Blogging for Books: The Expats

My second Blogging for Books book was The Expats by Chris Pavone.  This one arrived on time, and was a much more enjoyable read than The 13th Gift.  

Goodreads says…

First, I don't know if I really agree with that summary.  I think the book had much more to it than what it's marketing itself toward.

-There were elements of this book that reminded me of Homeland.  Kate is like a more stable Carrie.  Or maybe a Jessica Chastain in Zero Dark Thirty. 

-This is one of those stories that does not tell you everything at once.

-I really liked learning about Kate's former life and what she did in D.C.  

-I liked that Kate was capable.  I didn't worry about her getting attacked by the agents that were on their tail.  I didn't worry about her not being able to handle the situations she could potentially get herself into.  She wasn't some "please rescue me" heroine.  She took care of herself.

-It was written with present-day flash-forwards interspersed every few chapters.  It could be tough to keep straight, but it did encourage me to pay attention.  Also, the font switched back and forth so that was helpful.

-Along the same lines, the chapters were short and broken up into 1, 2, or 3 page segments.  I liked that the action kept moving and I often wanted to keep reading just to get back to the previous scene.  It did float through different times over a 2 year period.  Once in awhile it would flashback to 4 or 5 years ago.  Again, I liked this but some people might not.  

-This book didn't get fantastic reviews on Goodreads, but I really enjoyed it, so I'm telling you that if you trust me and share my tastes, you should read it.  If you're a friend of Blogging for Books, snatch it up next.  

-I liked the ending.  I thought there was a good amount of twists and turns and draw-your-own-conclusion-before-I-tell-you writing.  I honestly don't want to tell you too much about it because it'll give away details that make a difference.

-I would give The Expats an A- on my scale and I gave it 4 stars on Goodreads.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for the purposes of this review, but all opinions are my own.