“A twisty, captivating, edge-of-your-seat read.” –Megan Miranda, bestselling author of All the Missing Girls “Creepy and oh so clever!” –Alice Feeney, bestselling author of Sometimes I Lie A woman is forced to question her own identity in this riveting and emotionally charged thriller by the blockbuster bestselling author of The Good Girl, Mary Kubica Jessie Sloane is on the path to … is on the path to rebuilding her life after years of caring for her ailing mother. She rents a new apartment and applies for college. But when the college informs her that her social security number has raised a red flag, Jessie discovers a shocking detail that causes her to doubt everything she’s ever known.
Finding herself suddenly at the center of a bizarre mystery, Jessie tumbles down a rabbit hole, which is only exacerbated by grief and a relentless lack of sleep. As days pass and the insomnia worsens, it plays with Jessie’s mind. Her judgment is blurred, her thoughts are hampered by fatigue. Jessie begins to see things until she can no longer tell the difference between what’s real and what she’s only imagined.
Meanwhile, twenty years earlier and two hundred and fifty miles away, another woman’s split-second decision may hold the key to Jessie’s secret past. Has Jessie’s whole life been a lie or have her delusions gotten the best of her?
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I’ve read a few of Kubica’s novels and really enjoyed them, which is why I purchased this one. It is just okay although it was an interesting premise-how the mind can play tricks on you. I just did not find any of the characters particularly sympathetic with the exception of Liam, who wasn’t really even a main character.
unusual story, I’ve liked some of her other novels better
If you enjoy reading about t never happened this is your book, if not, stay away.
Everything you think is completely wrong!!! This one threw me for a loop.
As an insomniac myself, I completely sympathized with Jessie Sloane as she struggled to sleep. Her mom, Eden, was dying, and Jessie was keeping watch over her mother.
Then, her mom is gone, and Jessie still can’t sleep. But, she tries to “find herself” per her mother’s wishes, and in doing so, discovers some very strange things about herself, leading her to question everything about her mother and herself.
You make so many assumptions as you read through this book, but when you get to the end, you will find that the whole book was a clever deception!
Quick read – just a few hours start to finish.
#WhenTheLightsGoOut #MaryKubica
M
This book was full of unexpected twists and turns. My heart was broken for both mother and daughter throughout this story, but my God, what an ending. Cannot wait for the next book by Mary!
I heart Mary Kubica. Her unmistakable, unique style pulls me in and entrances me from the first to the very last page. WHEN THE LIGHTS GO OUT is beautifully written. So emotional, I could feel the characters’ pain as if they were real people. So creepy, I didn’t want the lights to go out, either. So surprising, I never saw the last twists coming. This novel is an absolute must-read for all the slow-burn thriller lovers out there, and like me, I’ll bet you’ll heart Mary Kubica, too.
Holy crap
This book was a lot different than any book I have ever read. It was a great writing by the author. It kept me pulled to it, to find out what happened next. I felt the feelings of the characters and was hoping the best for them. I am kinda sad though, hope to see what happens next. But that might be it, have to just wait and see. My first time reading a book by this author. She writes extremely well… It has twists, turns, heartfelt moments, scary times and sympathy and more. Give it a read, but it is different. Awesome writing, as I said. Just oh boy, I was surprised with the ending, no spoilers here. Just want to see more of the characters in the book that is sort of left open.
When The Lights Go Out by Mary Kubica is a Psychological Suspense. This is the third book of Mary’s that I have read and once again it was a bit hard for me to get into the book, but I am glad I pushed through because it is totally worth it! She does a great job with twists in the books that keep you guessing. I look forward to reading more of her books in the future.
Jessie Sloane is sitting vigil next to her mother who has reached the final stage of her terminal cancer. For all of her life, it’s been just the two of them and questions regarding her father remain unanswered. As the final moment arrives, Jessie begins her descent into the search for her identity as she learns she may not legally exist. Further complicating matters is her inability to sleep as her insomnia stretches into days. We’re also given her mother’s point of view, beginning in 1996, as the two stories transition back and forth, leading to a convergence at some point.
This is a tricky story, one you need to pay close attention to from the first page. When Jessie learns her social security number is assigned to a child who died 17 years ago, I immediately jumped to a theory that I held onto for most of the story, smugly believing I knew the path it would take. The effects of the insomnia make Jessie an unreliable narrator, smoothed by the insertion of her mother’s point of view at key intervals. But, I paid attention and that ending was the ONLY one it could have been for the story to be true to itself. It wasn’t controversial at all to me, though I get why so many feel otherwise.
