Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I borrowed this on audiobook from my library.

Thoughts: I waffled between 3 and 4 stars for this book. While I respect some of the clever twists and analysis of psychosis in this book, I honestly didn't really enjoy it all that much. People are fairly familiar with this book so I won't go into a synopsis but just provide some of my comments and feelings about the story. I did listen to this on audiobook and the audiobook was very well done if you enjoy audiobooks.

The first half of the book is slow moving and pretty boring. I listened to this on audiobook and at 20 hours it's fairly lengthy. The first 10 hours or so are pretty basic husband-being-accused-of-murdering-wife type of murder mystery stuff. Not all that interesting.

The second half of the book does turn all the typical murder mystery tropes on their head but mostly left me just feeling depressed and yucky. All of the people in this book are huge assholes (with maybe the expectation of one of the cops and Nick's sister). This ends up being an awful story about how twisted and awful people can be to each other. Really it just wasn't my cup of tea.

I am not a huge murder mystery type of person. I don't really enjoy reading about a lot of brutality or about people screwing each other over. I read this because it's been so popular and I wanted to know what all the fuss was about. I read "Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" for the same reason and hated that book.

So, there you go. As someone who enjoys humorous fantasy with the occasional dash of romance and also enjoys sci-fi reads...this wasn't for me...at all. I did appreciate some of the clever twists, but they ended up being almost too clever and felt contrived. I did finish it, so there's something to be said for that. However, the ending was just as twisted and disturbing as the second half of the book.

My Summary (3/5): Overall while I didn't absolutely hate this book and am glad I read it (I think). This really wasn't the type of book I enjoy. There were some interesting twists but the people were so mean and nasty to each other that it was a bit nauseating. My overall feeling with this book was frustration. Frustration at how pointless the characters' actions were from a big picture perspective and at how mean they were to each other and at how long it took me to finish because I just wanted to be done with it and move on to something else. I won't be reading any other Gillian Flynn books in the future. If murder mystery books involving twisted psychopaths are your thing, you will probably enjoy this. However, it wasn't for me. ( )

So... I started reading the book, I hated Nick, I felt sorry for poor Amy... and then I get to the middle of the book and everything turned upside down.
It's not a usual detective story about looking for the culprit but I enjoyed it nevertheless. The last part appeared to have the most tension. It was as if looking at two people competing and having your favorite. The ending was not the one I expected, but it didn't spoil the impression of the book. ( )

5 stars for its ability to hook me and shock ability (someone has to be messed up in the head to come up with this stuff). But that ending.... Sigh. Very unsatisfying.

On Nick and Amy's fifth wedding anniversary, he comes home to find an odd scene at home, and Amy gone. Signs of a struggle, the iron being left on, and the front door wide open all lead Nick to call the police. Once the police are involved it's routine for them to "look at the husband" first. But Nick is being evasive and his outward emotions appear off.... and it leads to media speculation that he's a killer. As Nick follows Amy's "treasure hunt" anniversary present, he soon realizes that even though their marriage wasn't in a good place, her letters have made him feel like she really does get him. With mounting pressure, the police are pressing harder on Nick... will he be arrested for his wife's murder?? Is there a reasonable explanation for his standoffish and stoic behavior? If Nick didn't kill Amy, who did?

My Thoughts:
Ummm what did I just read??? Talk about a book hangover!! I can honestly say this is one of the craziest books I have ever read. Someone said that this book should be renamed "bitches be crazy" and I completely agree. Because bitches do be crazy in this book. It's hard to talk a lot about the book without major spoilers... and you don't want to be spoiled for all the twists and turns this book takes!! I know I haven't been this surprised by a book since I became a book-blogger.

It almost felt like I read 2 different books in one. The first half felt like an in-depth study of a marriage. I could relate a lot with some of the stuff they were going through (or were they going through it??), and it made me sad. How people treat their spouses better and feel more for them before they get married... and once you've been married a while, it's just blah. I'm not saying it's like that for everyone, but it is for a lot. It also made me think about appearances. How people aren't always as you see them, and how people don't see you the way you see yourself.

While reading the diary entries that Amy wrote and the treasure hunt notes, I immediately did not like her. She came off as one of those "miss perfect" types that get under my skin. Although I knew the way Nick was acting was either telling or sick, I couldn't help but hope for him. I hoped they would find the real killer and he could go on and find someone more suited to him.

THEN: holy crap!! I was blindsided by this HUGE revelation. Amy Elliot Dunne was much more than she seemed. A terrific victim and villain all in one. This book made me so mad I thought I would throw it. I haven't hated someone in a book so much since Umbridge (Harry Potter). It really is amazing that this author was able to write a story with 2 antagonists and yet you still want to know what's going to happen to them and hope they can redeem themselves somehow. I usually have to LIKE a character in the book to get invested in it, but there was no problem here. I liked Nick for about 20 pages, and then I got over it, but I still HAD to read and obsess about it when I had to live life and couldn't read it. (I'd also like to apologize to my co-workers for pestering them with all my theories and freak-outs).

When I was done my first thought was: What kind of fucked up person thought this craziness up?? And not that I don't totally respect the author's writing and admire her creativity, but I also don't think I'd like to hang out with her alone.... or in a group. Same feeling I get after reading Stephen King.

Although I'm left with the feeling that I would definitely recommend this to anyone and everyone... I still HATED that ending. BLAH. The only way I was able to move on from it is I made up my own future for the character(s) in my head 5 years down the road. And it's probably NOT what the author would do for them, but it's what happens in my make-believe book world.

OVERALL: This book left me with my mouth hanging open. Shocked and mildly horrified at what I'd just read. It's super addicting, unputdownable, and will give you a mindfuck. Read when you have NOTHING to interrupt you so you can just completely lose yourself in this wild story.

My Blog:
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Wow. This was a whole lot of crazy. Really crazy. Disturbing. Was the experience of wading through the crazy enjoyable? Yes, I guess so. I didn't want to turn it off. I fell asleep listening. Was I satisfied at the end? Not really. Neither of the main characters is likeable. I didn't feel the inconsistencies in Amy's behaviors were believable. I don't know how to rate this book! ( )

I really did not get the hype behind this. It was a pain to get through. ( )