4.5 stars.
.
This book was addicting, once I started, it just reeled me in and I didn’t want to stop. But it’s terribly hard to review. When I say it’s good… it’s just good and I can’t explain why.
At the end of the book, I couldn’t remember what actually happened and what didn’t. It’s completely filled with twists and turns. My brain was like ?¿?¿? at certain points but thankfully, the story is well written and explained. I just finished and I think it’ll take me 2-3 business days to fully digest what I just read. Catriona Ward did a great job with this book. This is a must read this year.
.
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have rarely read a book that doesn't contain chapters, and I was surprised that the lack of chapters almost made me feel like I was reading faster.
The story twists and turns so much that, at the beginning, we are following a sort of awkward teen during their summer break spending time with friends, but soon after the story takes sharp turn after sharp turn. I was so hooked in this story, trying to parse through what was happening next and where the story would go. I don't want to give too many details because, having read the book, I would argue that going into this as blind as possible serves the plot exceptionally well. I have read a few things by Ward before, but this is definitely my favorite so far. Definitely looking forward to more by this author--I highly recommend this one!

This is a tough one to review without giving up any of its multiple twists and turns. I found myself getting really sucked in to this world and it was so hard to put the book down. About halfway through, I found that the story started to get a bit repetitive, but it picked back up towards the end. This is definitely one that I wanted to read again immediately after I was done, just so I could go back through with context and see how many clues I missed. Ward is certainly the pro at pulling the rug out from under you and making you rethink everything you've just read, which makes for an incredibly thrilling reading experience.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart to Tor Nightfire and NetGalley for my gifted copies. Hands down one of the best ARCs I’ve ever received.

The following comes from a place of love. This book was so strange, confusing and addictive. Like The Last House on Needless Street, Sundial and Little Eve before it, I had no idea where the story was going until it got there. And even now I’m still processing it and can’t wait to read it again. I never reread books!

Disclaimer: I required a buddy read with frequent analyzing and detailed note taking to get through it with my sanity intact, so I highly recommend one and/or both of these things before embarking on this endeavor 😅

I hope we get another book from Ward. Soon. Until then I’ll be in withdrawal over here.

I was really looking forward to this one. I had seen some of my friends give such high reviews. Unfortunately it was just way too complex and confusing for me to really enjoy. I kept having to reread to understand what was going on. It does have great twists but again very confusing! It was just ok for me.

4.5 stars, rounded up

Ward has a gift for shaping form and format into unpredictable and exciting new areas. The focal shifts in this one made my head spin. If you've read "The Last House on Needless Street", you know how Ward can flip the narrative on a dime. "Looking Glass Sound" has similar vibes.

The chapter-free, highly-digestible prose made it nearly impossible to put down. When the story gets its hooks in, it doesn't let go. I felt trapped reading it, which added to its horror and appeal.

It starts as a story of an awkward teen who spends a summer with new friends. It veers sharply so many times throughout its progression; I was never quite sure what to believe. There were subtle, clever hints that there was more than meets the eye, and an air of confusion and uncertainty lasts until the final page.

I'm keeping plot details scarce for this review. It's another one that's most effective if you go in blind.

Ward is one of my favorite living writers. Everything she publishes is a day-one purchase. While I like some more than others, they're always interesting and pleasantly disturbing. "Looking Glass Sound" continues this tradition. I rank it up there with "Needless Street" as her best work yet.

4.5/5
Looking Glass Sound is an unfathomable web of tragedy and betrayal that incessantly rearranges itself to drive the knife in ever deeper. Under the guise of a memoir that will expose the truth to the horrors of a small coastal town, Catriona Ward supersedes reality, creating a fractured world that further cements itself as more and more horrors are revealed. This is the perfect thriller to lose yourself in, and I love how the narrative almost rejects being defined. Catriona Ward’s writing is a terrifying force, and Looking Glass Sound pulls you under like an unforgiving tide.

A full review will be posted on my blog closer to publication!

#LookingGlassSound #NetGalley
I received an advanced reader copy from NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for an honest review. This book is worth the read. It will leave you speechless, on more than one occasion.
To be honest, I almost DNFed this book in the early stages because I believed the characters and plot were flat, but I continued anyways, and I'm so glad I did. Once I got used to the style and the unique storytelling of the author, I couldn't put it down. I HAD to know how things would end for these characters. The last 100 pages had me laughing, smiling, crying, and gasping, and this story is going to stick with me for a while after finishing, I can already tell!

I’m honestly not sure how to review this one. It was well-written and a good book, but it was just not my cup of tea. The multi-layered plot was very distracting, and I just didn’t love it as much as I wanted to. I am chalking this up to just my opinion. If you have enjoyed others by this author, I think you will love this one. I am definitely an outlier as evidenced by the many, many glowing reviews.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

What a wild ride?! I’m left feeling not sure what’s real and what’s fiction in the best way possible. Catriona Ward is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors!

Thank you @netgalley for sending me a digital arc! I squealed when I saw I was accepted! Catriona Ward is an author I will read every book from.

