Saturday, January 2, 2021

1.2.2021 - Before the Ruins

Before the Ruins by Victoria Gosling

Thanks to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company for gifting me a digital ARC of this gothic-type suspense novel by Victoria Gosling.  3.5 stars.

Twenty years ago, a group of four friends at the end of childhood and just starting to go their separate ways into a future, spend time at an old abandoned mansion.  Rumors are that a valuable diamond necklace disappeared years ago and was hidden on the property by a man who was then found dead.  The group gets a fake necklace and take turns hiding/finding it, always egging each other on to riskier stunts.  Andy (short for Andrea) had a bad childhood and Peter always looked out for her.  When newcomer David comes into the mix that summer, both of them vie for his attention.  One of the group won't survive the game.  In the present day, Peter goes missing and Andy tries to find him.  They have grown apart since that summer and Andy finds herself squarely confronted with the past as she looks for him.

I loved the premise of this book - a coming of age story taking place in an old Gothic mansion with the present day results of all that happened there.  I thought the writing was quite beautiful but the story seemed somewhat confusing between the time jumps.  It's a slow read, very character driven, but I was just never able to fully engage with it.

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