Literally Dead Book Club discussion
Every Vow You Break DISCUSSION
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Every Vow You Break | chapter 21 - end
ok this last 30% of the book was action packed and kinda great. Not gonna lie I did not expect that. Abigail as a main character is interesting and though flawed we can't help but root for her. One complain I have is the swift ending. I wish we had more time getting to know more about the "cult". Overall I'm givinf this book a 3.75-4.
Ugh. I wanted to love this. Why did the first half read like a contemporary and give us a detailed history of her life that was not relevant? Both halves of this book were great on their own, but together it didn’t make any sense at all.We learned so much about her friends and parents, so I was sure there’d be some beautiful reunion to make it make sense, but there wasn’t.
The action was done well, but because it was disjointed I wasn’t interested. I tore through it in a day, but I’m sad that I didn’t love this.
This book didn’t do it for me unfortunately. I feel like it’s 70% of Abigail and Bruce eating and drinking and 30% action with not much logic to it. The plot was predictable for me but I enjoyed it, I think it would’ve been more interesting if they dived dipper into the cult thing because it all come at once and in the end there’s not much explanation to it besides that it’s a cult. I gave it 2 stars !
The cult aspect is interesting, but their activity seems very pointless, and lacks a bigger picture at what the ultimate goal is (surely is not just to trick their wives into infidelity and then fake-punish them on the island?!) In the end I fee like there are so many gaps in logic: why did Bruce have to pretend everything is fine and go through with the wedding? (what does that add to the ritualistic practice?) Is this a one-time event (unless the man remarry?) If this is a recurring practice, what's keeping the women from reporting? Was the remote location even necessary? (couldn't it have worked just being in the basement of a building?)
And looking back, what does Abigail's past relationships and her parent's history (and the theater) have to do with anything?
Justin wrote: "The cult aspect is interesting, but their activity seems very pointless, and lacks a bigger picture at what the ultimate goal is (surely is not just to trick their wives into infidelity and then fa..."I agree what was the point of bringing up her past relationships? Especially the questioning which is just uncomfortable to read. Because it's almost like they are shaming her for her past sexual life.
My favorite part of this book was the setting, I was constantly imagining myself on the island. (Well, before all the abusive and cult ring.) I also really enjoyed the pacing, it kept me on my toes the whole time even though the plot became predictable at one point. It's also fun not to have a protagonist that is clueless the whole time.
I agree with a lot that has been said already. I would have liked the story to explain more about this cult. I feel like there could have been a better and more intricate motive than just plain misogyny? I liked the setting, however, and I still enjoyed the story - it obviously kept me hooked since I read it in 24 hours. Overall probably a 3 star.
I agree with alot of what has been already said. I wish that they would have explained the cult a bit more and gave them more of a purpose rather then just punishing their wives for infidelity. I loved the setting and thought it was a perfect place for a thriller. I just didnt see the point in explaining Abagails sexual history, it just didnt fit much into the story. I did enjoy the book though and it kept me hooked until the end.
I just feel a bit confused because I don't think it was explained why Abigail's high school enemy spread the info about Abigail's parents being perverts with the theater's actors... were they actually doing it? Also, I don't like how Abigail lost her virginity to a guy who was like 26 and the story basically made it seem like Abigail was a bad girl at a young age instead of what it actually was (a grown man taking advantage of a minor) anyways... I gave the book 3.5 stars
I have to agree with everything everyone has said thus far. As I’ve noticed is a trend in thriller novels, the ending felt rushed. I appreciate that Abigail turned into a badass, but it definitely didn’t go with the kind of girl that was written about in the rest of the story. Also, what happened to Mellie? What happened to the island? Idk I feel like there was still a lot that could have been unpacked.
I predicted that the men were part of a cult and all involved in some way so the reveal wasn’t as surprising, I still enjoyed it though. I think Swanson was trying to highlight how dangerous men and their egos are, as well as the lengths they’re willing to go to in order to feed said egos.I actually like the fact that the whole purpose of the cult was to punish their wives for their infidelity because it emphasizes how simple and ridiculous misogynistic men’s minds are. The cult doesn’t have to be some big thing because misogyny is evil enough.
This wasn’t perfect but I did enjoy the fast paced ending and how strong Abigail was at the end. I’m not sure what I’m going to rate this yet, maybe a 4.
My final rating is three stars. I think this book took way too long for action to actually happen. By the time we found out what was happening I was bored, and ready to be done with the book. I think Swanson should have made something thriller-esque happen in the first two-thirds of the book. How did the final third of the book compare to the rest?
