[The French Girl ↔ Lexie Elliott]
The French Girl
A body is discoveredmories of past betrayals and relationships surface and old friends come together amidst secrets, lies and a long ago get together that ended badly for some.
Kate narrates the story as she struggles with her new start up business, a persistent French investigator who searches for truthD a ghostly presence that haunts her.
Reminiscent, in part, of mysteries I ve read in the past, but I must admit the writing kept me totally engaged despite early on pred
3.5 StarsA body is discoveredmories of past betrayals and relationships surface and old friends come together amidst secrets, lies and a long ago get together that ended badly for some.
Kate narrates the story as she struggles with her new start up business, a persistent French investigator who searches for truthD a ghostly presence that haunts her.
Reminiscent, in part, of mysteries I ve read in the past, but I must admit the writing kept me totally engaged despite early on predictability of the culprit.
THE FRENCH GIRL Entertaining debut.
Many thanks to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the ARC coming February, 2018 in exchange for an honest review.
flag 65 likesLike see review View all 16 comments Oct 04, 2017 Cindy Burnett rated it it was amazing review of another edition Well done Lexie Elliott The French Girl is brilliant I love the psychological suspense thriller genre when the story is done well, and Elliott hits it out of the ballpark on her first try amazingly enough, she is a debut author The plot is clever, the main character is very likeable how often does that happen in a thriller most of the time I am saying who does this kind of stuff , and the pacing of the story is perfect I was turning the pages as fast as I could to see what was going to Well done Lexie Elliott The French Girl is brilliant I love the psychological suspense thriller genre when the story is done well, and Elliott hits it out of the ballpark on her first try amazingly enough, she is a debut author The plot is clever, the main character is very likeable how often does that happen in a thriller most of the time I am saying who does this kind of stuff , and the pacing of the story is perfect I was turning the pages as fast as I could to see what was going to happen next.Elliott managed to keep me on my toes as I was reading characters were slowly falling apart, secrets were revealed, and loyalties were constantly being tested The presence of Severine was ingenious and added an interesting layer to the story The ending was outstanding I don t want to spoil the ending so I will simply say I was worried it might go one way and thankfully it did not and the book was much better for it I loved that the main character Kate was likeable and made decent choices I get frustrated when I am reading in this genre because the main characters are so frequently crazy or highly unlikeable Kate was a welcome and enjoyable change.The French Girl addresses the issue of how memories and events can be skewed by the facts we know and the facts we do not know which is certainly a thought provoking concept This idea plays out well in this book and made me think about how that issue plays out in everyday life.I highly, highly recommend The French Girl it is a fantastic read Block out time in your schedule before you start it because you will not want to put it down once you begin Thanks to Berkley Publishing for my copy all opinions are my own flag 59 likesLike see review View all 9 comments Nov 12, 2017 Linda rated it really liked it review of another edition Shelves mystery thrillers, psychological thriller, publisher A bottle of wine, a crust of breadd a dead body that shows up after a ten year hiatus.Perhaps a few French hens come into this mix as well as six university friends settle into a cozy farmhouse in the French countryside Poolside is where they find themselves partaking in the good life A planned getaway with a very unplanned aftermath.Ah, and then there s Severine An uninvited presence both when living and certainly when dead Who is this raven haired young neighbor woman slinking int A bottle of wine, a crust of breadd a dead body that shows up after a ten year hiatus.Perhaps a few French hens come into this mix as well as six university friends settle into a cozy farmhouse in the French countryside Poolside is where they find themselves partaking in the good life A planned getaway with a very unplanned aftermath.Ah, and then there s Severine An uninvited presence both when living and certainly when dead Who is this raven haired young neighbor woman slinking into a deck chair near the pool Boundaries serve no purpose as Severine crosses the line and crosses the threshold into the private lives of these individuals Kate Channing is the voice of this novel by Lexie Elliott She creates the backstepping of these young people as they moved about on this isolated farmhouse Kate recalls the so called innocent weekend, but she seems to hold back on some of the vital details Make those intimate details in which certain people pressed themselves far closer to one another than one would expect Fast forward ten years The twisted body of Severine is found at the bottom of a dry well on the farmhouse property But wasn t she seen boarding a bus along the roadside on that very day of departure No one could mistake the willowy presence of the statuesque Severine A presence that will weave back and forth into the lives of these individuals like a fine French