Helpful Score: 2
This is a book that hooks you and the more you read, the harder it is to put down. It is an emotional ride. I really enjoyed it, but I don't think I am as forgiving a person as some in the book (which left me a bit undecided about how I felt about the ending even though I thought it was well done). It left me pondering some things and I consider that a positive.
Chapters are narrated by alternating characters, which makes this a real page-turner. The pace slowed a bit in the second half, but ultimately this is a surprisingly uplifting story of the meaning of family and the importance of forgiveness.
I could not put this book down! I love that the chapters rotate and are narrated by the different characters. My only complaint is I could have used just a little bit more to tie things up at the end.
I was pulled right into What Was Mine. Lucy Wakefield's struggle to become a mother and the multiple POVs of everyone involved were very engaging. I couldn't wait to see how Lucy would be caught.
Which is where things sort of went to sh*t with this storyline. It's all about intuition and coincidences. And the events that led to Lucy's crime being found out were too convenient and contrived! I had hoped she would've been outed in a much more clever and organic way. It felt lazy and unimaginative.
Things began to drag for me at that point and, without spoiling anything, let's just say the ending was far from satisfying. In fact, it was downright annoying! I did not feel the way the author seemed to want me to feel. I'll just leave it at that.
Would I recommend this book? Yep, I think so, because despite its flaws it can't help but make for excellent discussion! The author also showed life for a foreigner living in Shanghai really well. 3.25 stars.
Which is where things sort of went to sh*t with this storyline. It's all about intuition and coincidences. And the events that led to Lucy's crime being found out were too convenient and contrived! I had hoped she would've been outed in a much more clever and organic way. It felt lazy and unimaginative.
Things began to drag for me at that point and, without spoiling anything, let's just say the ending was far from satisfying. In fact, it was downright annoying! I did not feel the way the author seemed to want me to feel. I'll just leave it at that.
Would I recommend this book? Yep, I think so, because despite its flaws it can't help but make for excellent discussion! The author also showed life for a foreigner living in Shanghai really well. 3.25 stars.
Very thought provoking visiting all angles of the minds involved in processing the cause and effects of the abduction. I wanted to give this a 5 star but the ending was flat, really wish it would have had a more profound impact.
You have to hate Lucy who kidnaps a 4 month old baby girl and raises her as her own. A woman who changed so many lives and gets away with it for 20 years.
Marilyn, Mia's birth mother never stops hoping that her daughter will find her someday, even though she has a new husband and three children since the kidnapping happened.
My feelings were all over the place, never forgiving Lucy for the horror and devastation Mia faces when she unexpectedly finds out the truth. She vows never to speak to Lucy again, while embracing her new family. However, after awhile, she finds she misses her "mom".
This thought-provoking story found me reading non stop, racing to find out what happens, just to find the ending fall flat! I couldn't believe there weren't more pages!
Marilyn, Mia's birth mother never stops hoping that her daughter will find her someday, even though she has a new husband and three children since the kidnapping happened.
My feelings were all over the place, never forgiving Lucy for the horror and devastation Mia faces when she unexpectedly finds out the truth. She vows never to speak to Lucy again, while embracing her new family. However, after awhile, she finds she misses her "mom".
This thought-provoking story found me reading non stop, racing to find out what happens, just to find the ending fall flat! I couldn't believe there weren't more pages!
