Caught. Harlan Coben // Book Review

Book: Caught

Author: Harlan Coben

Pages: 370

My Goodreads Rating: 4

First Thoughts

I’m really exited to read this book.  I’ve seen a few Netflix shows that have been made on other Harlan Coben books, and really enjoyed them. 

While Reading

This is such a hard book to review because while I was reading it was going in and out of different people while still on Wendy. But I will try my best. 

I found that some of the characters such as Ed really annoying.  I don’t know what it was about him that I found annoying but I did. 

What I’ve learnt about books like this is to be suspicious of everyone. Men, women, children, mum and dad, grandparents, cops, lawyers.  It doesn’t matter who they are. Be suspicious of them. 

• There is so much happening within the book you really can’t tell what’s the truth. A missing teenager, a man who was accused of being a pedophile whose case was thrown out but he goes on

• The ‘missing’ link in the Princeton group, who isn’t on any social media and has nothing/anything online about him is a little suspicious. It’s more than likely designed like that.  

• Do I think that Dan is guilty of what’s he’s being accused off.  I’m flipping back and forth.  I think it’s crazy that the police suddenly find a missing girls cell phone in his room when he’s been murdered and his body is missing. 

• Ok so I’m obsessed. I’m less than 100 pages from finishing the book and the twists and turns.   Omg. I’m in shock. 
• Even when the obvious is staring me in the face I am so sow to catch on. 

Conclusion 

This is such a good book.  It’s so fast passed.  It pretty much all over the place when reading, it flips between people, but it works out really well. As I got closer to the end of the book, and I mean the last few chapters it reminded me of a Netflix show I’d seen, one based on a Harlan Coben Book. For me I felt that Wendy was really judgemental and just wanted an easy ride in her job and didn’t do enough research when it came to Dan.  

In some places it felt that it was way to easy to pass the blame onto Dan for the missing teenager, and that Wendy should’ve listened to those who knew Dan. But her pride and ego got in the way to much.  

With the group of men that went to Princeton with Dan all had their flaws, because of one night, and it took a toll on them in differently.  

The end of the book really had me shook.  I felt that it came together nicely. 

The Bus 57

Book: The Bus 57; 

My Goodreads Rating: 3*

First Thoughts

Ok, so back in the summer of 2020, around the time I went to the Black Lives Matter March where I live, I googled books by black authors, about racism, I wanted books that were both fiction and non fiction books. For Christmas I asked for some books, I had a whole long list, books by my favourite author (who is Dorothy Koomson and is black) a d books by black authors and white authors, books that covered racism within them.  The Bus 57, was a book I asked for and received.  

While Reading

• Wow.  When I asked for this book I had read the synopsis that Amazon gave and saved it for later.  Now that I’ve started the book it’s different than what I imagined it to be. 
• I like how the author put in meanings of different LQBTQ+, sexual orientation and gender phrases.  I had no idea just how many there were. 

Sasha

• “Why are you wearing a skirt?  Your not a girl” was said to Sasha by an older person. Sasha’s response is normal for them.  
• The whole bathroom thing, what’s the right bathroom for someone who is gender fluid, and while at home and school it’s easy to use what ever bathroom you want, in the ‘outside’ world it’s not so easy. 

Richard

• While reading Sasha’s first part of the book, I felt that when I got to Richard’s history that they were going to make him out to be this really bad kid, who grew up without any structure.  But he was a little different than I imagined. He did have structure, though the area of Oakland he lives in isn’t great, he has a family that want the best for him. He did wrong in his past but he was trying to do better. 

• I already have the feeling that how Sasha and Richard are treated is completely different by others because of their backgrounds.  
• The right vs wrong aspect that came into play annoyed me to no end. Yes, Richard is 16 year old and should know better but can anyone say they did things at 16 that they would one day look on and think that wasn’t right.  What I did was wrong.  
• Something else that annoyed me was that I’m not finished it yet but why is Richard the only one getting any sort of punishment. The other two people he was with that day were also involved, not with setting the fire, but were there. 

Conclusion 

Ok so my review on the book, it’s an ok book, I don’t love it but I don’t hate it.  There are areas that I love, areas’s that I don’t. 

I would’ve loved longer chapters.  I am someone who like actual chapters.  Sometimes in this book it was a page or less. 

I wanted to love this book, and I did at first, but I felt that it dipped.  I felt that people brought down Richard because of his actions and that he’d never learn from his mistakes, and that he should’ve known better.  

January 2021

January 2021

Books Read: 3

Book Challenge Complete: 10%

• Just A Child
• Queenie
• The Bus 57

How I Felt This Month

• I felt like January just flew by, I am on track with my goodreads challenge. 
• I am kinda lagging on my blog but I’m ok with that. 
• I really enjoyed the books I read this month. Though enjoying a book like Just a child by Sammy Woodhouse seems wrong, it did bring and insight to what you should be looking for in a child/young person who maybe going through abuse. 
• Favourite book this month was definitely Queenie.