tapestrybut this eye catching tapestry is a maze of irregular knotted threads on the backside.Enter the French detective, Alain Modan Modan questions Kate in the office of her newly founded business in London Scandal is the last thing on her agenda for the day But reality sets in as Kate is brought up short One of them is a murderer One of them is as guilty as sin itself Lexie Elliott tells her tale through images that begin quite slowly with the heaviness of detail I felt the weightiness of this undertaking as backstories were revealed in order to set the stage Although perhaps necessary, it did slow down the intensity factor here But, push on, dear reader The plot does thicken into a palatable delight And just when the final course arrives, the ending tanks Not enough dessert wine to swallow that one down That s why it s truly a 3.5 on my personal menu Not enough creme in the creme brulee.I would certainly read another offering by Lexie Elliott in the future I wish to thank her and Berkley Penguin Random House for the opportunity to read The French Girl for an honest review flag 60 likesLike see review View all 9 comments Feb 13, 2018 Brenda Traveling Sister rated it really liked it review of another edition 3.5 StarsI was lost in the grassy, weedy lush coulee reading The French Girl with seven of my Traveling Sisters and we ended up in different sides of the coulee at the end of this story The French Girl is an entertaining and fun slow moving maze of secrets and lies involving a messy mix of relationships between six friends, who on a summer vacation in France when they meet their neighbor Severine who goes missing Things get even messier when 10 years later her remains are found Lexie Elliott 3.5 StarsI was lost in the grassy, weedy lush coulee reading The French Girl with seven of my Traveling Sisters and we ended up in different sides of the coulee at the end of this story The French Girl is an entertaining and fun slow moving maze of secrets and lies involving a messy mix of relationships between six friends, who on a summer vacation in France when they meet their neighbor Severine who goes missing Things get even messier when 10 years later her remains are found Lexie Elliott does a really good job here with the dynamics between our main character Kate and her friends Kate is an interesting narrator and we could see how she develops over time and see how her perspective changes as the investigation into Severine s death causes her to look back to the weeks in France Severine begins to haunt her and some of us really enjoyed that supernatural element to the story that added some fun to the story While some us were quite happy tangled up in the grassy coulee and liking the dynamics between these friends and enjoying the easy, mindless but interesting and entertaining story, two of my TS were tangled in the weeds and wondering why they didn t struggle their way out of the coulee Published on February 20, 2018Thank you Edelweiss, Berkley Publishing Group and Lexie Elliott for a copy to read and review All of our Traveling Sisters Reviews can be found on our sister blog flag 57 likesLike see review View all 20 comments Mar 06, 2018 Suzanne Leopold rated it really liked it review of another edition Shelves book blog tour books Six friends celebrate their graduation from Oxford University at a farmhouse in France The last night of their alcohol fueled party turns disastrous after an uninvited nineteen year old neighbor goes missing from the house The female, named Severine, had driven a wedge between the friends with her sexy looks and flirty disposition The women felt threatened by the younger woman while the men returned her attention After an investigation, it is not clear if anyone at the farmhouse had anything Six friends celebrate their graduation from Oxford University at a farmhouse in France The last night of their alcohol fueled party turns disastrous after an uninvited nineteen year old neighbor goes missing from the house The female, named Severine, had driven a wedge between the friends with her sexy looks and flirty disposition The women felt threatened by the younger woman while the men returned her attention After an investigation, it is not clear if anyone at the farmhouse had anything to do with her disappearance Ten years later, Severine s body is found in a well outside of the farmhouse Each of the friends is questioned by a French detective Kate Channing is not concerned with the investigation but begins to unravel after repeated interrogations Accusations and frictions slowly grow as each group member reveals what they remember from that night.The French Girl is a debut novel by Lexie Elliott I enjoyed this book and was quickly pulled into the story after reading the first chapter I look forward to reading from this author in the future flag 63 likesLike see review View all 4 comments Oct 24, 2017 Dennis rated it really liked it review of another edition Shelves arc publisher, crime fiction, drama, mystery, slow burn, thriller, whodunnit, 2017 read, 2018 pub, light mystery 4 5 stars The French Girl is a remarkable debut by newcomer Lexie Elliot, who s writing style can already be considered in the same ranks as Ruth Ware, Fiona Barton, and Paula Hawkins The story takes place in the current day London, where Kate Channing receives a phone call from college friend Tom, about the French police re opening up a case about a missing person an acquaintance that they met during a vacation in France Severine Severine s body has been found