Not What She Seems: A Novel

This book is somewhat different for me, a white Seattle girl. The mystery was intense, addictive, and unputdownable- it is too a word! My reviews on here are predominantly thriller based because I can’t get enough of the hook, the horror and trying to find the, “bad guy.” As with all the greats, this one definitely caught me by surprise, and I loved it! But it was different for me because it had quite a bit of Southern, “culture?” if that’s the right word? It’s fun reading about different places and the way people live elsewhere, and this one was extra interesting for me because the writer and protagonist were both black women, and honestly there’s definitely Not enough thrillers featuring and/or written by people of color (or if there are I’ve sadly missed them). The pigment tone of the author obviously has nothing to do with what makes a book good or bad, but I at least didn’t realize how much of a difference it can make in the experience of reading and character traits. But regardless of all that, the book has my favorite thing to read about - bad ass women solving crazy-twisted crimes!

Jacinda Brodie, Jac, is running from her past, her family, and her town in this novel that has it all. There is horror, mystery, suspense, and drama. Jac takes 6 years to go to D.C. for the university. When tragedy calls from home, she returns to the last place she wants to be, South Carolina. She finds what she expects when she visits friends and when the townspeople whisper and gossip of the "wild" Brodie who killed her Father. Jac also finds the unexpected when she meets Carl, from her long lost family, and Faye Anderson, the town's new elite & fiancé to the Mayor. In this small, sleepy town everyone has a story. Jac will find it for the love of her family, at all cost.

I could not put the book down. I literally finished the book in a day and a half. Only giving is 4 stars because at times the main character got a bit unbearable and her irrational choices while solving the mystery made no sense since her Grandad seemed to think so highly of her investigative skills. Also really wish we figured out who the Chief was with that night because that seemed important. All in all a great read!

Overall a good story and worth the read. I like that the characters are flawed as that makes for a more realistic story. That being said, however, the main character's constant stupid decisions wore a little thin. The writing was good for the most part. However the repeated references to social media/pop-culture events/trends, with zero context, led nothing to the story if you did recognize the reference and left you confused if you didn't. Also a proofreader needs to take a second pass at the book (spell check doesn't fix everything).

This story is intended to be a thriller but it takes a very long time to get to the thrill. It is so slow moving that it often put me to sleep. Jacinda, the main character is an outcast who leaves behind the little town she grew up in due to scandal. She is seen by her family and townsfolk as a troublemaker. She returns to her family and hometown when her grandfather, a retired detective with a sideline of investigating cold cases, is found dead. She proceeds to investigate his death, causing more trouble and raising suspicions about pillars of the community. The ending is very suspenseful and exciting. In the end will Jacinta be a hero or a villain? Persevere and you will find out.

Even tho it had a haunted house in the south near the sea, all the things I love, it was just not for me. Jac just went on and on about her guilt, her feeling of being ostracized by the townspeople, her feelings for her mother etc etc, I just couldn’t really like her. And she did some incredibly stupid things, like breaking into the Manor for evidence…it could never be used against the murderer because of the way she obtained it. Also, why did she stay outside the manor when the murder of the young girl played out right in front of her eyes. She could at least have diverted the murderer in some way. The happily ever after epilogue seemed too pat and how she could have escaped all that trauma unscathed and perfectly happy was way too much for me.