Thank you Mariner Books for the gifted copy!

I unfortunately decided to DNF this one about 20% in. I wasn't connecting with the characters or the story and the heavy emphasis on the art world just couldn't hold my attention.

I ultimately really enjoy this author and won't hesitate to pick up one of her novels in the future.

I will not review this anywhere outside of NetGalley as I don't rate books I do not finish.

I really enjoyed this one by Paula Hawkins! Her other books (to me) have been more straight-up psychological thrillers, but this one was more of a literary thriller. Set primarily on a remote Scottish island that’s unreachable at certain times of the day due to the tide,* it’s a moody and atmospheric read that takes you into the complicated life of a famous artist who’s recently passed away. Her papers, her legacy and her remaining (unaccounted for) work is closely guarded by her friend, who’s inherited the remote island house—and who has secrets she’d prefer to *keep* secret. Told in multiple perspectives by the friend and by a curator who’s trying to acquire the missing artworks, it’s a perfect moody fall read. Curl up on the couch on a rainy day (with a cup of tea, of course) and enjoy!

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Mariner Books for my review copy!

*The whole island-that’s-unreachable-at-certain-times-of-the-day-due-to-the-tides thing IS a bit of a trope, but it’s one that I personally enjoy.

I finished this book a few days ago and am still at a loss as to how to describe it. It is very well written and the tension is palpable, it's just that I didn't like the characters. That certainly didn't stop me from reading because I had to know what happened!

Vanessa Chapman is a well-known artist who has passed away and her companion of many years, Grace, is living in Vanessa's house on a tidal island off the Scottish coast. Vanessa's art was left to a foundation run by a past love of hers. When there is a question of a human bone being in one of her sculptures, Julian Becker, who is employed by the foundation is dispatched to talk to Grace and see if they can find out where the bone came from.

Through multiple POV's we learn about Grace's life with Vanessa; it's unhealthy. We also learn about Becker's love triangle with his wife and his boss. Not to mention the boss's mom, a real pleasure. There truly isn't much to like about any of them besides Becker, but his obsession with Vanessa's art rules his life and takes him into danger.

Again, it was so well written that I had to give it 4 stars, Hawkins certainly knows how to write villainess characters. The ending surprised me although it followed the rest of the book, I didn't like it much.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

This book was a slow burn for me but in a good way. I'm already a Paula Hawkins fan, so I was looking forward to reading this book and it didn't disappoint. This book is full of twists. I loved the characters in this book. It goes to show not everyone is what they seem. The author also made me feel like I was on this island with her descriptions and made me feel like a part of this story. I liked it and would recommend this read.

Thank you to #netgalley and Harper Collins for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This book pubishes 10/29

What to expect in this book:

-Coastal island setting
-Journal entries
-Short chapters
-More drama than mystery
-Obsessive characters
-Slow burn plotline

Thoughts

I have always enjoyed Paula Hawkins' books since reading The Girl on the Train many years ago. I was excited to see her set a book on the coast of Scotland, however I was thinking that this would be much more of a "closed-door" or locked on the island mystery. Elusive artist Vanessa Chapman lived on Eris island, an island where the tide determines if people can enter or exit. When she passes away her work is placed in the care of an art curator and a secret is discovered: among her displays is a human bone. This story takes place during present day with the keeper of her island and art, Grace, and told through journal entires from the past. When a visitor comes calling to discover the secrets found within this art, even more secrets are revealed.

As with her past books, I expected mystery and suspense. While there was the element of the mysterious bone and disappearance of Vanessa's husband, this story really lacked much thrills at all. It took up until 90% into the book to even see much plot movement with anything related to thrills at all. Ultimately, I feel hijinked. I enjoyed reading the book and it felt very atmospheric with the tides coming in, but it ultimately was a let down. I kept waiting for the big twist or moment to happen and it never came.