Finally third was definitely more action packed than the first two thirds! Everything that could be classified as 'thriller' in this book, happened in the last 100 pages.
Share any shocking/predictable moments for you.
Abigail escaping the island by herself. I knew she wasn't going to die, and no one was coming to rescue her, so her saving herself was very predictable. However, I am glad they didn't have a "knight in shining armour"/redemption for one of the men.
Was the ending satisfying? Why or why not?
I thought it was okay. Abigail got free, the men got punished.
Have you read any other Peter Swanson; if so, how does this one rank?
My first of his! I would be intrigued to pick up another. I definitely like he writing style and how he built suspense, I would be interested if any of his others were less domestic and more thrilling/fast paced.
This book started off as a contemporary/domestic thriller and I was really enjoying the premiss and characters. I was filled with anxiety for a good portion of this book and I fully intending to give this 4 stars until the last 20%..... which dropped it down to a 1 star. I was waiting for some twist, because obviously it couldn't be the obvious twist you were expecting...... but it was. Was the twist that it was the most obvious ending you could possibly think of?
I loved Peter Swanson but I think every book I read from him gets progressively worst. In order The kind worth killing is my favorite. Followed by her every fear, and before she knew him. I disliked 8 perfect murders but every vow you break is now my least favorite.
This is the first book I've ever dropped from a 4 star to a 1 star because of the ending. so upset.
I had very mixed thoughts throughout the book but overall I didn't really like it. I'd say for me is 2.75/5 stars that i'll round up to 3 because it didn't actively make me angry but...as soon as the sex scene happened like day 2 on the island and it was so lackluster and the mc didn't seem to have any opinions on it I just felt like I predicted a lot of the rest of the book. It did seem like a hodge-podge of tropes that I don't think came together all that interestingly. I wanted the action gristlier and I wanted more suspense. I liked Abigail well enough but Bruce definitely wasn't very fleshed out and the secret society story line wasn't well developed in my opinion.The ending wasn't that satisfying because I wanted more tension built before she got off the island. It didn't feel as earned.
This book was really painful to read. The main character was so boring, and this was so predictable. At least it was a quick read.
Honestly I liked the main character well enough, it was the plot that got me. I think I would have liked it more if it turned into a whodunit murder mystery. Like they were already on this isolated island, the phones go out and either the stalker or one of the employees ends up being killed. Then more secrets can be revealed.... instead of you know it was a poorly thought out cult.
I agree with the other comments. It almost felt like separate stories in a way. We were given all of this information that had no relevance to the story in the end. And in the end, we suddenly learn that Abigail has all of these skills we knew nothing about that save her life. Convenient and annoying. In the end, I'll give this a 2.5. It was entertaining, but somewhat disappointing.
Was this book believable? - no. Did I have fun reading it- yes! I’m not going to over analyze this thriller because I think it did it’s job. It was interesting (even if slightly predictable) and the second half of the book was super fast paced. I personally thought the descriptions of the island were great and I felt like I was there! I think the level of criticism of thrillers has gotten a bit out of hand. I’ve read so many plot twists that I’m bound to see some of them coming now. Anyways, I enjoyed the book’s setting and the cult aspect. I think I’m giving it 4.5 stars (:
Before reading other comments here are my notes as I read the last chapters.Chapters 21-end
[ ] Is this going to turn into a weird cult that sacrifices men's adulterous wives or something? Silvanus i looked it up, is a god of forests or medows and also watches over fields and farmers.
[ ] I still think Jill is in on it, a hired actress to pretend that she is going through a similar experience as Abby etc
[ ] That book she found in Bruce's things makes me feel like they planned on making this island some weird "utopia" where women were separated and less than the men on opposite sides of the island.
[ ] That ring=definitely a cult
[ ] I KNEW Eric/Scottie was paid and it was a setup! Was it some kind of sick test of her loyalty?
[ ] Everyone is lying left and right, I don't believe anyone's story now.
[ ] Is the plane going to mysteriously crash? Similar to Madeline's death? An accident that can't be proven otherwise?
