Kim Deister
The book is set in the (perhaps) near future, a time which has advanced technology. Lou, our FMC, is part of a unique survivors’ group. Each of the women was murdered by the same serial killer and brought back to life via cloning. As a result, none of them remember the events leading up to their murders. But while they are experiencing short-term memory issues, they do know that they are clones. The support group is designed to help them adjust to their new realities.
I loved the world-building throughout the book, enough of our own current world to make it all seem possible. The women dealt with their new situation differently, which was thoroughly absorbing. For example, one of the women actually collabs on a project that makes entertainment of what happened to the women. Another considers her former life not really hers but an entirely different person. Another dives deep into the world of cold cases. And that is where the fun begins as questions begin to arise as to what the truth of their serial murders really is.
I couldn’t stop turning the pages, I was so invested. Then we come to the ending when all of the lingering questions are addressed.
And that’s where it took a deep dive for me. I loved 99% of the book, but the ending ruined it for me. I was left feeling that I, as a reader, had been pulled this way and that, only to have the rug pulled out from under me. There was so much going on over the course of the story, twists and turns galore. The stakes were high. And then the conclusion gave answers that felt too easy, too neat, too disconnected from everything that made this book great. I loved so much of the book, but this just felt like a letdown.
