by Melissa de la Cruz
Dutton, 2019. 352 pages. Thriller
Setting: Palm Springs, California, present day (with flashbacks to Oregon, 24 years ago, or approx. 1995).
Plot Summary: Ellie de Florent-Stinson's luxurious fortieth birthday bash is her opportunity to show off her seemingly perfect life to the social elite. But as invited and uninvited guests show up to the lavish party, the skeletons in her closet from her sixteenth birthday threaten to come to light and tear down the appearances she's so desperate to maintain.
Subject Headings: Birthdays, fashion designers, marital strife, memories, secrets.
Elements of Thrillers/Adrenaline: (From Wyatt & Saricks, 2019)
- Compelling pace. Each chapter is marked not only with the year, but also with the time. This is common of works in the Adrenaline genre to "emphasize the idea that every minute counts" (p. 5). The story fits within a single day (in both timelines), showcasing the compressed time frames typical of this genre.
- Gripping storyline. The storyline works towards a dangerous central event, a murder which Ellie committed 24 years ago, which is depicted in a rather gruesome passage. There is also a compelling plot twist at the end of the work, which involves the reveal of Ellie's identity as the best friend in the flashbacks, not the protagonist.
- Gritty tone. The book has a satisfactory resolution, but the dark overtones feed on the building suspense. Ellie also deals with a past trauma that is hard to forget.
- Strong protagonist. Whereas most Adrenaline novels include characters that are "famous enough to be known to those who do not read the genre" (p. 7), such as Indiana Jones, Jack Reacher, and James Bond, this novel is something of an exception. Ellie is not well known, and her likability is moderate at best. Yet Ellie largely works alone, not even relying on her family for aid. This characterization is in keeping with this genre: since most of the focus is on the plot, the work lacks strong characterization of secondary characters.
- Immersive setting. While the setting is not a driving force of the novel, it does play a role in Adrenaline novels, and this is no exception. Although Palm Springs may not be as exotic as other settings found in Adrenaline novels, the lap-of-luxury upper-crust of society is essential to the development of the work.
- Colorful language. Although "the Adrenaline genre is not known for its stress on language" (p. 9), the explicit language of this work underscores the adult situations found in this work, as is common for the genre.
Rule of Three: (From Saricks, 2009)
- Intensifying pace. As more unanswered questions arise, the pace moves more and more quickly.
- Domestic drama. The relationship angst of teenage girls is contrasted with the backstabbing of the glamorous social elite.
- Nonlinear storyline. The narrative alternates between Ellie's 40th and 16th birthdays.
Similar Works (Read-alikes):
- The Silent Wife by A.S.A. Harrison
This novel has an intensifying pace with a character whose life seems perfect on the outside, but it is crumbling on the inside. In both works, secrets cause marital strain as chapters alternate viewpoints. - Silent Night by Danielle Steel
This gripping novel focuses on a the drama surrounding a woman dealing with past trauma. - Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff
Both novels share an intensifying plot and focus on complex, flawed protagonists who are keeping secrets from their spouses. - Obsessive Creative by Collette Dinnigan
This autobiography gives readers a glimpse into the glamorous world of high fashion. - The Fortress by Danielle Trussoni
A memoir of marital conflict caused by secret-keeping and attempts to recover a failing marriage. - Death in the City of Light by David King
A suspenseful true crime book that has an intensifying pace.
Saricks, J. (2009). At leisure: The rule of three. Booklist, 106(3), 25.
Wyatt, N., & Saricks, J. G. (2019). Adrenaline. In The readers' advisory guide to genre fiction (pp. 1-29).