[ ] I think this author has some serious issues with women. Smh
[ ] Can't say I'm surprised by the ending. Not sure what to make of it honestly. It was expected from the beginning even if it was just a small hint. Honestly I don't think I would read this author again after reading 2 of his books. Abigail is well fleshed out as a character. But I am kinda bummed that after all that, we don't get any inkling of Bruce's past or his real motivations beside what he said about his mother. I give it 2.5 stars. Well written enough, but just not my jam. The author makes me uncomfortable, in a weird/creepy, way not in a nice scary movie kind of way.
after reading the other comments, I totally forgot the first 10 chapters of the book existed! i only now realize from reading all of your observations that i genuinely forgot everything about her life and past that was explained. also, i too was frustrated with the CONVENIENT life saving skills she has, why didn't we get those childhood memories instead, you know Checkov's gun theory and all that? Don't tell pr show something that isn't going to be relevant later. Don't give us pointless info unless it is a deliberate red herring. which her past is indeed NOT a red herring. just a waste of a 3rd of the book.
Justin wrote: "The cult aspect is interesting, but their activity seems very pointless, and lacks a bigger picture at what the ultimate goal is (surely is not just to trick their wives into infidelity and then fa..."I also felt like a lot of stuff went unanswered.
- Eric/ Scott kept contacting her afterward. Was he trying to finish what they started? Did he actually feel something??
- there was no explanation of the cult
- why the guys hit the women but didn't actually want to murder them
- if Bruce didn't want to kill her, why did he grab her by her throat
- why the women didn't say anything
- why Abigail's past was explained but they excluded all of those life-saving skills
I think that everyone that commented had really good points about the plot gaps, and I completely agree with all of them.
Oh man this book was so far fetched!
I don't agree that the information given about Abigails life was pointless, although it was a bit too long maybe. I feel like it gave depth to Abigails personality and made the reader realise that even though she made a mistake and cheated, she's still a complex and ultimately pretty good person, not just a "cheater". I also feel like the story about Abigail losing her virginity to a significantly older man was not supposed to be taken lightly or made to seem like it was okay, but to set the tone that "men are trash".
I agree that the ending was a little rushed and it would have been nice to know more about the cult and Eric Newman's real motives. I'm confused if he really had feelings for Abigail and went behind Bruce's back in order to contact her? Or was that also part of the game? Other than that, I feel like it was a good mix between predictable and surprising and the ending was satisfying.
Overall I really enjoyed this book and it's at 4 stars for me. In comparison with Peter Swanson's other books that I read I think it's on par with "Her Every Fear" and a lot better than "Before She Knew Him". I'm excited to pick up more of his books.
Honestly, the last 30% made me feel like I was reading The Hunger Games but reimagined. It kind of felt out of place compared to the rest of the book. With that being said I was still on the edge of my seat. I feel like the whole cult aspect was just thrown in there with no explanation. That aspect of the book left me wanting more. I tend to be picky when it comes to thrillers, especially because I read so many. This was shaping up to be a 3 star read for me, however, the last 30% knocked my rating down to 2 stars. I haven't read Peter Swanson's entire backlist yet, but here are my ratings for the books I've read so far. The Kind Worth Killing (4 stars), Her Every Fear (3 stars), Before She Knew Him (3 stars), and Every Vow You Break (2 stars).
And at the end, Peter Swanson gave us a pretty basic ending as expected. Honestly speaking, I was pumped by the end of chapter 20, and was even more excited in the upcoming chapters. That cult, the horrible game that Bruce and his friends were playing was pretty much good. But, the last 30 pages ruined everything and that was the part that ruined the whole setup. There's nothing in the end that would tell you that its good. That was pretty basic, I mean nothing shocked me at all. She survived by killing some people, but I didn't see any thrilling moment there. Also I agree with the whole gaslighting thing. This book was very much predictable, but despite that I was enjoying as well. But the ending ahh...that ruined the whole mood.*A deep disappointing sigh*
Gonna give this a 3 stars.
Still I consider that The Kind Worth Killing (which I gave 4 stars, for the same quiet ending) was the best of Peter Swanson. And also I have read Her Every Fear which I gave 3.5 stars.
Alright, I'm definetly not as dissapointed with the book as many of you are. I also do tend to enjoy books with a lot of information where it's not always all of it that's relevant (for example i read a lot of Stephen King and Outlander, so yeah guess maybe I'm used to the back stories) However i think without it Abigail would have been a pretty flat character, and she would just have been a "cheater". I do think that the life scaring skills she had in the end could have somehow have been a part of the stories in the beginning, so it didn't come as out of nowhere. But yeah without the backstory, i don't think I could have sympathised with her,.
I didn't mind the predictible ending, cause to me it wasn't as much "well nothing surprising saw that coming" but more like "FUCK YEAH I KNEW IT"
but maybe that's cause i haven't read a lot of thrillers before.
I also do like that we don't know too much about the cult, leaves a lot for the imagination even if the ending was predictable.