If you are a big thriller reader like me, I think you will be let down with this one. While I did not dislike it, I will not be quickly recommending it. I was hoping this would be more of a fall time read, but sadly just did not connect with any characters and was just disappointed with how it ended.

Very atmospheric book and Hawkins at her best. Eris Island has only one house, one resident and one way out. It is unreachable from the Scottish mainland for 12 hours a day .It is now home to Grace, but was previously owned by Vanessa, a famous artist. When a discovery is made in an art gallery in London, a visitor come to Eris and things begin to unravel.

I am usually a big fan of Paula Hawkins. I was so excited to get this ARC for the opportunity to read her new book before the release since it's been a good amount of time since she's released a new book. While the book seemed to start strong, the slow character buildup and big reveals were difficult to get to. I enjoyed Becker as a main character, and I thought that Grace could have a lot of potential. Unfortunately, by the end of the book, both characters fell short of what I thought they could be. I don't think that I would consider this book a thriller due to the lack of thrilling events or suspense. This book also had one of the most disappointing endings (or even lack of an ending) that I have experienced in a long time. I was finally getting interested in how the book was going to wrap up and was shocked that the following page was the acknowledgments page from the author. I was so surprised how poor the ending was that it negated most of the positive feelings that I had through the book. The book feels unfinished and could have had some potential if the author kept the story going, even just to wrap up a few loose ends.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

I honestly can't say I enjoyed this book, it was extremely Slow with a constant Ominous tone to it, and kind of a Predictable ending. It was well-written and delves deeper into family and friend relationships, but it felt bogged down at times, even with super short chapters broken up by short diary entries.

I always enjoy a Paula Hawkins mystery, and this was no exception. I'm really into all the recent and forthcoming releases lately that are set on remote islands! So the setting of this novel -- a small Scottish island only accessible for half the day based on the tides -- was a highlight for me.

Our story starts when Becker, a curator working on an exhibit highlighting the late artist Vanessa Chapman, learns that a bone in her mixed media piece may be human. While waiting to learn more about the bone, Becker tries to work with the executor of Vanessa's will, her friend Grace, to acquire more art and papers for the museum. But Grace is not willing to give much up...

The other highlight for me was the theme of tangled, toxic platonic friendships, specifically the relationship between Vanessa and Grace. We get so many toxic romantic relationships in fiction, but not enough depictions of friendship.

Speaking of toxic... our main character lives on the same property with his friend and boss Sebastian, who also happens to be Becker's wife's ex-fiancé. For good measure, Sebastian's terrible mother Emmeline lives on the property as well.

The slow start and ambiguity at the end won't be for everyone, and I personally would've liked more time spent on the page with Becker's wife Helena, Sebastian, and Emmeline. But overall, The Blue Hour is a quick mystery full of beautifully atmospheric description.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced eARC.

THE BLUE HOUR
Paula Hawkins

I want to like her books, more than I do. I want my reading experiences to feel like I’m drinking to the point of drowning, all I am is thirsty.

“There’s nothing left here to decode.”
Sabrina Carpenter

THE BLUE HOUR stars Vanessa and Grace. There are other characters but these two are the only ones you need to remember. All that’s left of Vanessa are her journals, her art, a knot of unresolved yearning in Grace’s stomach, and now a mystery surrounding her life’s work. All of it feels like an exercise in grief, none of it will feel like a resolution.

The questions that are raised feel like tilling a grave and it’s Grace who dies a little every time. Will the truth ever be uncovered, or will it continue to be cast afloat, forever unmoored?

I keep going back to her although nothing has worked for me like THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN did. My reading experiences between now and then have been both cold (INTO THE WATER), and hot (A SLOW FIRE BURNING), this one is right in the middle.

The material is not that interesting to me. It felt tepid and uninspiring. The characters feel inauthentic, doing and saying things that don’t reconcile. The thriller, not thrilling, the mystery, not mysterious, the writing has nothing written between the lines.


