I read lots of amazing books last year. There were so few of them that disappointed me, yet this year I have felt very underwhelmed by everything I have read so far. Look at Me by Sarah Duguid was the fourth book I read in 2017. Would it be the one to blow me away?
The premise sounded good – certainly good enough for me to pick it up and then buy it – Lizzy has a sister. She just hasn’t met her yet. The blurb elaborates further – Lizzy lives with her father and brother. Following the death of her mother, two years previously, she finds a letter, which reveals that her father had another daughter. Impulsively, Lizzy invites her into their home.
Now I’m not actually sure why she did that, because Lizzy didn’t like Eunice, or even feel sorry for her, when she first met her. But once Eunice was in the family home, she was impossible to get rid of.
To me, that blurb made it feel like I was going to be reading a psychological thriller. Regular readers of my book reviews will know I love a good psychological thriller. But that’s not what I found. Look at Me was moderately interesting at best. Yes, Eunice was in Lizzy’s house and she couldn’t get rid of her, but there was nothing particularly sinister or scary about that, she was just mildly irritating. Clearly I had imagined a psychological thriller, when what I was actually getting was a ‘family drama’. But I’m not sure whether Sarah Duguid’s debut would even be exciting to fans of family dramas. It has got some good reviews, so maybe there was just something I was missing, who knows?
There are millions of great books out there, just waiting to be read. My recommendation? Don’t waste time reading this rather underwhelming novel. My search for my first great read of 2017 continues…
March 4, 2017
Oh, not one to look out for then! I don’t really like psychological thrillers or family dramas. I read the latest book from Mark Haddon recently – the Red House. I felt similarly about that – I just kept waiting for something to happen. It didn’t.
Nat.x
March 5, 2017
Yes, I wouldn’t waste time reading this one. I read The Red House a few years back and I felt just the same! It was disappointing after The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time. x
April 3, 2017
I’ve been feeling the same with the books I’ve been reading this year too. Thanks for sharing with #readwithme
April 3, 2017
It’s always good to share the disappointing as well as the good! Luckily after this one I began to read better books again!
April 3, 2017
Sounds like a book I would have been disappointed with as well.
April 3, 2017
It was a real let-down! It went straight to the school fair!
April 3, 2017
Interesting that you didn’t enjoy this book as the blurb intrigues me and I like the cover too. I look forward to hearing about your great read of 2017 when you find it :o)
#readwithme
April 3, 2017
Luckily I found some good ones after this! I’ll be sharing those reviews in the next few weeks.
April 3, 2017
Oh dear, it’s so bad when you don’t enjoy a book.
Here’s hoping your next read will be more interesting.
#readwithme
April 5, 2017
Oh dear, what a shame! The blurb sounded so promising so it’s disappointing to hear it missed the mark. Looking forward to reading your review of a good find from 2017! #readwithme