Wrong Place Wrong Time

Wow, what a great ride! From the first chapter up until the end, this had twist after twist, and (in my opinion) I never had a dull moment. The main characters, Jen, Kelly, Officer Ryan, and Todd, were well-developed as much as they needed to be to keep me guessing. This was so cleverly written, and for all the twists, it was easy to follow. I managed to put a few pieces together before they were revealed, but goodness, the fun I had reading and attempting to put the pieces together was beyond exciting. This book made me want to savor the read and read it in one sitting. This was my second book by Gillian, and based on my experience with the first one, which was an average read for me, I had this one on my TBR for over a year. The thrill of wondering when this “going back in time” will end and picking up on clues and the little things you’ve missed, but realizing they are not little things at all. I highly recommend this book if you’re looking for a fast-paced thriller read. Chefs Kiss, amazingly written!

This novel includes time travel in a unique way, backwards. A mom is trying to change the present and to do so, she has to travel to the past. I liked the story, but I didn’t love it as I was totally befuddled for about three fourths of the book. Once I got into the groove of Jen constantly waking up in an earlier time frame daily, then the present confused me when she returned there. There are a plethora of events and people to remember, such that I needed to keep a spreadsheet but didn’t know that until I was too far into the novel to keep one. This is a good read but not a solidly entertaining one since it was a cerebral exercise for me to keep up with what was happening and to whom. Disclaimer: I checked out a copy of this book from my local library using the Libby App and all opinions expressed are my own.

It started with a feeling. Deja vu? Something like it? A bad feeling. The calm before the storm type of feeling. Like in the next instant, the world will change. Irreparably. Jen knows something is wrong as she's waiting up for her teenaged son to come home late on an October evening. Propelled by this supernatural feeling, she goes to the window and witnesses her son stab a stranger, killing him. The next hours are a nightmare as she and her husband Kelly grasp for answers about what happened and why. Somehow, they make it home to sleep in the wee hours of the morning. When she wakes, it is to the previous morning, before the crime. Her son is there, safe and happy. The next morning, it's another day earlier. Somehow, she's stuck in a backwards time loop, moving further and further back through time. Every day, she notices something new - signs she missed that led to that moment with her son holding a knife. She's convinced it's an opportunity for her to change things - to prevent that dark day from ever happening. But the more she discovers about the past, the more impossible it seems to untangle her family from the web of events that led them there. We're all familiar with the groundhog-day trope - living the same day again and again until things set themselves right - but this one does it different. Jen continues traveling back in time, weeks, months, years - gathering information she will need to unravel the mystery of that night and the truth everyone around her has been hiding. There are twists and turns and each piece of the puzzle built the suspense and had my mind engaged the entire time. The pacing was just right; not so quick that you missed things because the details were too quick or subtle, and not so slow that any part of it was boring. I don't read this genre often because I have a soft heart that can't take much evil, and though there are dark things in this book, for me, it was the perfect amount of darkness to still be able to enjoy it. I especially hate when books get darker at the end, taking a gruesome turn that haunts you. This one does not. I've been reading a lot of books this year with protagonists who are mothers. I'm devouring them. There are certain things that are universal, and a mother's love and falling into the trap of not paying enough attention to the every-day things are two of them. This is the suspense/thriller side of the same coin as Maybe Next Time by Cesca Major, one of my favorite books of the year. I highly recommend both!

Jen is an accomplished lawyer who is now facing the biggest case of her life - she's stuck in a time loop, trying to prevent a murder.. committed by her son. A fun take on time loops and the concept of Groundhog Day and the Butterfly Effect. Instead of repeating the day over and over again, our protagonist Jen is going more and more further into her past each time she wakes up. This whole book was a big plot twist and I was constantly thrown off the track. Which was totally fine because I don't like a predictable thriller. Eventually I did manage to figure out the main two but I like that the hints weren't "in your face". Supportive characters become more deceptive along the way and you can't trust anyone. There were so many surprises and oh!'s happening but you don't really know that much about the characters as people in general. It gradually focuses on one person and their role in this whole loop. But you don't actually need more in-depth information in the context of this book. The information chosen to be shared is just right to support the reader in this experience. It's quick, exciting, it makes you want to find out already. I guess this is what's called a page turner. Author touches base with some emotional topics also, it's not all action-paced run-through. Betrayal, death of a loved one, hardships between being a mother and having a successful career, the guilt associated with the latter. Criminal underworld and its hook on people. Funny sidenote: what was the significance of repeating some words three times again and again? Didn't understand it. Found it annoying lol. And there's definitely underlying themes besides the everything is connected to everything. The need for honesty and trust in our relationships. How we don't sometimes see the little things because we're overwhelmed by the seeming enormity of life in general. That we truly only know ourselves.

Interesting read

2. El, kirli kitap gonderdiler, para iade yapilmadi.

I’m not an avid reader by any means however once I get hooked… it’s gonna be a ride!! This is what this book manages to do with constant twists and turns. Extremely entertaining and well done! Loved it so much!

It’s rare for me to inhale a novel but I did exhale this. In a nutshell, a mother goes back in time, without intending to, and finds tgat each day she wakes up in the past reveal more clues which led to her son murdering a man outside their home. I loved how the story evolved.

I was going to add ‘so far’ on the end there but I’m so confident that nothing is going to top it that I’ll happily say now that it’s my no. 1 of the year! This is everything I love in a book: - Tight, masterful plotting. The story is told in reverse, with layers peeled away like a Russian doll until protagonist Jen discovers why her son Todd murders someone with a knife one unassuming October evening. - Spot-on pacing. Secrets are revealed at just the right time, so I couldn’t put the book down - I had to know what happened next (or actually the opposite of next!). - Suspense, suspense, suspense. I felt like I was on the edge of my seat as Jen travelled further and further back in time. - Characters you actually care about. This book just wouldn’t work if the author wasn’t so skilled at characterisation - you have to know why they are who they are, acting the way they do. - Good twists, which just keep coming. I guessed only one - the rest were genuine ‘oh my God of course’ moments as more pieces of the puzzle slotted into place. It must have taken such planning to pull it all off; the twists are so carefully woven into the plot that the book deserves a second read to really appreciate them. - A high-concept, genre bending thriller. Combining time travel and psychological suspense just works. What an original idea. - Emotion. Jen’s relationships with those closest to her form the backbone of this story, and what she discovers when living them backwards is often heart rending. - A satisfying ending. I’m so often disappointed by a book’s conclusion but this one keeps bringing it right until the very last page. - Accomplished writing which is a pleasure to read. This is the first Gillian McAllister book I’ve read and it’s clear that she’s a natural born storyteller with immense talent. She apparently knew that this book would change her life and I can see why. As an aspiring author myself it’s a book I wish I had the skill to write but doubt I ever would. The one and only thing I didn’t like is the title - I don’t think it does the book justice. I can’t help thinking there is a better title hiding somewhere in the pages. Regardless, Wrong Place Wrong Time is a triumph and it deserves all the stars.

I'm sure I have never read a book like this before! The idea was amazing and brilliantly written: time travel, thriller and parenting comes together to make something incredible. It is unputdownable and yoi will be surprised every time as new facts come to the surface. Best thriller I've read so far this year!