Book Review – In a Dark Dark Wood

Title- In a Dark Dark Wood
Author- Ruth Ware
Published-  2015
Genre- thriller, mystery
Length- 354 pages
Rating- 2.5/5
Synopsis (Amazon) – Nora hasn’t seen Clare for ten years. Not since the day Nora walked out of her old life and never looked back.

Until, out of the blue, an invitation to Clare’s hen party arrives. A weekend in a remote cottage – the perfect opportunity for Nora to reconnect with her best friend, to put the past behind her.

But something goes wrong.

Very wrong.

And as secrets and lies unravel, out in the dark, dark wood the past will finally catch up with Nora.

Review – I have no idea why this “thriller” is so hyped, there is absolutely nothing thrilling about it.

The story is dull, very little happens until right at the end so there are basically hundreds of pages of nothing. I actually read another book a few years ago where there was a hen party in a remote location for a friend that the main character hadn’t seen for years so this also seems to be a rip off of that book, and a terrible one, the other book was really good.

Nora, the main character is also pathetic, really pathetic, it’s just annoying. None of the characters are likable, it would have been better if they were all killed off.

The small amount of medicine in this is also wrong, so there was clearly a lack of basic research on the part of the author. I can’t really go into detail about it without giving things away but it is just ridiculous.

Also, what is the deal with authors making out like all people in their 20s and 30s causally take hard drugs? I have never done drugs, none of my friends do drugs, I have literally never even seen (illegal) drugs.

There are several things in this that are supposed to be shocking moments/reveals, but other than the “major event” they are completely predictable, every single one of them, you would have to be blind not to see them coming.

Overall this is a terrible “thriller” that I wouldn’t recommend to anyone.

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