The Skylight

by Louise Candlish | Mystery & Thrillers |
ISBN: 1471198413 Global Overview for this book
Registered by JonniC of Birmingham, West Midlands United Kingdom on 6/27/2021
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1 journaler for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by JonniC from Birmingham, West Midlands United Kingdom on Sunday, June 27, 2021
Bought this from Waterstones as I wanted to get free shipping so had to spend over £30, so I added a load of the Quick Reads books.

I've been really getting into these Quick Reads, lately, as they are such quick reads and it's great to immerse yourself in a full story for an hour or two or maybe for the whole day depending on how much time you have to read. Having never read any of Louise Candlish books but being aware of how popular they are, I didn't really know what to expect from this, other than a quick enjoyable read; and, although I did read it quickly, I didn't enjoy it all that much... I guess I was expecting more from this author.

More than anything, I think characterisation was missing, I didn't know whether I could rely on the narrator, Simone, and I couldn't connect with her, especially when she started spying on the couple who lived downstairs, through the skylight, Alina and Gus - who I also didn't quite get. Jake, Simone's boyfriend, seemed to be the most real but I couldn't connect with him either, and so this all felt kind of flat as I was reading this, unable to truly understand any of the characters.

In the process, the description kind of became skewed but the writing style maintained itself throughout, which definitely made it easy to read. Story-wise, it developed well and it definitely was interesting, but I feel that not allowing the characters to connect with me as a reader, made the whole thing rather a bit meh, for lack of a better term.

I reckon the whole downfall of this comes from possibly editing too much out. There were brilliant moments to allow us to really get to know Simone and to understand her more. If this was a full novel with an extra 100-200 pages, I feel Louise Candlish would've fleshed the characters out much more and allowed us to really enjoy the book.

Blurb: Simone has a secret. She likes to stand at her bathroom window and spy on the couple downstairs through their kitchen skylight. She knows what they eat for breakfast and who they've got over for dinner. She knows what mood they're in before they even step out the door. There's nothing wrong with looking, is there?

Until one day Simone sees something through the skylight she is not expecting. Something that upsets her so much she begins to plot a terrible crime . . .

From the author of
Our House, the British Book Awards Crime & Thriller of the Year.

Journal Entry 2 by JonniC at Birmingham, West Midlands United Kingdom on Wednesday, September 7, 2022

Released 1 yr ago (9/7/2022 UTC) at Birmingham, West Midlands United Kingdom

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Sent this book off, it's now in the post! It's off to a fellow bookmoocher.

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