder; many explosive secrets.
Cons: Too many secrets- for best friends they sure don't tell each other much; the characters all sounded the same, as the POV changed it was hard to distinguish them
Bottom line: this was good but not great.

A soft pick for me. It‘s not the best thriller & I had a hard time relating to most of the characters, but the slow start turned into some decent tension & a bit of a crazy ending with a few loose threads. I had most of it figured out but there were a few small twists. I did like the atmospheric setting of the chateau in the the French countryside. I‘m glad I got this from the library via Libby rather than bought it as my Aardvark June pick.

Had to fun a couple of errands this morning so I grabbed a pome bowl for lunch. This is their ginger scallion ahi tataki poke which means it‘s slightly seared poke with the gingery sauce mixed in. It‘s pretty ono (delicious). 😋

I am about midway through the book (a library hold) & it‘s OK. Pretty standard thriller so far. Hope to finish it today & spend the rest of the July 4th holiday reading inside as fireworks & my asthma don‘t mix well.😷

I happen to like a fairly straightforward mystery every once in a while and this one fits. The setting is a chateau near Nice. That might be my favorite part.

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Past pub date. #ARC #Netgalley

This is just an ok thriller. Four friends (who are all self-centered and don‘t seem to actually be true friends) come together at the chateau of one‘s grandmother and someone ends up dead. Much of it I found predictable and they ending was carried out much too long, but it held my attention enough to finish.

Listening to "The Chateau" audiobook. Love stories about creepy mansions.

Had to bail on the audiobook as it didn't seem to move along, got bored?

Light Pick 3¼⭐
Something about this was just a little off…or maybe it was a few somethings. I think it tried to have too much going on. Also, the violent murder of a 90-year-old woman felt a little over the top to me. If you like a drama-filled story, with an open ending, where the setting is like one of the characters, this could be perfect for you. Me…I liked it but I wouldn‘t say I liked it a lot.

Second June #aardvark book finished and another hit for me. What an ending!

#aardvark bookmail - I mainly got it for the cover!

3 ⭐️ This is a soap opera of a book! f you‘re looking for an easy, breezy thriller, this book will likely cleanse the palate. Told from the POVs of all four friends, I found the book to move quickly. Some of the characters drove me crazy, yet, the story was engaging enough for me to keep going, and I enjoyed the plot‘s setting. Full review: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62919401

⭐️⭐️⭐️

I enjoyed being whisked away to France, the full-cast audiobook narration, and the twisty ending with this one, but it didn‘t knock my socks off! It was slow and repetitive at times and the characters felt flat.🎧

I love mysteries/thrillers, but so many have been feeling average to me lately. Can anyone recommend any recent ones that stand out from the crowd? 🧐

Word on the street is that this will be a future #Aardvark pick! Unclear as to whether it will be May or June given its pub date though. Sounds like a good one, my interest is piqued.