Chorley Chronicals: Close My Eyes by Sophie McKenzie {Audio}

Saturday, February 8, 2014

Close My Eyes by Sophie McKenzie {Audio}

1:13 PM | Posted by Unknown

Close My Eyes by Sophie McKenzie
My Rating: 2 of 5 Bookworms

Title:  Close My Eyes
Author:  Sophie McKenzie
Narrator:  Marisa Calin
Length: Unabridged; 14 hours, 22 minutes
Publisher:  MacMillan Audio
Published: July 9, 2013
Genres: Fiction; Psychological Fiction; Suspense Fiction
Subjects: Daughters; Death; Grief

Synopsis:

Gone Girl meets Before I Go to Sleep in this riveting psychological thriller about a grieving mother who finds out years after her daughter’s death that her child may still be alive.

It's been eight grief-filled years since Geniver Loxley lost her daughter, Beth. Once a writer, Gen has settled into a life of half-hearted teaching while her husband, Art, makes his name and their fortune - and pressures her into yet another round of IVF. For Gen, battle-scared from years of failed attempts to get pregnant with a second baby, this feels like a cruel attempt to replace Beth. Life without her child is inconceivable, unbearable - but still it goes on.

And then a woman arrives on Gen's doorstep, saying the very thing she longs to hear: that her daughter was not stillborn, but was spirited away as a healthy child, and is out there, waiting to be found. So why is Art reluctant to get involved? To save his wife from further hurt? Or is it something else...something more sinister? What is the truth about Beth Loxley?

Close My Eyes is a deeply chilling and addictively compelling story that grabs on to the listener and doesn’t let go.

My Review:
First off and fore most, I must admit that I am a major slacker and over the holiday's, managed to let my reviews get absolutely out of control, so now I am trying to play catch up on all of them. With that being said, I finished this book in early November, and had to actually re-read the Synopsis and other reviews just to trigger my memory as to what the conclusion of the book actually was. That is why I had to give this book only 2 of 5 bookworms (which I REALLY hate to do, as you will see from many of my other reviews, which consistently stay around 4 to 5 bookworms!) So, with that being said, let's get to it!

I know that Sophie McKenzie typically writes YA novels, and I found that this book seemed to more stay within that realm than I think she initially wanted it to. For it being a psychological fiction novel, I thought that it was incredibly tame and laid back, which I correlated with being more of a YA feel!

I was totally excited to read this book based on the synopsis, because what better of a plot than for a grieving mother to honestly believe that her child may still be alive?!? With that being said, the plot was full of twists and turns, however, a lot of them were more confusing than concise. At times it was really hard to follow this book, and some moments found me totally screaming at Gen, the main characters, saying HELLO, why don't you get it!?!? The result of the plot didn't come out until the very end, but I felt like the ending was left wide open, so if felt a little confusing.

The characters of the book were good characters, and I felt myself totally empathizing with Geniver and staying totally on her side throughout the book, cheering for her as it went along! I found myself mistrusting Art, her husband, and even her so-called friends.

The narrator did a wonderful job of reading the story she was given to read. There is only so much you can do with what you have, and I think that was more or less the case with Close My Eyes. It absolutely wouldn't hinder my decision in picking up another book narrated by Marisa Calin! I loved her accent (which is odd for me, because English accents usually totally throw me off!)

Overall, I absolutely wouldn't reread this book (but then again, I've never reread a book, but I wouldn't even have the slightest desire to do so)! This book may be great for some, but it wasn't good enough to leave a decent impression about the story, to where I couldn't even recall the ending without some prompting. I think that if you love to read YA novels, you might like it more, but I think it's definitely out of its league comparing itself to books such as Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn and Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson. These author's have truly perfected their writing in the Psychological genre, and I don't believe that Close My Eyes has quite gotten there yet!

Would I Recommend This Books To Others?
After having read it, there is absolutely no reason that I would read it again, but hey, it may be your cup of tea, and just not mine!

Stand Alone or Part of a Series?
Stand Alone