in the bottom of a closed u 4 5 stars The French Girl is a remarkable debut by newcomer Lexie Elliot, who s writing style can already be considered in the same ranks as Ruth Ware, Fiona Barton, and Paula Hawkins The story takes place in the current day London, where Kate Channing receives a phone call from college friend Tom, about the French police re opening up a case about a missing person an acquaintance that they met during a vacation in France Severine Severine s body has been found in the bottom of a closed up well with clues leading up to the possibility of a murder charge being discussed The problem is, Kate, her boyfriend Seb, and her friends Lara, Tom, Theo, and Caro were all the last ones to be linked to Severine With the police re opening the case, what will be discovered Why do the police suspect that it could be one of them, and if someone has a secret how willing are they to keep it under wraps The French Girl single handedly paints the picture of how wicked some people may go to get what they want, even if it means destroying the lives of others to get ahead The French Girl is going to be a polarizing book for many for a multitude of reasons but I am going to break down my thoughts and how it was painted for me and let s see what you think 1 This is a slow burn light mystery, rather than an in your face suspense where you ll have to check behind the shower curtain before going to bed It took me awhile to sink my teeth in, but when I did, I was addicted It s also a light read, so you won t even realize how quickly you are breezing through this, until it s 1 AM and you realize you have to go to bed for work in the morning.2 The characterizations of all the main and supporting characters are vividly drawn out, which is great because you end up being wrapped right into the chaos, without being lulled by the slow pacing of the plot 3 The French Girl gave me serious Ruth Ware vibes in terms of writing style yassss and unreliable characters The French Girl is what The Lying Game was trying to be but failed 4 There was a lot of talk about the economic environment of England and the lack of job security, which peaked my interest After a little research, I read that Lexie Elliott took up writing after losing her job in the Great Recession I found this really intriguing because as a millennial, I have many people in my life who have been greatly affected by the economic downturn and still are It was refreshing to read about characters who were going through situations that I could relate to and feel sympathy for 5 Based on the previous point, as well as Ms Elliott s incredible characterizations, I was sooo into the cast of characters that she presented I loved Kate and her trying to keep it together but slowly falling apart psyche I loved some of the characters alcoholic tendencies covering up insecurities I loved the minor love story taking place during the sequence of the plot, as it wasn t overbearing and it maintained relevance and lastly, I loved how wicked some of these characters truly are It maintained my attention throughout the story Overall, The French Girl is a solid debut by a new author that I can t wait to hear from Thank you Berkley Publishing Publishing Group for my advanced copy for an honest review It was a pleasure You can also follow me on Instagram scared_str8 flag 53 likesLike see review View all 21 comments Jan 31, 2018 JanB rated it liked it review of another edition Shelves traveling sister read 2.5, rounded upThe set up Six college friends stay at a farmhouse in France and meet the sultry and sexy girl next door, Severine She disappears without a trace, and now, 10 years later, her body has been found, and the investigation is re opened.This is a slow burn novel, with a lot of emphasis on the relationships and work lives of the friends.This will appeal to some readers than others I would have liked to have experienced tension and details of the investigation, as well as mo 2.5, rounded upThe set up Six college friends stay at a farmhouse in France and meet the sultry and sexy girl next door, Severine She disappears without a trace, and now, 10 years later, her body has been found, and the investigation is re opened.This is a slow burn novel, with a lot of emphasis on the relationships and work lives of the friends.This will appeal to some readers than others I would have liked to have experienced tension and details of the investigation, as well as growth among the friends from their college days There was a lot of drama and angst that would have been fitting in the friends during their college years, not when they are late 20s early 30s If you enjoy that dynamic this is the book for you.The ghost of Severine appears to one of the women repeatedly throughout the book I m not against supernatural elements in my reading, sometimes it can be fun But I didn t particularly care for it here, as I couldn t discern a purpose to her presence She was just there and languidly observant.The French detective does something unprofessional that compromises the entire investigation I could have forgiven it as a plot device if it had been addressed as a breach of professional conduct, but instead, the information is dished out as a bit of juicy gossip I found the ending a bit of a letdown The crime is resolved, but I didn t find it entirely satisfying for reasons I can t go into here without spoilers.I read this with the Traveling Sister group and most of the group enjoyed this than I did I am probably the wrong demographic and or the