There are whispers of suicide, but Meg can't believe it. She decides that the best way to find out what happened to her sister is to check in herself – to investigate what really happened from the inside.
Battling her own addictions and figuring out the truth will be much more difficult than she imagined, far away from friends, family – and anyone who could help her. (Pub Date: Jan 23 2024)
While struggling with pain and addiction after a traumatic incident thanks to the perils of her work, Meg finds out her stranded sister, a popstar admitted to a luxurious rehab, has died. But she's sure it can't be how they say it happened. Something is wrong. So she decides to go inside as a client, without revealing who she really is, and investigate it herself. She didn't think she'd also have to face her own traumas.
3+
I'm... not sure. I know it's common to say a book had ups and downs, but this was the one I most thought of this way. Sometimes I wasn't sure if the author really knew where she was going or if she had this new idea and decided to change the resolution of the plot to accommodate it. I'm still not sure. The conclusion fit. But the suspicion that wasn't exactly her plan from the start remained and obliterated that moment I, as a reader, went OH! It was supposed to be a great plot twist. Not that I didn't suspect it, but I didn't think it would happen that way. Still, the ups and downs of the book made me wonder about it. I've said it before but for a twist to be really effective, you can't lie to the reader. And even if I can't show you—look, this part wasn't the character misinterpreting, but the author who either lied or changed her mind later and forgot to update it—, the feeling persisted throughout the book.
In any case, Meg is unbearable. This book is narrated from the points of view of Meg and the manager of the rehabilitation clinic, who doesn't seem to know if anything bad is going on but is eager to help the police despite how bothered her boss is by the disruption. And yes, I liked the manager. I probably wouldn't if her parts weren't short, but since they were, I welcomed the distraction from Meg's voice. I'm not so sure the book's journey accomplished to change Meg, actually. I suspect that she'd do everything all over again if triggered.
Nevertheless, this is a quick book to read. I love short chapters I can say I'll just read another one before going to bed and end up reading ten more. There was always something happening and keeping me interested too. I think I read over half of the book on my last day. So you won't have to be worried about the rhythm because of what I pointed out above. It won't drag. It will make you frown and wonder, but you'll still want to read it.
Moreover, I liked the discussions on how clinics work, on treatments. Meg having to deal with her past trauma, her memories coming back to her, that part was so interesting and curious, even if the answer was lackluster. I liked the "what is going on inside". I'm no therapist, nor do I study psychology to judge, but as a layman, I also liked the parts they talked about how traumas happens, how they can mold your emotions. I'm not so sure about the discussion on psychopathy and sociopathy, maybe I needed more of it earlier on the book to buy it, but it was still good to read about.
Perhaps the execution was messy at parts, but it's still a good book. Also, it's on a theme not many have been seriously exploring. Most books taking place in rehabs choose the scenery for the closed-room mystery rather than using it in the plot itself, which isn't the case here. I'd recommend the read to anyone who enjoys thrillers.
Honest review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.
Rating: 3 out of 5.
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