Book Review: Killing Me Softly by Nicci French

“If you behave as if you are all right, then one day you will be. You have to go through the motions of surviving in order to survive.”

― Nicci French, Killing Me Softly

Nicci French's "Killing Me Softly" transports readers to a dangerous, passionate, and romantic trip.  The ramifications of an accidental meeting that swiftly escalates into a passionate and ultimately risky relationship are examined in this psychological thriller book.  "Killing Me Softly" grips readers from beginning to end with its compelling story twists, evocative location, and deep character development.

Synopsis from Goodreads...

Alice Loudon has it a devoted boyfriend, a marvelous circle of friends, a challenging job as a research scientist. Then one morning, on her way to work, she exchanges a lingering look with a devastatingly attractive man. Adam Tallis is the essence of every female fantasy--a daring mountain climber who has been hailed as a hero. As a lover, he is more passionate than Alice's wildest imaginings. Soon there isn't anything or anyone she wouldn't give up to stay by his side. Soon all she has is Adam, and life with this stranger will take her to new heights of madness...and fear.

My reaction to this novel...

I acquired this book from an online preloved bookstore, and I was delighted because I purchased it at a low price. I have never read a book by Nicci French before, so I have no idea how she writes. I was simply intrigued by the title and the cover, which made me interested in buying it. When I read the synopsis, I realized that it is somewhat a steamy romance, which is not my usual reading preference. I contemplated whether I should read it, but since I had already bought it, I told myself to give it a try; perhaps I might enjoy it.

The words used by the author are pretty simple, so it's easy to understand. The story felt a bit weird for me, maybe because I don’t believe in that kind of attraction happening right away, and then jumping into sex. I didn’t like that theme because it made the girl seem shallow to me. She turned her back on her boyfriend, who's been her friend for a long time, for a stranger, and then she just gives in after a little eye contact. I was kind of turned off by that kind of story. The author's idea feels really shallow.

Everything happened so fast after they met; the girl got married to a stranger right away. After that, the story slowed down, because once she got married, she couldn't stop digging into the guy's life. I thought to myself, shouldn’t this girl have prioritized her curiosity before tying the knot? Now she's all up in his business, and it's too late for her. She got too carried away with her feelings. And she keeps investigating, which is kind of annoying because what does she even want to prove? She chose that path, and yet she won’t stop. It's just frustrating because the story is annoying, especially the main female character that the author created.

For me, I found the story unappealing. The main character is annoying and I didn't read any good twists. It's shallow, and for me, that's exactly what can happen when you marry a stranger; you expect to get to know them deeply even though you didn't know them at all before marrying them. Because of what she did, she should also be ready to face the consequences. She didn't even bother to find out what kind of person she was marrying, then suddenly she starts digging into events as if she was so sure about what happened, but she was only interviewing her husband's hiking buddies, and then she only comes up with speculations. It's exhausting to read; I really wanted to skip some chapters, so for me, this is not highly recommended. There are many better thriller novels than this.

My Overall Rating: ⭐✨(1.5/5)