wrong reader for this type of book It s not a bad book, but just missed the mark of being a really great read for me I was expecting a thriller mystery and instead found something totally different.The traveling sister blog with this review and others can be found at I was sent a copy of the book by the publisher flag 50 likesLike see review View all 33 comments Jun 25, 2018 Miriam Smith rated it liked it review of another edition Shelves readers first Firstly I have to say that The French Girl was a decent enough read that was without doubt, well written by debut author Lexie Elliott and I did enjoy reading it.But unfortunately not a lot happens during the story and I don t even think I d say this was a slow burn book as even the denouement is a little lacklustre and predictable The story focuses mainly on Kate s narrative and thoughts regarding the ill fated holiday trip to France, however I found there was a little too much detail into Firstly I have to say that The French Girl was a decent enough read that was without doubt, well written by debut author Lexie Elliott and I did enjoy reading it.But unfortunately not a lot happens during the story and I don t even think I d say this was a slow burn book as even the denouement is a little lacklustre and predictable The story focuses mainly on Kate s narrative and thoughts regarding the ill fated holiday trip to France, however I found there was a little too much detail into her job as a legal recruitment agency owner to be entertaining and the constant appearance of Severine which should have been eerie was just too often Perhaps if there were flashbacks to the events leading up to Severine s disappearance ten years ago it may have given a little intrigue to the plot and I did find it a tad unbelievable that the relationships between all the characters from so many years ago would still have such a strong hold over everyone, even after they had all moved on I never wanted to stop reading this book, it just wasn t the fast paced psychological thriller I was maybe anticipating but I imagine it will still be liked and enjoyed by a lot of readers, young and old alike and I would probably still read by this new author in the future 3 stars flag 49 likesLike see review View all 20 comments Sep 28, 2017 Bam rated it really liked it review of another edition Shelves i own it, mystery, 2017 reads, arc author publisher 4.5 stars Many thanks to Berkley Publishing for offering an advance reading copy for my honest review The book will not be on sale until 2 20 18, but I ve gotten the go ahead from marketing to post my thoughts One summer, six Oxford friends Kate, Tom, Lara, Caro, Seb and Theo spend a week in a farmhouse in the French countryside At the end of that week, Severine, the sultry mademoiselle next door, disappears without a trace Her remains are not found until ten years later, in the abando 4.5 stars Many thanks to Berkley Publishing for offering an advance reading copy for my honest review The book will not be on sale until 2 20 18, but I ve gotten the go ahead from marketing to post my thoughts One summer, six Oxford friends Kate, Tom, Lara, Caro, Seb and Theo spend a week in a farmhouse in the French countryside At the end of that week, Severine, the sultry mademoiselle next door, disappears without a trace Her remains are not found until ten years later, in the abandoned well on the farmhouse property At this point, Theo has been killed in Afghanistan, but the remaining five friends are all living and working in London and are questioned by Officer Alain Modan of the French judiciary police It becomes obvious that one of them must have been the murderer They were, after all, the last to have seen Severine alive This story is stunning How well do we really know even our best friends Look around who would be capable of murder And what does that do to friendship, when one sees speculation and suspicion in a friend s eyes The story is told from Kate s first person point of view and she is remarkably likable some of her friends, maybe not so much but the characterizations are very well done, with all the romantic entanglements involved in a close knit group of both sexes There is suspense and page turning enticements, and even a small touch of magical realism that I always enjoy in a story like this Hard to believe this is a debut work of fiction it is that well done I am looking forward to reading much from this excellent writer to come Highly recommend flag 45 likesLike see review View all 10 comments Mar 08, 2018 Megan Johnson rated it it was ok review of another edition Shelves mystery thriller suspense I wanted to like The French Girl I really did It s the story of a good time ruined by an unfortunate event, it s got drama and love triangles and revenge and everything you d want out of a story like thisbut I couldn t shake the feeling that all of the good stuff could ve been condensed down into 50ish pages The rest I felt it was a lot of talk about people being worried or paranoid about stuff they didn t know Maybe it s the fact that I m inclined to be anxious about EVERYTHING, but I I wanted to like The French Girl I really did It s the story of a good time ruined by an unfortunate event, it s got drama and love triangles and revenge and everything you d want out of a story like thisbut I couldn t shake the feeling that all of the good stuff could ve been condensed down into 50ish pages The rest I felt it was a lot of talk about people being worried or paranoid about stuff they didn t know Maybe