The Blue Hour – Paula Hawkins

Can’t complain about getting a matching sweater with my book!

Thank you Mariner Books for the gifted copy and matching sweater in exchange for my honest review!

THE BLUE HOUR – Paula Hawkins (Released October 29th, 2024)

Also, please enjoy Billy and his perfect photobombing

Book Description:

Welcome to Eris: an island with only one house, one inhabitant, one way out. Unreachable from the Scottish mainland for twelve hours each day.

Once home to Vanessa: A famous artist whose notoriously unfaithful husband disappeared twenty years ago.

Now home to Grace: A solitary creature of the tides, content in her own isolation.

But when a shocking discovery is made in an art gallery far away in London, a visitor comes calling.

And the secrets of Eris threaten to emerge….

My Thoughts: 3.5/5 stars

When you think of Paula Hawkins, I’m sure most think of The Girl on the Train. While that book was amazing and I’ll never forget that ending, it’s one that far too many thrillers get compared to, and I think it’s unfair to have that expectation when starting her other books. Before starting, adjust expectations and know you’ll be getting a slow burn literary mystery. I saw comparisons to Patricia Highsmith’s The Talented Mister Ripley, and I was not disappointed!

I love it when the setting becomes its own character. The atmosphere is so thick and rich that it comes alive. A secured Scottish Island where you don’t have access to the mainland for half the day? That’s a little too secluded for me.

All the secrets the island holds are at risk of being uncovered. I saw another reviewer mention something in regards to the characters: Why are artists so weird? and I got a good laugh because that does describe my feelings at some parts 😂 despite the slower building story, the pace is incredible. Hawkins knows how to write an addictive book. Im still not sure about my feelings on the ending, though, but I will continue to pick up her books!