The narrators were excellent, both capturing the essence of their characters, especially as they reached their most desperate points. They fit them better than gloves.
It’s a clever story and I like clever. What gave me trouble was Jessie’s almost incoherent musings as the number of days of her insomnia grew. Being inside of her head was painful and uncomfortable. But, I LOVED that ending, one I actually guessed before the big reveal. I liked this story, a lot, but those later chapters had me begging for the end. I highly recommend this book but it may not be for everyone. If you like tricky, as I do, then by all means indulge. 3.5 stars
(Thanks to Harlequin Audio for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.)
Mary Kubica is one of my favorite authors and she doesn’t disappoint with WHEN THE LIGHTS GO OUT. A wonderful thriller full of twists and turns.
This is one of those weird ones that is tough to review without giving away the twist. I really enjoyed it for the most part, but the alternating timelines got a little confusing as they jumped around some. Also, a few parts were a bit flowery and over-the-top for my liking. All in all, I enjoyed the story and the twist. I own several Mary Kubica books, but this is the first one I’ve read. I do think I will like the others, and will be moving them up on my TBR list.
This is the story of Jessie Sloan, a young woman coming to terms with the only person in her life, her mother, dying of cancer. She is not sleeping at all and the stress is weighing on her. She is not sure what she will do when her mother does leave her. As an act of bravery she applies for college but when the enrollment department calls to tell her there is a mix up, the Jessica Sloan with her social is dead. The news spins Jessie out of control trying to discover who she is and where she came from.
The story is suspenseful and dark as we follow Jessie down her sleep deprived rabbit hole. Overall I liked the premise of the story but I had a hard time fully liking the characters and emotionally connecting to them. Kubica is fantastic at twisty endings, and does it again in this one, although for me it was a little anticlimactic. Enjoyable novel for suspense fans.
Not up to par with her other novels.
When the Lights Go Out by Mary Kubica
September 2018
Fiction, mystery, suspense
I received this digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review from NetGalley and Harlequin/Hanover Square Press.
This story started strong but then took a wrong turn somewhere and was unable to find its way back. Jessie Sloane has spent the past 2 years caring for her mother, Eden, dying from cancer. All Jessie has ever known is life with her mother who refused to disclose any information about her father. With her mother dying Jess fears life alone with no other family. She stops taking care of herself and becomes so sleep deprived that she begins to hallucinate. Soon, she doesn’t know what fact and what’s fiction.
The story alternates between Jessie in the present dealing with the aftermath of her mother’s death and Eden about 20 years prior happily married but distraught over her infertility. Both mother and daughter are unreliable narrators who both seem to suffer from the same mental instabilities.
In the end, I was confused and disappointed. I thought maybe I was missing the rest of the book. I enjoy books with unexpected twists and turns but this was just one wrong turn that led nowhere. Since I like this author I was really hoping to enjoy this book which is why I gave it 2 stars instead of 1. Unfortunately, I found this not to be one of her best works.
An easy read with a twist at theend
I was taken with Mary Rubica’s creepy Pretty Baby, and was looking forward to this, her latest novel. While Ms. Rubica is good at injecting creepiness into her main character, the story was rather bland and hopeless. Well, that’s putting a nice spin on things.
Ever read a book that was pretty arduous, yet you wouldn’t give up because you’d invested a lot of time and emotion? Upon finishing you wish you’d have chucked it half way in? Bingo. By the very end of the book I was mad at myself and disappointed in the author. It’s just not that great a story.
This book made me so angry.
SPOILER ALERT
I was invested in the character, cared about what happened to her. Finding out that the entire book was a dream completely ticked me off. Will never read anything by this author again. That kind of deception may appeal to some readers, but it’s not my thing.
I love me a good thriller, and especially a thriller that explores thoughtful themes and raises good questions. Mary Kubica’s book When The Lights Go Out does exactly this. An intricately plotted thriller with likeable characters warring with their individual obsessions and their interior needs, this was an easy book to read that I finished in just one day because I couldn’t put it down.
I loved how the story explored how a desire taken to the extreme becomes an obsession, and how obsessions can drive you mad, as well as that sometimes you get what you want, but you’ve made so many compromises along the way your happiness can never be complete.
Going between Jessie’s present to her mother, Eden’s, past, this story adeptly explores the pain of infertility, identity, trust and grief. It’s a great roller coaster of a book with a nonlinear structure to create suspense that will give you your own brand of insomnia as you try to find out what’s really going on.