it s the fact that I m inclined to be anxious about EVERYTHING, but I just didn t find it compelling Had this been shortened down into just the good parts, I actually think this would be higher up on my list Should you buy it I m gonna go with no on this one In the grand world of insert descriptive word Girl books, I just feel like there are better choices That said, if you re looking for an easy to read story that s got some of the basics of a thriller but won t keep you up at night, perhaps it is worth considering WEBSITE TWITTER FACEBOOK INSTAGRAM flag 44 likesLike see review View all 7 comments Nov 01, 2017 Zoe rated it really liked it review of another edition 3 5 Stars Dark, gripping, and complex The French Girl is an intriguing character driven novel that delves into the dynamic relationship between six friends and their possible involvement in the murder of a young girl ten years prior while vacationing in France.The writing is clear and precise The characters are self involved, secretive, and troubled And the plot uses a past present, back and forth style to create suspense and tension as it subtly unravels all the actions, motivations, persona 3 5 Stars Dark, gripping, and complex The French Girl is an intriguing character driven novel that delves into the dynamic relationship between six friends and their possible involvement in the murder of a young girl ten years prior while vacationing in France.The writing is clear and precise The characters are self involved, secretive, and troubled And the plot uses a past present, back and forth style to create suspense and tension as it subtly unravels all the actions, motivations, personalities, and relationships within it.The French Girl at its core is a novel about friendship, secrets, manipulation, jealousy, obsession, and murder with a little paranormal twist It s a compelling debut for Elliott and I can t wait to read what she comes up with next.Thank you to Berkley Publishing for send me a copy in exchange for an honest review.All my blogs can be found on my blog at flag 43 likesLike see review View all 4 comments Feb 07, 2018 Ellen Gail rated it it was ok review of another edition Shelves edelweiss, girls girls girls, blah, forgettable This is the very definition of a two star book it was okay, but completely unremarkable.And gosh darn it, I really thought I d like this one I was in a total mystery thriller mood I wanted to wonder who did it and why I wanted tension and secrets What twists and turns were awaiting me What I got was ultimately disappointing The French Girl is unfortunately not that suspenseful or exciting I feel entirely unenthusiastic about it All these secrets, a death from ten years in the past, the This is the very definition of a two star book it was okay, but completely unremarkable.And gosh darn it, I really thought I d like this one I was in a total mystery thriller mood I wanted to wonder who did it and why I wanted tension and secrets What twists and turns were awaiting me What I got was ultimately disappointing The French Girl is unfortunately not that suspenseful or exciting I feel entirely unenthusiastic about it All these secrets, a death from ten years in the past, the Severine ghost It just feels inconsequential.Like I m so underwhelmed by it.I don t even want to write about it That s how flat I found everything I sat down to write this review, then decided to do my taxes first It was just that uninspiring to me None of the characters sparked I can t feel anything for Severine or the six five.And there s nothing truly bad about this, there really isn t No glaring inconsistencies or major anger buttons It sfunctional But I wanted to passionately care about what had happened to Severine, about Kate s future And I didn t.A successful read needs passion A theoretically fine, yet unexciting mystery will lose every time to a flawed, but exhilarating thriller.In the battle for my reading affections, The French Girl unfortunately couldn t win me over Thanks to Edelweiss and Berkley Books for the drc. flag 41 likesLike see review View 2 comments May 19, 2018 Mackey rated it really liked it review of another edition Shelves thriller suspense, my reviews, books read 2018 3.5 stars rounded upThe premise of The French Girl is not so unusual Six university friends go off on holiday to France A few become than friends, and there is a bit of jealousy here and there but not enough to really matter until The French Girl next door enters the picture The dynamics of the group completely changes, old wounds are re opened and new ones begin to appear Then, as suddenly as she appears, she disappears on the final day of the trip The group of friends barely giv 3.5 stars rounded upThe premise of The French Girl is not so unusual Six university friends go off on holiday to France A few become than friends, and there is a bit of jealousy here and there but not enough to really matter until The French Girl next door enters the picture The dynamics of the group completely changes, old wounds are re opened and new ones begin to appear Then, as suddenly as she appears, she disappears on the final day of the trip The group of friends barely give it much thought or do they Now a decade later The French Girl s body is discovered in a well on the property where the group was vacationing They must reunite in order to help the investigation what happened Who knew what and when All of these things are very artfully laid out and explained in the book until the end The ending of the book is good