Even though I was able to pretty much predict most of what happened, Im still giving this 4 stars. I really liked the pacing of this and the ending was action packed. I do kind of wish he had gone more into the cult and their motivations. I get the jist of it, but wanted more.
I liked it but I didnt love it. Aside from the final 30%, it gave me comtemporary fiction vibes and the ending was too rush for me. Really enjoyed the writing though, 3 stars.
Giving this one a 4 stars. It was definitely not the best book out there by any means.. but I was thoroughly entertained. Jumping into this one I decided to not take it seriously, and to suspend my disbelief where I could and just enjoy the mess that it was, and I ended up enjoying it! Abigail is not a good person, yet I found myself rooting for her because men are trash lol, and I guess a cult that punishes women for infidelity had to prove it???¿ lmao it is what it is I guess
I am actually giving this one 5 stars. I know this isn’t worthy of 5 stars for many people, but I honestly loved it. It was not the most surprising or fast paced thriller, but that’s kind of why I liked it. I was happy to experience a slow burning thriller and just sit back and enjoy the story. I liked the cult feeling to it, even though it was not very realistic. This was a work of fiction though! I was sad to see Jill go, but was sadly expecting her not to make it out. I was able to fly through this book today and not get bored with it and that’s what I am looking for when reading.
This book was just ok for me. Although I agree with all those who commented about some plot gaps I don't want to over analyse it. I had a good time reading it and that's enough for me so I'm giving it 3 stars. This was my first Peter Swanson book but I definitely want to read his other books, especially "The Kind Worth Killing" for which I've heard only good things.
Ugh I really struggled with this book. I think a big problem I had with it was that it felt like this was just a reason to write a book about violence toward women and saying it was a cult. I think that it does a disservice to the actual misogyny that exists in the world and explain it away that it was “the cult that made me do it”. It just rubbed me the wrong way. I thought it was an interesting book at the beginning and even going into the second third, but the last third was terrible to me. I’m not settled on a rating, but I am guessing 2/5.....
This was not for me. Very boring and predictable, yet far-fetched and under-explained. The first third had no point, the middle third gained some interest, the last third had decent (if extremely unrealistic and convenient) action then just...nothing? No real explanation, nothing twisty. Just men being trash for...fun, I guess? I don't know. At least it's done now. A 1 star that creeped up to a generous 2 star.
I’m still reading. If Eric was a hired actor and it has something to do with Bruce and probably Chip, how did no one recognize him there if it wasn’t part of their plan?!?! I don’t understand lol. But I will be back later.
This was a 3 star read for me.The final chapters were pretty action packed, but the ending itself was extremely underwhelming. A lot of the twists were very predictable.
I don’t agree that Abigails “survival skills” were out of place. If you think about it, all she really did was hide, steal food, run through the forest, and paddle away. I don’t think any of those things were extreme enough to say that she had unknown survival skills. She just did what she had to do in order to get away. I do think that, once Jill died, it was a little too easy and rushed for her to get away. I was expecting for there to be some hidden cameras or something. Maybe motion sensors. Millionaires use and fund this island after all, but it was just these idiots with guns, dogs, and walkie talkies.
I think all of Abigail’s backstory served it’s purpose. It would be too easy to dislike her without it. I think it was really to show that she is more than just a cheater.
Like most of us, I do think that the cult needed more explanation. I would like to know how it started and what their beliefs are based on. How was this ritual supposed to go and why? If they aren’t killing the women, what is the point? It seems less of a cult, and more so a group of self righteous rich men that like to abuse their spouses for fun and in a group setting (okay weirdos).
This was my first Peter Swanson and I did have a pretty good time reading it and trying to figure out wth was going on. I’m definitely inclined to pick up some more of his work, but I will probably try to save The Kind Worth Killing for last because everyone says it’s their favorite.
I need to preface my thoughts by saying that I (1) have never read anything else from Peter Swanson prior to this and (2) haven't read many thrillers in general as a result of only recently getting back into reading. All that being said, I don't have a lot of concrete experience reading things that compare to this. I'm rating this book 3.5/5 stars (rounding to 4 for Goodreads purposes).So, I did really enjoy this book... at times. The beginning was full chock of information. Some of which was relevant later, most of which was not. This potential oversight by the author is definitely disappointing considering how much I love attention to the little details and seeing foreshadowed information return. I did find this book predictable, which I suspect would bother me more if really well-done thrillers were something I had more experience with. Overall, I had a good time reading this which is the most important thing! Despite the first and second halves of the book feeling very different in tone, the story did grip me enough to fly through this (mostly) exciting read.
