Review: He Said/She Said by Erin Kelly

Title: He Said/She Said
Author: Erin Kelly
Pages: 400
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Fiction
Source: Free ARC from Minotaur

Rating: 5 stars

Note: As stated under the Source (above), I received this book for free from Minotaur via NetGalley. I pride myself on writing fair and honest reviews.

Review: Brilliant. Absolutely. Freakin’. Brilliant! Clever. Compelling. Addictive. Not intense necessarily, but a match is struck, slowly burning, flame getting brighter, until the very end when it finds an accelerant and poof! It all comes burning down.

Wow, did I ever love these characters. Laura, in particular, despite appearing to be a bit naïve, is as tried and true as they come. Highly ethical, and so kind-hearted. To have her gentle, free-spirited nature so changed by the major events of this story, was a bit heart-wrenching. Her relationship with Kit seems to be that real and rare kind of love, but not in a way that is sticky sweet, in a genuine way. They get each other. See each other. Make allowances for each other. It’s a real give and take. And Beth. Well, I feel as though my hands are a little tied here as I’m determined to not give anything away. I didn’t like her much in the beginning, despite feeling sorry for what she went through. And I didn’t grow to like her either.

The story is told by multiple narrators, mostly Laura and Kit, which is an approach I’m growing to love, especially for mystery/thriller/suspense. So, so effective at turning the tables, garnering sympathy, and creating confusion. The backstory about Kit following the eclipses was unique and intriguing, and oddly enough, I just happened to start reading this on the day of our most recent eclipse (which I missed because Maine wasn’t in the path), having no idea what the background of this story was. But that little fact somehow cemented for me that this was the right moment for me to be reading this book. And I was right.

I found the whole thing riveting, couldn’t wait to pick it up again, and see what was next. I didn’t want it to end. Can’t say that I loved the ending, but that is not a reflection of how well it was written or its appropriateness. It completely made sense. And it was probably the most likely way things would play out in the real world. It just made me a bit sad. Mostly though, I was just sad the story was over. I’m adding Erin Kelly’s previous books to my TBR as we speak, and I’ll be keeping an eye for what she puts out next.