PLOT: 4.5/5
CHARACTERS: 4.5/5
WRITING STYLE: 4/5
CLIMAX: 4/5
ENTERTAINMENT QUOTIENT: 4.5/5
“Everything had begun with such promise. And then, like a windshield chipped by a tiny pebble, the chip turned into deep cracks that spread until there was nothing left to repair.”
Liv Constantine, The Last Mrs. Parrish
My Musings
I am always on the lookout for new authors. Authors that I’ve never read. Authors that are all the rage on book-ternet especially on Goodreads.
It was while browsing on Goodreads that the book The Last Mrs. Parrish popped up in my recommendations. Never the one to let go of popular and promising reads, I promptly downloaded the book on my Kindle and began reading.
Liv Constantine is the pen name for the author-sister duo of Lynne Constantine and Valerie Constantine.
Though the sisters are separated by hundreds of miles, they still manage to pen dark psychological tales that are enjoyed by readers all around the world.
In this review, I talk to you about my experience of reading the book and my likes and dislikes for the same.
What to expect?
Expect a dark psychological thriller that offers a glimpse into the ugly world of the ultrarich and famous. Expect a book that takes its own sweet time to grow on you and build up the mystery.
Expect a book that is a little girly (think fashion, glamour, couture, charity events, and social butterflies). And finally, expect a book that has a lot of drama in addition to the mystery and thrill it promises.
Who can read?
Since the book is written in an easy and effortless language, it can be picked up by a beginner level reader. However, the length of the book (400 pages) might deter beginners from giving it a try.
Let’s talk about the storyline
Amber Patterson is a mediocre girl. She is a plain jane whom nobody stops to give a second glance.
Like all other plain-looking people, she has the ability to blend in her surroundings and become invisible. But she is smart. She is clever. And more importantly, she is evil.
She wants to snatch for herself what was never given to her. That is how she zeroes down on Bishop Harbor’s ‘It couple’.
Glamourous, good looking and ultra-rich Jackson and Daphne Parrish fall under Amber’s radar. And she devises a diabolical plan to ruin their perfect world.
Daphne is compassionate and kind. And Amber uses Daphne’s trusting nature to make inroads into her life and family.
She is soon seen becoming Daphne’s confidante. Going on lunch dates with the couple, and traipsing all the way to Paris on the Parrish’s’ family vacation.
Nobody has a clue and her trap is working just fine. After all, she has it all planned to the minutest of details. But there is only one thing that holds the power to ruin all her plans, shatter all her dreams – her past.
Ghosts from her past life follow her and Amber has to make sure that they stay buried in the past. Else, everything that she has worked for until now, will go down the drain.
How good are the characters?
The Last Mrs. Parrish has three main characters – Amber Patterson, Daphne Parrish, and Jackson Parrish.
While Daphne and Jackson’s characters are multi-hued and dynamic, Amber is shown exhibiting a single shade in her traits. She is clever but vicious. Diabolical and cruel. She is evil personified.
And while she does make things interesting and entertaining for the reader, there is no backstory or past traumas that justify this rage; this intense jealousy for the haves.
Daphne’s character, on the other hand, shows a lot more transformation. She is kind and warm-hearted and has an interesting backstory.
Even though life has tested her at all times, she manages to give her best to every situation. She is easily likeable.
Jackson is another story altogether; he is a one of a kind character. I can write paragraphs after paragraphs about Jackson but I refrain to do so for the fear of spoilers.
What about the writing style?
The first half of the book is pretty basic. It reads like a chick-lit.
With pages and pages full of glamourous galas, charity events, private parties, expensive luncheons, and girl dates, the book does seem to go a little helter-skelter.
It gives some chick-lit vibes which aren’t really bad. But we are here for the mysteries and that’s what we get soon after.
The second half of the book is where the revelations start. Overall, the book gives enough hooks to the readers to hold onto the Daphne and Amber’s drama.
There is not a single dull moment in the book and that’s really commendable.
What did I like?
Near about everything.
What did I not like?
There are some elements of the mystery that remain unsolved. While the readers do get a befitting conclusion, some of the loose ends remain unplugged. And this trouble the reader in me.
What could have been better?
The book could have been trimmed a little to make it more fast-paced and racy.
Is the climax good enough?
The climax of the book is good but reveals itself much before the final conclusion. It isn’t very pronounced until the end. But the reader does get an inkling of what would eventually happen.
It all boils down to the entertainment quotient
When it comes to entertainment, the book has huge amounts of it. It’s true that the mystery takes its own time to build up but when it does, the results are just amazing.
While the book seems very easy in the beginning, it is only later that the complexity and layering start to reveal their secrets. Needless to state, the book doesn’t disappoint. It holds the reader captive right till the very end.
In the end
The Last Mrs. Parrish is a dark diabolical tale of unchecked greed, fierce envy and a burning desire to be rich and glamorous.
It is a tale that shows jealousy and greed, when combined together are capable of bringing out the worst in humans.
The final verdict
Go for it!
Pick the book if
- You enjoy mystery and thriller books.
- You enjoy psychological thrillers.
- You enjoy domestic thrillers.
- You are looking for an entertaining read.
- You like books that talk about the lives of the rich and famous.
- You enjoy books that are also a little chick-lit.
Skip the book if
- Psychological thrillers don’t appeal to you.
- You don’t like books with violence or abuse.
Can’t wait to read it. Buy your copy of The Last Mrs. Parrish using the link below.
