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Won as a goodreads giveaway! This is a tough one to review - it falls right in the middle - I'd give it 2 1/2 stars. It's neither terrible nor amazing. The writing is serviceable, but not much more. I think what put me off the most is that this is a novel based on a true story according to the cover - which is fine. But it lacked the fear factor of a true crime story and the wild suspense of a fictional thriller. It failed at being either. I think that if the author (whom it seems the book is based on, considering the author's description as a beauty pageant winner and the protagonist's same background) had made this a true crime novel, it could have been excellent - with police reports, records, court documents, etc., to back up the story - it would have made it feel more immediate and would have worked as a warning to others about stalking laws - as fiction it lacked that immediacy. Also, an author's note at the end to explain what was truth and what was fiction would have added to the immediacy of the story as well, if it needed to remain fiction for legal reasons - were the names just changed? Was it all fiction except for one stalking incident and the author just added the rest? You don't know at the end except for the vague description on the cover that it's based on a true story - without that ambiguous statement on the cover, I would have rated this as lousy fiction. It's only creepy because it's true - thus, a true crime or memoir would have made for a much better book . . . Edited to add: Kathie Truitt contacted me via goodreads, and shared that only minor events are fictional (she didn't drop a bowl when she discovered her neighbor's lie, she didn't spend a weekend in jail, etc.), but all of the major stuff is true. She was advised by her publicist not to submit it as true crime. I still think that this should have been included in an end author's note to add authenticity and power to her story, but I truly appreciate her taking the time to share more of her story. She has another book she's working on - completely the opposite of this - Hillbilly Debutante Cafe - and I look forward to seeing her write in another style.

2022-11-14 13:32