The Others by Sarah Blau (2018) Review

The book starts when Dina reaches out to Sheila, trying to reconnect as they have not been in close contact for years. The meeting does not go well, and Dina’s body is found shortly after. Is Sheila a suspect or a witness? When another member of their posse dies in the same gruesome way, we start to wonder if the murders are related to a pact 4 friends made in university when they became “The Others” – a group of witches deadest on not becoming parents.

Unfortunately, this book was not for me. I had a hard time connecting with the writing style and I wonder if could be that some of the dark sense of humour did not translate well. I must give Blau props on making highly unlikeable characters, I have never seen a group of women so catty and nasty to each other and I was often wondering why they were friends to begging with. I do not need to like a character to appreciate them, and even though some characters blended with each other, Sheila and Dina are amazing on the pages.

This book read more like a contemporary and it has a strong focus on motherhood, societal pressures, and women’s choice. I went in expecting a psychological thriller and had to change gears 2/3 into the book. Once I did, I enjoyed the book more.

The Others had a solid, strong, and satisfying end. I recommend this book but feel that the reader will enjoy it more if they go in with the right expectation.

Thank you, Penguin Random House Canada, NetGalley and Sarah Blau for providing me with a copy of The Others in exchange for an honest review, which allowed me to post this review on The Others’ English release date. #TheOthers #NetGalley

My total rating: 3.58