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Sunday, April 19, 2009

Heartstopper by Joy Fielding

From Goodreads:

"Welcome to Torrance, Florida. Population: 4,160. As Sheriff John Weber would attest, the deadliest predators to date in his tiny hamlet were the alligators lurking in the nearby swamps. But that was before someone abducted and murdered a runaway teenage girl...and before the disappearance of popular and pretty Liana Martin. The pattern is chilling to Sandy Crosbie, the town's new high school English teacher. With a marriage on the rocks, thanks to her husband's online affairs, and a beautiful teenage daughter to protect, Sandy wishes she'd never come to the seemingly quiet town with shocking depths of scandal, sex, and brutality roiling beneath its surface. And as Sheriff Weber digs up more questions than answers in a dead-end investigation, one truth emerges: the prettiest ones are being targeted, the heartstoppers. And this killer intends to give them their due...."

My Thoughts:

Sorry guys, but this is a review that I've been putting off forever. How I fell so far behind I cannot say but this review was pushed to the back burner which is why I borrowed Goodread's summary. This is only my 2nd book by Fielding and it was just as good as the first book. Fielding has a knack for writing page turners that keep the reader guessing throughout the story. And I was definitely guessing...trying to figure out who the killer was while I was reading. Heartstopper is told through multiple viewpoints which may throw some readers off but for me it added to the story. I liked seeing the other character's thoughts and felt that the different viewpoints added to the mystery of the story. Sandy was an interesting main character as she wasn't always likeable for me but I still wanted good things for her and for her to find some self confidence. This book had a lot of emphasis on looks, beauty, and the things that people will to attain beauty. At times I felt that the author was pushing the point a bit much but overall it was a good read. I didn't see the ending coming by a mile and never did figure the killer out. As I was turning pages as fast as I could, it ended up being an enjoyable read for me. I will most certainly be reading more from this author in the future.

My Rating/Recommendations: 3.5 out of 5 and recommended to anyone who enjoys a good thriller!
Challenges: 100+ Book Challenge, 2nds Challenge, A-Z Challenge ("H" Title)

13 comments:

  1. Hey there! I recently read "Heartstopper" as well. It was my first time reading a Joy Fielding book and I can tell you that I enjoyed every bit of it! And the ending was a total shocker to me as well and I read so many mystery/thriller type books that I can usually figure it out. Loved reading your comments!!

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  2. Oh wow! I really hope I'll have the chance to read a Fielding soon. I never got around to it, I'm afraid :-( Glad to see you liked it!

    By the way, I have an award for you. It's way below the read-a-thon posts, I'm afraid.

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  3. I read this one a while ago but it was one of my favorites by her. I'm glad you liked it.

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  4. Talesofabookaddict- If you enjoyed this one then you should give Charley's Web a try. It was really good too :)

    Kathrin- Thank you! I'm off to go check it out. You'll have to let me know if you give Fielding a try.

    Dar- I'm glad that you enjoyed this book as well. I'm going to be reading more by her soon :)

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  5. sounds good, especially since it kept you guessing who the killer was.
    great review ;)

    http://thebookworm07.blogspot.com/

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  6. I really liked this book when I read it. Loved your review of it!!

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  7. I don't always enjoy the beauty serial killer stories but this one sounds neat. The ones you can't figure out are usually the most enjoyable :)

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  8. Naida- Thanks! It was a good read.

    Staci- I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed it as well. Have you read a lot of this author's books?

    Ladytink- This was an interesting read. I enjoy a good thriller once in awhile and this fit the bill for me :)

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  9. Samantha, I'll let you know once I've tried Fielding :-)

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  10. Thanks Kathrin! I'll be interested to hear if you like her books or not :)

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  11. I've enjoyed most of the Fielding books I've read. Her lastest Still Life was pretty good too.

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  12. Diane- That is good to know. There are a lot of books by her that I haven't had the chance to read yet but I will get to them eventually!

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  13. Thanks for a good review; I'll check out "Heartstopper".

    I went to see Ms Fielding speak at Writer's circle a couple of days ago and she spoke at length about her writing (and I diligently took notes for my blog), see Joy Fielding, best-selling author, on “How I write” (Nov 14th Humber Writers’ Circle)

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