➡️THOUGHTS:
This was a signature Cat Ward book. Dark, twisted, and weird. And I loved it!🤣 This book is hard to review without giving away what is actually going on. It was like a book within a book within a book, if that makes ANY sense whatsoever. I enjoyed the first half more than the second half, but it was still a solid 4 star read! It is basically a story about storytelling and how you can make yourself the hero in the story, no matter if you truly are or not. It will required your full attention, or you might feel confused. I think you will either love this one, or hate it.

It follows Wilder, Harper and Nat from teenaged years through adulthood in Whistler Bay. There was a serial killer in town, and someone was sneaking into houses taking polaroids of sleeping children with a knife to their neck. Same people or different? Wilder meets someone named Skye in college and they become friends. Skye encourages Wilder to write a memoir about what happened at Whistler Bay all those years ago. But why? What are his motives?

I really enjoyed this. A story within a story within a story. Like one of those Russian Matryohksa dolls, this tale unfolds one tantalizing piece at time until all is knitted together at the end.

Recommended.

Twisted doesn’t begin to describe this book, in a mostly good way. I enjoy books told from different points of view, and different periods of time, although this one had me pretty confused as to what was happening sometimes. It did finally come together for me, and I was happy to have stuck with it. The images of the Maine coast in all of its seasons were beautifully written, the serial killer and photographer totally creepy.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy, I won’t forget this book anytime soon.

Looking Glass Sound by Catriona Ward is a multi layered psychological mystery horror that is a complicated mind read.
The writing is amazing and the plot is creative and twisty. So many twists that my mind was spinning at the end.
I would definitely recommend this book.
Thank you NetGalley and Tor/Forge for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

We meet Wilder Harlow when he arrives in Maine with his parent for vacation. Ward already begins her hypnotism - weaving a story of a young man who cannot fit in and is looking for acceptance as his parents marriage disintegrates. There is a serial killer in Maine, and Wilder begins to record the events for his first planned novel, but that's just the first half of the book. Wilder returns many years later and with complete control, Catriona Ward adds layers to the story that will make you question once, twice, three times what happened. If you are a fan, you know that nothing will be straight forward and that that horror will slowly seep in. This is a slow burn of a book but so artfully and beautifully done. I loved it and challenge you to find something similar.
.#Tor #LookingGlassSound #CatrionaWard

What. Did. I. Just. Read?!

Thank you #netgalley for this eARC!

4/5⭐⭐⭐⭐

"In a cottage overlooking the windswept Maine coast, Wilder Harlow begins the last book he will ever write. It is the story of a sun-drenched summer of his youth and of the killer that stalked the small New England town. Of the terrible tragedy that forever bonded him with his friends Nat and Harper in unknowable ways. Of a horror that has followed them over the years."

This is my first Catriona Ward novel. Her writing style is unique, and I kind of love it! She will no longer be a stranger to my library.

This book is tragic, and twisted, and so damn good. When you think you know what's happening, or how this will end, I can guarantee you're wrong. All of the characters and storylines/timelines tied together perfectly. This is one of those books I can't get out of my brain long after I've finished it.

The only reason I'm giving this a 4 star rather than a 5 is because around page 200 it was losing steam due to some repetitive storylines, and I was struggling to get through some of the slower parts. I was hoping it would pick back up - and it did!

This book is being published August 8, 2023.

#Bookstagram #fiction #netgalley #arcreview #lookingglasssound #readingaddict #bookwormsofinstagram #comingsoon #thrillerbooks

Boy what makes this book different?? How about everything! This is one of those books after you read it you think what did I just read? And this isn’t a bad thing. I enjoyed the book but you need to read it through and don’t skip to the ending because you will be really lost.
The story starts with a tale of a boy, Wilder, going to his uncles summer house to stay while they fix it up to sell. While he is there he meets two kids, Nat and Harper, who also come from a rough home life. They bond over the summer with trips to the beach and cave diving. During that summer some women disappear and mysterious Polaroids are found with someone taking pictures of sleeping children with a knife to their throat. When the mystery is solved Wilder leaves and the story picks back up when he is in college and drifting from that nightmare summer. You need to keep your eye on the ball because before you know it the story goes a different way and that’s great story telling.
It is definitely a book that will haunt you for a few days, the characters are intense, the store is extraordinary and the writer does story telling to another level.

Another incredibly unique thriller from Catriona Ward. I don't want to spoil the (many) twists so I will just say that I am so excited to push this book on my friends and customers- if only so I can get their reactions!

This book really made me think and question everything I just read in prior chapters. There's so many layers to the book. I was still thinking about this book days later and trying to piece together what actually happened. I think I might read this a second time to see if I catch any other clues and hints about what was going on

I don't feel worthy enough to review this book. Catriona Ward is by far one of my favorite authors. Her writing style is so unique and I know that any book I pick up from her....I will love.

Looking Glass Sound was absolutely a 5 star read. As usual, I was all over the place....confused.....guessing....confused again. Sheer Madness and I LOVED IT! Keep em coming Cat!!!