The Match
Reviews
I will begin by saying that if the first book was good and I almost had a heart attack, this one killed me all the way. I enjoyed reading this book even more than I anticipated. Harlan Coben will never be overrated. This man delivers an amazing story with such ease and every chapter packs a punch in them that you never see coming. The only characters you can trust are the ones we already knew from the previous book and even then we get a surprise that I don’t think anyone was expecting. I did not see that coming. If you know… you know. The beginning of the story is exactly where we left off. It is so refreshing having a character like Hester Crimstein in the story. She makes everything better. She clearly sees Wilde as a son, but she is so direct and straightforward. I think she told him in the first book that it is not because she wants to compensate for not having her David anymore. I mean, talk about a slap in the face. This guy was abandoned in the woods when he was a toddler. The only family he truly knows is David’s and he is no longer with them, even though he is super present in the story. When Wilde matches with someone on a DNA website and he begins to look for his biological relatives, he was definitely not expecting to be sucked in the mother of all conspiracies. I’m 100% sure that there are some things we’re better off not knowing. Wilde is the type of person that has to see things through. If he starts something, he will finish it. Even when the only thing it brings is trouble, he keeps pushing forward. If it wasn’t for the support system he has, I don’t think he would’ve been able to pull it off. When I tell you that it is a mess that goes up and down, keeping you on your toes. Not letting you believe anything but at the same time not leaving you confused… that’s exactly what you’re getting out of this. I loved how the story ended and I’m happy with how much the experience changed him and enabled him to open up to Laila. That was my cherry on top. Thank you to Netgalley and Grand Central Publishing for the opportunity to read another masterpiece. I didn’t even wait to finish it when I was already at Barnes and Noble purchasing the physical book. It’s that good.
I will begin by saying that if the first book was good and I almost had a heart attack, this one killed me all the way. I enjoyed reading this book even more than I anticipated. Harlan Coben will never be overrated. This man delivers an amazing story with such ease and every chapter packs a punch in them that you never see coming. The only characters you can trust are the ones we already knew from the previous book and even then we get a surprise that I don’t think anyone was expecting. I did not see that coming. If you know… you know. The beginning of the story is exactly where we left off. It is so refreshing having a character like Hester Crimstein in the story. She makes everything better. She clearly sees Wilde as a son, but she is so direct and straightforward. I think she told him in the first book that it is not because she wants to compensate for not having her David anymore. I mean, talk about a slap in the face. This guy was abandoned in the woods when he was a toddler. The only family he truly knows is David’s and he is no longer with them, even though he is super present in the story. When Wilde matches with someone on a DNA website and he begins to look for his biological relatives, he was definitely not expecting to be sucked in the mother of all conspiracies. I’m 100% sure that there are some things we’re better off not knowing. Wilde is the type of person that has to see things through. If he starts something, he will finish it. Even when the only thing it brings is trouble, he keeps pushing forward. If it wasn’t for the support system he has, I don’t think he would’ve been able to pull it off. When I tell you that it is a mess that goes up and down, keeping you on your toes. Not letting you believe anything but at the same time not leaving you confused… that’s exactly what you’re getting out of this. I loved how the story ended and I’m happy with how much the experience changed him and enabled him to open up to Laila. That was my cherry on top. Thank you to Netgalley and Grand Central Publishing for the opportunity to read another masterpiece. I didn’t even wait to finish it when I was already at Barnes and Noble purchasing the physical book. It’s that good.
I've finally got my hands on a Harlan Coben before it becomes a hit series! I haven't read the first book in this series, which I plan to rectify tout suite, but I don't think it hampered me in any way from enjoying the Wilde ride! Wilde has been satisfied with his lot for most of his life. He may have been found abandoned in the woods, unaware of who he was or how long he had been alone but he managed to find his way. He became more than the feral boy, Tarzan Boy. But when he finally decides to seek out his family - using an online DNA ancestry site, he unleashes a world of problems. He may have found a parent but he also seems to have unlocked a bevy of deep, well-hidden secrets. I loved the relationship between Wilde and Hester, it was almost parental-child. But more intriguing is the relationships he has with his late friend's wife and college-aged son. He was so busy trying to keep secrets, not rock the boat and allow everyone their space that he never noticed that Hester and Matthew were well aware of what was actually going on LOL. There were plenty of twists/turns and red herrings. My day job really should have helped me decipher who was the "bad guy" earlier than I did. (I do work in law enforcement) although not an officer - that's my defence and I'm sticking with it!) I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher and I have left this honest review voluntarily