but perplexing for some I rather enjoyed it but for some who like very pat, tied up in neat package endings, it is bothersome This debut novel is well written, the characters very aptly drawn and the mystery well played If you like clever who dunnits then I can very safely recommend this book to you flag 43 likesLike see review View all 22 comments Nov 15, 2017 Jasmine from How Useful It Is rated it really liked it review of another edition Shelves from publisher, thrillers About The French Girl is a mystery thriller written by Lexie Elliott It will be published on 2 20 2018 by Berkley, an imprint of Penguin Random House, 304 pages The genres are crime, mystery, suspense, thriller, and fiction This book is the author s debut My Experience I started reading The French Girl on 12 11 17 and finished it on 1 2 18 This book is a great read I like learning the characters professions, especially keeping afloat a new startup I have always wondered about those who About The French Girl is a mystery thriller written by Lexie Elliott It will be published on 2 20 2018 by Berkley, an imprint of Penguin Random House, 304 pages The genres are crime, mystery, suspense, thriller, and fiction This book is the author s debut My Experience I started reading The French Girl on 12 11 17 and finished it on 1 2 18 This book is a great read I like learning the characters professions, especially keeping afloat a new startup I have always wondered about those who works on the trading floors, lawyers, and headhunters The headhunter in this book focus on finding employees for companies of higher ranked jobs and it s interesting to learn how businesses work This book only suffer the length of time it takes me to read it because Christmas break and New Year s break took my attention away from reading Otherwise, I am always hooked on the mystery of what will come.This book is told in the first person point of view, following Kate Channing, one among 6 friends who attended Oxford together years ago The 6 friends some than friends and some less than friends are Tom, Theo, Seb, Lara, and Caro They all took a trip after they graduated from the university to the French farmhouse for a week of idyllic vacation One person, Severine, the girl next door disappeared without a trace just as the six friends pack up to leave when their trip ended Now, nearly a decade later, the police found Severine s remains and the 6 friends are called in for questioning Kate hasn t seen the group for many years except Lara, whom she stayed in close contact When the investigation heats up and each person realized his her life could be ruined, they started to think whether their friends is capable of murder.This book is well written I enjoyed the mystery and suspense I like the characters and their career I like the friends and friends enemies and than friends concept because it creates many opportunities to direct the blames and appear much harder to predict who the bad guy girl is This book is carefully crafted, though at times the pace is slow due to professions and being haunted by Severine I enjoy the careful withholding of secrets when the characters communicate with each other trying to Nancy Drew themselves into who may have commit the heinous crime and are trying to get away with it I like Kate s analysis of everyone and whether they are who they appear to be The suspense is worth the read and I do recommend everyone to read this book Pro suspense, mystery, professional jobs,Con I m also haunted by Severine She s excessively everywhere.I rate it 4 stars Disclaimer Many thanks to Berkley for the opportunity to read and review Please be assured that my opinions are honest.xoxo, Jasmine at howusefulitis.wordpress for details flag 43 likesLike see review View all 4 comments Feb 27, 2018 Kaila rated it liked it review of another edition Shelves 2018 uno, 2018, netgalley I look around the table again It s impossible not to think, as each face passes under my gaze, Was it you Could you have done it And, most disturbing of all, How far will you go to blame someone else The French Girl is a slow burning, evocative mystery built off a premise I have so come to love a catalyst in the present forcing characters to revisit a dark incident in their past and recolor it with new understandings I was intrigued by the unique approach taken here, with a narrative anchor I look around the table again It s impossible not to think, as each face passes under my gaze, Was it you Could you have done it And, most disturbing of all, How far will you go to blame someone else The French Girl is a slow burning, evocative mystery built off a premise I have so come to love a catalyst in the present forcing characters to revisit a dark incident in their past and recolor it with new understandings I was intrigued by the unique approach taken here, with a narrative anchored solely in the now and a greater focus on character dynamics than plot progression, but in the end, this book was a mediocre read for me although that s not to say it didn t have its strengths.Where The French Girl shines most is quite simply its writing style It s gorgeous and haunting Everything is told from Kate s perspective in the present, and since I m used to this sort of plot bouncing between narrators and timelines, I will admit that this approach felt restricting at first Nevertheless, the limited point of view came to be something that I appreciated You really have the opportunity to immerse yourself in all of Kate s frustrations as she tries to piece together