Book Review: Unraveling Oliver By Liz Nugent

Unraveling Oliver By Liz Nugent

Genre: Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Suspense
Pages: 272 pages
Published: August 22nd 2017
Publisher: Gallery/Scout Press
My Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Plot: I expected more of a reaction the first time I hit her.

Oliver Ryan, handsome, charismatic, and successful, has long been married to his devoted wife, Alice. Together they write and illustrate award-winning children’s books; their life together one of enviable privilege and ease—until, one evening after a delightful dinner, Oliver delivers a blow to Alice that renders her unconscious, and subsequently beats her into a coma.

In the aftermath of such an unthinkable event, as Alice hovers between life and death, the couple’s friends, neighbors, and acquaintances try to understand what could have driven Oliver to commit such a horrific act. As his story unfolds, layers are peeled away to reveal a life of shame, envy, deception, and masterful manipulation.

My Thoughts: So this book has been on my radar for a little while now. I was so excited when my friends mentioned they wanted to read it for a buddy read. I’m so glad I decided to read with them. This book had me dying to talk about it after reading.

Plot:

So this is a story about Oliver Ryan. He ends up beating up his wife, Alice, into a coma. The story is told through different perspectives as everyone tries to piece together what led Oliver to beating Alice. I really enjoyed learning how everyone knew Oliver and what they thought of him. You even get Oliver’s side of the story.

Characters:

I love that this book features so many different characters. You have people from Oliver’s past and present. Each giving you insight to how they knew Oliver and what they thought of it. I really thought this was a lovely way to go through past and present. I was a little overwhelmed by all the narrators at first. As you go through the story that ends up changing. I knew who everyone was and I could tell you how they knew Oliver and their experiences with him. I came to care for a lot of the people except Oliver. The more I learned about him the more I hated him. My two favorite characters are Barney and Eugene.

Writing:

I really enjoyed the writing in this book. I felt like Liz did a great job making each character their own. No character felt the same which was great writing. I said previously that she really makes you care for these characters. I felt so much for them. Plus she did a great job piecing everything together. The ending was so well. There really was one thing that you’re left unknown. I took it as it’s best to leave it to your own imagination.

Audio:

So I ended up listening to this book on audio. I have to say I loved every second of it. It was done with a full cast of people. I honestly wasn’t expecting that. It really added to the uniqueness of each character. Plus a lot of the narrators had accents. I love a good accent.

Overall I thought this was a great thriller. I wasn’t expecting to enjoy it as much as I did. Liz did a great job bringing all these characters to life. She is a fantastic author. It’s amazing to see that this is her debut novel. I really can’t wait to see what she comes out with next. I know she’ll be out with two new books this year and I can’t wait.

This was a buddy read with Jenna @J.K. I’m Exploring, Luna @Bookish Luna and Amy @Tomes With Tea

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Have you guys read this book? If so did you end up enjoying it?

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