Nine Minutes (Nine Minutes, #1)

by Beth Flynn

[Jack]

This started out really really promising and interesting. Especially the prologue, which instantly pulled me in. I had heard a lot about this book, ranging from praise to utter disgust. I'm somewhere in the middle. I enjoyed this novel but it wasn't nearly as good as I thought it was going to be. The prologue pulled me in, starting at the present day instead of as soon as Kit got kidnapped like I thought it was going to. Getting the introduction to adult Kit first made me appreciate her, she seemed like a strong character, especially after going through so much when she was younger.

The first few chapters about when she was first kidnapped were also enjoyable. But I started to notice that things were moving fairly quickly. Soon after the first few chapters Kit has been at the motel for over a month, then it jumps to six months or a year. A few more chapters she's been there a few years!!! A huge amount of time has passed but I felt like Kit was still fifteen or sixteen, instead of nineteen or twenty. So much was glossed over that would have added to Kit and Grizz's characters and relationships. Instead we get the bare minimum of what happened during the first few years.

There was also so much telling and hardly any showing of what was happening to Kit and those around her. I found that because the author didn't spend much time building up the relationship between Grizz and Kit, it was hard for me to by that they were a couple. Grunt and Kits bond and friendship was much more believable then the one she had with Grizz. It didn't help that I feel like Grizz wasn't in the story much at all. For as obsessed/in love with Kit, he certainly didn't spend a lot of time with her, or at least the author never gave us many instances when they were together.

I wasn't fond of Grizz as a character. He didn't seem flushed out at all. Yes he did horrifying and terrible things to people, when they crossed him or upset him or something, but I don't get why he loved Kit so much, what was so appealing about her? Somehow Grizz knows everything about her, and her every movement. How? Perhaps the author left out a lot about Grizz's character in order to give him his own book. Seems to be a popular trend among authors.

I thought Kit would grow as a character but I felt she was the same fifteen year old she was when she was first kidnapped. When she was first brought to the motel she seemed so confident and mature, wanting to escape as soon as a moment presented itself. When she knew she couldn't escape Kit became compliant, and afraid of her captor. I feel like she kept this fear with her all of her life, because Grizz was a terrifying man after all. A few years pass and suddenly Kit loves Grizz unconditionally, playing house with him, all the while ignoring the horrid things that happen at the motel.

How in the world can anyone be so unfazed by what went on? Kit admitted she ignored it, and was willfully ignorant, but it still should have affected her development and attitude in some way, how she saw the world. But nothing is ever mentioned about how gang life affected Kit, it was like because she was with Grizz and spent a lot of time in the hotel room that she was unaffected by what went on, or by the things she witnessed. I feel like she didn't grow or evolve as a character because of what happened at the hotel over the years. She should need some major therapy to deal with everything that happened to her. She knew what was going on was horrid, but went along with it.

**Spoilers**Kit also suffers a miscarage, and she doesn't seem all that upset about it, the author didn't dwell on any one thing very long. Within a few sentences, the miscarage had all but been forgotten. We get no detail about how sad Kit and Grizz were at losing their baby, if that would hinder future plans to try and have another child right away or wait a while. **End**

There were so many unnecessary side characters that didn't add much if anything to the story. The only two the stood out and had any impact on Kit was Grunt and Moe. Not sure what the purpose of naming other members of the group when they had no sensible part in the story, other then more names to keep track of.

I wasn't convinced that Grizz and Kit were really in love, the author never showed me anything that proved they loved each other. Sure Grizz was never mean to Kit and always treated her well, but there was no reason for him to do so besides the fact that he 'wanted' her. What was so appealing about Kit, especially when Grizz had known of her existence from such a young age?

**Spoilers** Finally at the very end of the book in an epilogue we get why Grizz was so attracted to and attached to Kit. It was because she was the first person to show him any kindness. Too little too late though. Although it was a nice twist and puts Grizz's actions into a different perspective. I can now understand Grizz's character better, but it still doesn't excuse the bad writing on the part of Ginny falling in love with Grizz. **End**

The story I felt was very rushed, the writing short and choppy and sorely lacking in details and fleshed out characters that would have made the story a more enjoyable read. Maybe MC books aren't for me, or maybe I was expecting something more dark and gritty then what was given.