the past Her spotty memories are wonderfully hazy and disjointed it feels like reaching out and trying to grab something only to have it slip between your fingers.The plot is slow moving glacial, at times but even that can be spun as a point in the book s favor It s realistic Ten years after the initial missing persons investigation, the stagnant pacing at the onset of the novel feels true to a murder investigation slowly gaining traction It also gives us the space to do a deep dive into Kate s life I loved how the investigation doesn t take over her existence, not at first Her insistence to keep it separate from her struggles to run a solo business is intriguing and far from what I m used to in mystery novels where the mystery tends to quickly consume the entire plot.Probably the most fascinating part of the book is Severine, the murdered girl, herself News of the discovery of Severine s body causes Kate to see her everywhere in a vivid, tell tale heart like fashion I love that this enigma of a girl is personified as a figment of Kate s imagination in the present than she is in Kate s memories Severine never says a word, and yet her personality is crystal clear It s honestly quite chilling.Despite all the small tidbits I enjoyed, I couldn t really get over my main problem that the slow pacing was never rewarded It felt like the whole book was building up to something, like the calm before a storm, but it never quite got there The revelations at the end didn t seem hard won or deserved It s an ending that doesn t package everything up with tidy bows, which I can appreciate for its realism, but I still felt a little robbed of my time when I had turned the final page.All in all, The French Girl isn t my favorite read, but it s a solid one And it s a strong debut for Lexie Elliott, who s definitely caught my eye with her writing style Can t wait to see from her in the future Warm thanks to Berkley Publishing for providing me with a review copy of The French Girl via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.Blog Instagram flag 34 likesLike see review View all 9 comments Feb 07, 2018 Linda Strong rated it really liked it review of another edition Shelves edelweiss librarything, edelweiss read 2018 Ten years ago, a group of 6 college friends spent a week in France The neighbor was Severine, who all the guys liked and the girls tolerated The day they left to go back to school, Severine was never seen again.Severine s bones have been found Forensics show that she may have been murdered Sine the friends were the last to see her, they are all suspects.The story is told with Kate Channing s voice She had a fight with her boyfriend and he promptly slept with the French girl They have not s Ten years ago, a group of 6 college friends spent a week in France The neighbor was Severine, who all the guys liked and the girls tolerated The day they left to go back to school, Severine was never seen again.Severine s bones have been found Forensics show that she may have been murdered Sine the friends were the last to see her, they are all suspects.The story is told with Kate Channing s voice She had a fight with her boyfriend and he promptly slept with the French girl They have not spoken since Caro had a thing for Kate s boyfriend did she kill who she thought the competition was Illegal drugs were sneaked in and there was lots of alcohol involved with everything they did.After that week, none of them have been the same They all have secrets some shared, some not When the police investigation reopens, fingers start pointing.This was a very well written story Through Kate s voice, the reader can follow what she remembers and what she conceals Relationships among the friends have been uncomfortable and some have been severed The characters are sharply defined and memorable The ending came as quite a surprise.Many thanks to the author Berkley Publishing Edelweiss for the advanced digital copy Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own flag 33 likesLike see review View all 3 comments previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 next new topicDiscuss This Book topics posts views last activity
[The French Girl ↔ Lexie Elliott]
Lexie Elliott
About Author
Lexie Elliott has been writing for as long as she can remember, but she began to focus on it seriously after she lost her banking job in 2009 due to the Global Financial Crisis After some success in short story competitions, she began planning a novel With two kids and a new job, it took some time for that novel to move from her head to the page, but the result was The French Girl , whic Lexie Elliott has been writing for as long as she can remember, but she began to focus on it seriously after she lost her banking job in 2009 due to the Global Financial Crisis After some success in short story competitions, she began planning a novel With two kids and a new job, it took some time for that novel to move from her head to the page, but the result was The French Girl , which will be published by Berkley in February 2018 available to pre order now When she s not writing, Lexie can be found running, swimming or cycling whilst thinking about writing In 2007 she swam the English Channel solo She won t be doing that again In 2015 she ran 100km, raising money for Alzheimer Scotland She won t be doing that again either But the odd triathlon or marathon isn t out of the question
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Lexie Elliott
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