Thanks to Netgalley and Mariner Books for the advanced copy!


THE BLUE HOUR…⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was a very atmospheric slow burn of a novel I kept wishing that it would grip me the way The Girl on the Train did, but i don’t think I was ever fully invested in the story or the characters. I do think the book will have its fans, particularly those looking for a dark, moody sort of story. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Paula Hawkins’ latest is a grip-the-book-so-hard-your-fingers-hurt kind of story. The premise is fascinating - the work of a deceased famous artist is discovered to contain a human bone and it just so happens her philandering husband disappeared from her remote island home years ago. Could it be him?

The story follows an inquisitive curator as he navigates the treacherous terrain of that island, now inhabited by the artists companion of many years and executor of her estate. While the outcome was apparent to me pretty early in the story, the tension Hawkins builds as she weaves the stories of both Vanessa and Grace becomes almost unbearable at times, and the ending! Oh, the ambiguous ending! Definitely the stuff made for book clubs to debate!

Hawkins is getting better and better at taking old tropes and breathing new life into them. As I read this, I was reminded of both And Then There Were None for the isolation and Misery for the core relationship driving the story, but Hawkins has made both her very own.

Readers who are triggered by domestic violence should be aware that is an integral part of this story. This will be one of the hot books of the Fall for sure.

There's a remote Scottish island only available to the mainland for 12 hours a day, during low tides. An artist named Vanessa lived there. She is deceased now. Her husband mysteriously disappeared 20 years ago...he was known to be a serial cheater.
Now reclusive Grace lives there, in the only house on the island. She had previously taken care of Vanessa.
And James... he's a curator asked to investigate one of Vanessa's art pieces...it includes a human bone...

🔹️This was a slowburn mystery.
If you like gothic, atmosoheric vibes, lots of unlikeable characters... multiple POV, Agatha Christie meets Patricia Highsmith and Lucy Foley... check this one out this fall.🔹️

Very atmospheric, multiple viewpoints and timelines. Can be challenging to keep up and remain invested but the ending brought the drama and the impact.

Set on an isolated island on Scotland’s coastline only accessible at certain times of day, The Blue Hour tells the story of prolific artist Vanessa, and the mysteries surrounding several key events in her life prior to her passing. And…

If there ever was a blueprint for what a true psychological thriller is- this would be it. The setting itself creates its own character, and the tone hits like seasonal affective disorder. It’s dark, it’s unwavering, and there’s little to no redemption. Impressively written and with a painstakingly perfect plot, it stands as a completely unapologetic, veritable master class in fiction writing.

I mist also say that it was completely lacking in any catharsis whatsoever and the only release I felt from the staggering pathos built up over the entirety of this book came when the final page was read, and I was free from its’ clutches. That’s how this book hits. It’s uncomfortable, it’s brutal, and it doesn’t believe in happy endings.

Ideal for fans of Lucy Foley and Lisa Tuttle, I would recommend this as piece of masterful storytelling, but with a caution label. I think I need several light hearted cozy mysterious as a palate cleanser after this.