I’m thankful that this book is a fast read and only around 300 pages. I didn’t mind the backstory for Abigail as it did help to flesh out her character although I agree that all these lifesaving skills could have been mentioned in the flashbacks. I didn’t appreciate that she picked up a bow again and conveniently managed to hit her target! She had passed by the boathouse previously - would it not have been relevant to mention at that point that she enjoyed and used to kayak?
I don’t understand the true purpose of the cult - what happens after they frighten their wives? Would they really let them leave and tell people what happened? It just doesn’t seem very thought through
Definitely not a fan of the gaslighting and misogyny written by a male, the plot was disappointingly predictable and I didn’t really care about any of the characters.
A disappointing read which will probably be a 2-3 star
So disappointed... this could have been a really cool creepy story about a cult on a creepy island punishing women for their so called faults. Instead I felt like it ended up being a teenage horror movie that at some points (for whatever reason) would turn into a contemporary rom com.
So the twist was not shocking in the slightest, the main character was not using her head for majority of the story, and the parts of this book that could have been great (man cult) was like 10% of the whole story with so many unanswered questions about its back story.
I’m giving it a 2 maybe even a 1 star ugh this makes me so sad and angry!
This book was so disjointed it made it not enjoyable.The background of Abigail was pointless, all the information about the theatre, again pointless. None of that even came into play and for me was dull.
Then there’s Eric Newman and Chip Ramsay - what are their motivations? Sure, they are all in this cult but even the cult made absolutely no sense. And it seemed like no one ever planned on killing anyone but Alec lost his mind and then killed Jill?
I don’t know. I feel like this book was written by a novice writer, not someone who has been published 7 times prior.
It didn’t do it for me. 2 stars. And it got 2 only because the suspense scenes in the woods were fun.
I gave it 1 star. I had so many issues with the plot and the characters. I'm still looking forward to reading seven perfect murders by Swanson so hopefully it's an improvement
This is my first Peter Swanson and it kept me very entertained! I read it in almost a day. It would make such a good movie.
This was a quick read and I was on board at the beginning, but that ending was rough. So much convenience (“I used to do archery at camp- oh look, a bow and arrow!”) and such an easy escape. I wanted more twists, more explanation about the cult, and a more fleshed out motive. It felt a little lazy to me.
I expected so much more after the main plot twist reveal about but the rest of the book just involved Abigail escaping the island and nothing else. Looking back, the plot twists were so obvious and I spent the entire book theorizing so many elaborate possibilities but nothing ever ending up happening. Abigail kept mentioning her past and how it related to the situation she was in so I expected everything to be connected in the end but it turns out it was all just coincidental which is definitely underwhelming for a thriller. I was hoping for a twist in the last chapter or epilogue (like when she was looking through the wedding photos) but then....nothing. I will say this book made me appreciate A Kind Worth Killing so much more, especially after the lack of plot twists at the end. 3 stars for me!
I loved this! I ended up reading this in one sitting because I just couldn’t stop. This book made me relive every time I’ve either witnessed or been gaslit and it made my blood boil. I love it when books make me feel intense emotions and this one definitely did. Personally I enjoyed all the movie and literature references. For me this is a 5 star read.
I knew the husband was suspect- still don’t know to what degree or to what end he’s hoping for. The similarities between the two married couples was too weird to be coincidence, IMO. I still don’t trust Scott/Scottie no matter what he says. I’d almost believe he’s involved somehow. I don’t know how I feel about Mellie.. or whether her word can be trusted since she works there.
Basically I trust no one, that pretty much sums it up lol
I’m giving this 3 stars. ⭐️ I had to take some time to think about my final rating for this one. It did have some thriller elements that I love, (ex. isolated setting), but the final 1/3 went so off the rails that it really took me out of the story. I didn’t really find anything shocking. I predicted pretty early on that this island was where men lured their wives as a form of revenge, and it was pretty predictable that Bruce wasn’t as good as he seemed.
Ending was not satisfying. For me, there were just too many plot holes and unanswered questions. The whole cult was never fully explained or given any sort of backstory, and how law enforcement never found out about this place is beyond me.
The only Swanson books I haven’t read are his debut and Her Every Fear. Every other book I’ve given either 4-5 stars, with my favourites being The Kind Worth Killinh Nd Before She Knew Him. This one is definitely my least favourite, but that being said, I didn’t completely hate it. I’ll still pick up his future books.
Share any shocking/predictable moments for you.
Was the ending satisfying? Why or why not?
Have you read any other Peter Swanson; if so, how does this one rank?
Full spoiler thoughts below!!