For Better and Worse
Grade : F

Dear readers, may I rant a bit? I have a bee in my bonnet about this book and the way it’s being marketed.

I’d like to quote one of the official blurbs for this book. See below:

On their first date back in law school, Natalie and Will Clarke bonded over drinks, dinner and whether they could get away with murder. Now married, they’ll put the latter to the test when an unchecked danger in their community places their son in jeopardy. Working as a criminal defense attorney, Nat refuses to rely on the broken legal system to keep her family safe. She knows that if you want justice…you have to get it yourself.

Shocked to discover Nat’s taken matters into her own hands, Will has no choice but to dirty his, also. His family is in way too deep to back down now. He’s just not sure he recognizes the woman he married. Nat’s always been fiercely protective, but never this ruthless or calculating. With the police poking holes in their airtight plan, what will be the first to fall apart: their scandalous secret—or their marriage?

Y’all, that is the entire book.

The only reason to read this is if you want to know what the ‘unchecked danger’ is.

No worries there.

Here’s another official blurb:

Their young son Charlie’s principal is accused of molesting a troubled student. It’s a horrifying situation—and the poison spreads rapidly. One night before bed, Charlie tells Natalie he is a victim, too. In that moment, her concept of justice changes forever. Natalie decides the predator must die.

To shelter Charlie from the trauma of a trial, Natalie concocts an elaborate murder plot and Will becomes her unwilling partner. The Clarkes are about to find out what happens when your life partner becomes your accomplice—and your alibi.

THAT IS THE ENTIRE PLOT.

All of that is the first half of the book, nearly point for point. For a suspense novel, there is almost NO suspense. With the above set-up, it’s pretty safe to assume that Nat and Will take the law into their own hands. Do you think that has an impact on their marriage? Well, duh. Every piece of conventional wisdom in the world would tell you that A: finding out your child has been molested by a trusted adult is an earth shaking event and B: that if you perform vigilante justice on said adult it would impact who you are as a person and therefore impact your marriage.

So, I was bored for most of For Better or Worse, which is a huge crime in a suspense novel, and I was frustrated that it didn’t do anything beyond what it told me it was going to do. In romance, I’m fine with knowing everything going in - that’s one of the foundations of the genre. In suspense it is not.

The elaborate murder plot was predictable and what went wrong during Natalie’s execution of it was as well. I also just… didn’t love that the focus was on killing the abuser and not on making sure the kids were all okay. That may sound odd - because who among us has not wanted to harm someone who has harmed someone we love - but narratively it felt off balance and I wanted to spend more time with the ramifications of the decision. So, this child has been abused by someone he trusted and then his parents go off and commit murder, which may risk their roles in his life, therefore eroding trust further? This I’m supposed to be okay with?

Ugh. Just UGH on every level for this book, y’all.

Thank you for coming to my rant.

Buy it at: Amazon/Apple Books/Barnes & Noble/Kobo

Visit our Amazon Storefront

Reviewed by Kristen Donnelly
Grade : F
Book Type: Suspense

Sensuality: N/A

Review Date : December 13, 2018

Publication Date: 12/2018

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Kristen Donnelly

Voracious reader, with a preference for sassy romances and happily ever afters. In a relationship with coffee, seeing whiskey on the side.
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