Book Review & Summary: His and Hers By Alice Feeney
As always, I need to read the book before watching the movie (or show). So when I heard the excitement surrounding His & Hers coming to Netflix as a limited tv series, I knew I needed to get it read before it comes out next year.
Now, before we dive into too much detail-- I believe this is one of those reads that really is best when you go in completely blind. (minus the trigger warnings which I do think are very important to note). I thought I did, but I had read a few comments and reviews that spoke of the pacing when some big turns happen-- which just had be anticipating what was to come. So again if you want to start this book, let yourself enjoy the twists and turns as they come.
Theme: Psychological thriller, mystery
Trigger Warnings:"His and Hers" contains several dark themes that readers should be aware of before diving in. These include:
Child abuse
Substance abuse
Rape and sexual assault
Gaslighting and manipulation
Mental illness
Murder and violence
animal cruelty and animal abuse
Amazon Ratings: 4.3 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Good Reads Rating: 4.1 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
My Rating: 3.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Amazon Summary & Reviews:
SOON TO BE A MAJOR NETFLIX TV SERIES STARRING TESSA THOMPSON
FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF Sometimes I Lie
“Stunning. Addictive. This book should not be missed!” —Samantha Downing
“Deliciously dark…will have readers tearing through the pages.” —Mary Kubica
“Gives Gone Girl a run for its money…I couldn’t stop reading.” —Christina Dalcher
There are two sides to every story: yours and mine, ours and theirs, His & Hers. Which means someone is always lying.
When a woman is murdered in Blackdown, a quintessential small town, reporter Anna Andrews is reluctant to cover the case. DCI Jack Harper is suspicious of her involvement until he becomes a suspect in his own murder investigation.
Someone isn’t telling the truth, and some secrets are worth killing to keep.
His & Hers is a twisty, smart, psychological thriller. A gripping tale of suspense, told by expertly-drawn narrators that will keep readers guessing until the very end.
“For the ultimate rollercoaster reading experience this year, look no further than His & Hers by Alice Feeney.” —Woman & Home
My Summary:
His and Hers is a psychological thriller, murder mystery, classic who-done-it read. Alice Feeney crafts the story with two perspectives-- His and hers-- taking the reader through the eyes and suspicions of the two main characters: news anchor Anna Andrews and Detective Jack Harper. When the body of a young woman is found in the woods of a sleepy countryside village, they find out they both have ties to the victim.
But as the story unfolds, you are given a dark puzzle by two unreliable narrators, as they are navigating their own dark pasts.
But beyond that, there is a third pov-- and throughout the twisty tale, you are guessing who it is-- someone you already know, or someone new entirely?
My Honest Review--
As with most books, there are parts I loved and parts that aren’t my favorite. I’ve broken my review done into what I appreciate about His and Hers, and what I could have gone without…
What I liked:
Alice Feeney did a masterly job of weaving multiple points of view into what felt like a brilliant cat and mouse game. The pacing was also on point-- quick to get hooked and the plot twists and dark secrets kept me engaged and wanting to find out what happened next. I also really loved the changes in point of view and how each side really formed the whole picture.
What stands out in Feeney's storytelling is how skillfully she misleads the reader. Just when you think you have the plot figured out, new revelations shake your understanding. Thanks to several red herrings and gleeful twists, I "accused" plenty of people along the way of being the murderer.
What I didn't:
Now, while I did really enjoy this book, there was quite a bit that I didn't love. First, this is a dark book with a loooot of really heavy content and subjects. I tend to avoid darker themes, and definitely had to take breaks throughout some of the descriptions of the murder scene and murder victim... But even beyond that, there is even more shock value as the story dove into the history of her childhood friends and their time in high school. While it did tell a gripping tale of suspense, I would warn anyone with sensitivity to any of the triggers listed to take it seriously.
Another thing I didn't love was that despite the layers of several characters and storylines, I didn't like any of them. I could empathize that they were all going through some serious stuff-- but I felt no emotional connection to any of the characters-- and honestly, was rather repulsed by them all.
Like I mentioned before, I had read quite a few reviews before starting the book myself. (and if you don't want any sort of spoiler, I would stop reading here)
But so many talked about the "breathtaking finale" or how there is a "big twist" right at the very end-- and it just kept me anticipating the final blow. And whenever a thriller is hyped up like that, I always tend to lean towards the most unlikely character.. and that was the case here. I had a feeling about the way things were going to wrap up, and while i wasn't 100% spot on, I was close enough that I was kind of disappointed by the ending. I didn't experience that same shock value that really fuels the hype around this story.
Final Thoughts:
This is a good book and I mostly enjoyed reading it (minus the cringe factor with some of the gory details and traumatic history). The author kept me intrigued in the story line and it really was a masterpiece of misdirection.
If you enjoy dark subject matters, you would probably enjoy this more than I did. This was my first book written by her and I am curious if Alice Feeney's other books are as dark--because at the end of the day, I did enjoy her writing style more than the subject manner, and would be interested in trying another of her stories.
I look forward to watching the tv series when it comes out next year and will for sure update this post with my thoughts then!