This novel is centered around Eris, a small island in Scotland, accessible only during low tide via a causeway. Vanessa Chapman, a famous artist known for her moods and innovative work, owned the island and lived there in a house she renovated after it being unoccupied for many years. She also transformed the barn into her studio, doing not only painting, but also pottery and multimedia work there. Despite her ownership, the island outside of the buildings is open to the public and does get some visitor traffic.
When Vanessa's ex-husband Julian disappeared shortly after a visit with her, she became the prime suspect, but the police couldn't find any evidence to charge her of the crime.
An exhibition that Vanessa was planning was inexplicably cancelled just after the disappearance, leading to a rift with her long-time agent, Douglas Fairburn, a man who was also a lover despite his married status. With Vanessa's recent death, her friend Grace, a local doctor, inherited the island and the task of sifting through her work and papers to transfer the artistic material to the Fairburn Foundation, a gallery owned by aforementioned Douglas. Douglas has also recently died in an accident and his son Sebastian is putting pressure on Grace to transfer the remaining artistic material to the foundation.
When one of Chapman's multimedia pieces causes an investigation following an exhibition at the Tate, questions are raised about Julian's death again.
Gallery curator Becker is tasked with meeting with Grace to convince her to finalize the transfer. Becker is a big fan of Vanessa Chapman and knows her work well. He wants to have a cordial meeting to convince Grace, but the meeting unveils other information that he and the gallery weren't aware of. There is an interesting plot element, that of Becker's wife, Helena, now pregnant, who was previously Sebastian's fiancée.
There are many interesting facets to this story from the history of the island itself to many questions that become apparent over the course of the novel. Is Julian dead, and if so was he killed and where is his body? Was Douglas' death really an accident? What happened to the missing art pieces Vanessa had listed for the cancelled exhibit? Why did Vanessa leave her art legacy to the Fairburn Foundation despite her falling out with Douglas? What was the nature of the relationship between Vanessa and Grace?
The two main narrators here are Becker and Grace, and each have their own secrets and motivations. Becker is a man who lacks confidence despite his knowledge and expertise, and Grace is a woman who has struggled with rejection and friendships.
This is a slow-moving page-turner, with lots of suspense.

Many thanks to Mariner books and NetGalley for my gifted copy.

This author is a hit or miss for me, but I really enjoyed this thriller. It had me on the edge of my seat the whole time.

The Blue Hour is billed as a thriller and those that expect a fast paced suspense story might find themselves disappointed. Yes, the story starts when a forensic anthropologist determines that a piece of bone in a piece of art is human. But then, it veers off into a multi-strand story about Vanessa Chapman, a well known artist, now deceased, who has left her oeuvre and all her journals to a private museum created by her former dealer who she fell out with. The story is told from Vanessa’s perspective, through her journals, that of Becker, the curator of the museum, and Grace, her friend and the executor of her estate. It gives an interesting look at an artist’s life.
The book is a slow burn. Hawkins really takes her time setting up the premise. I was drawn to Vanessa, as an independent soul. Which isn’t to say she’s a nice person. She’s self centered and takes advantage of Grace. Did she have something to do with her husband going missing? Given what a despicable character he was, it wouldn’t have upset me. I was also fascinated by Grace, the ultimate caretaker but also with some anger management issues.
I loved what the book had to say about misogyny. Journalists (all male) and art critics (ditto) all called her sullen, prickly or strident. “Quotes from ‘friends’ (which friends???) about how work consumes me, how I never have time for anything else (i.e. my marriage), I am single-minded, obsessive. All the usual shit they say about women who fail to devote themselves body and soul to family aka dreary domesticity.” And I have to share this quote from Helena, Becker’s wife, given the current political environment. “And really. When you think about it, single-minded and selfish are just synonyms for childless, in some circles.”
I’m always intrigued by writers that can give you a feel for an artist’s creative process and their ability to describe art well. Hawkins fits that bill.
Go into this with the right expectations and I think you’ll enjoy it. The writing is lush, the setting was very atmospheric and the characters are well developed. I thought the ending was perfect.
My thanks to Netgalley and Mariner Books for an advance copy of this book.

Paula Hawkins is very hit or miss for me. She is more of a miss because I have read three books by her and I have only liked one. This book focused too much on art and not enough on the thriller vibes. I found myself bored and just wanting this book to end.

I enjoyed this more “The Girl on the Train,” as the author’s voice and sense of humor come through more effectively in “The Blue Hour.”

Likes:
+atmospheric
+taut and tense
+sympathetic characters
+arty - in that the plot deals with the art world - but mostly accessible

Challenges:
-not too much of a twist but more of an interesting character study
-the ending
-struggle to care about certain characters (namely 2/3 of the “love triangle”)