Review: When the Lights Go Out by Mary Kubica

 Summary from Goodreads:


A woman is forced to question her own identity in this riveting and emotionally charged thriller by the blockbuster bestselling author of The Good Girl, Mary Kubica

Jessie Sloane is on the path to rebuilding her life after years of caring for her ailing mother. She rents a new apartment and applies for college. But when the college informs her that her social security number has raised a red flag, Jessie discovers a shocking detail that causes her todoubt everything she’s ever known.

Finding herself suddenly at the center of a bizarre mystery, Jessie tumbles down a rabbit hole, which is only exacerbated by grief and a relentless lack of sleep. As days pass and the insomnia worsens, it plays with Jessie’s mind. Her judgment is blurred, her thoughts are hampered by fatigue. Jessie begins to see things until she can no longer tell the difference between what’s real and what she’s only imagined.

Meanwhile, twenty years earlier and two hundred and fifty miles away, another woman’s split-second decision may hold the key to Jessie’s secret past. Has Jessie’s whole life been a lie or have her delusions gotten the best of her?

Release Date: September 4th 2018

My Review:


What I Liked:

Writing Style. I've read other Kubica thrillers in the past and this one is by far my favorite. I flew through this book because of the well-written characters and the suspenseful tone. 

Characters. The book follows two different characters, Jessie and Eden, both of their points of view were done in a way that it was easy to tell who was speaking. It was interesting to read the two different but intersecting stories that had good and intriguing narrators. 

Setting. I live near Chicago so it was interesting to read a thriller set there. I tend to really enjoy UK mysteries so this was a change up for me. I liked how Kubica showed the city of Chicago within her novel so it felt like the reader was there.  

What I Disliked: 

Twist. I was completely hooked by the thriller and what was happening to the main character, however, once the twist happened it ruined it. I strongly did not like the big reveal, it made me feel like I had read the majority of the novel for nothing. 

Ending. This connects to the twist as well, the ending fell flat for me because of the reveal. 

I still recommend checking out this well-written thriller, it was a suspenseful read. 

My Rating:

3.5 Stars Out of 5 Stars