Name: Samantha Varey's review of Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney
Item: Rock Paper Scissors
Rating: 4.5
Author: Samantha Varey

Alice Feeney

Soon to be a Netflix series from the producer of The Crown The phenomenal new thriller from the bestselling author of Sometimes I Lie ‘Not just fiendish but positively Feeneyish – dark, ingenious and very clever’ Cara Hunter, author of Close to Home

Rock Paper Scissors

Think you know the person you married? Think again... Things have been wrong with Mr and Mrs Wright for a long time. When Adam and Amelia win a weekend away to Scotland, it might be just what their marriage needs. Self-confessed workaholic and screenwriter Adam Wright has lived with face blindness his whole life. He can’t recognize friends or family, or even his own wife. Every anniversary the couple exchange traditional gifts – paper, cotton, pottery, tin – and each year Adam’s wife writes him a letter that she never lets him read. Until now. They both know this weekend will make or break their marriage, but they didn’t randomly win this trip. One of them is lying, and someone doesn’t want them to live happily ever after. Ten years of marriage. Ten years of secrets. And an anniversary they will never forget. Rock Paper Scissors is the latest exciting domestic thriller from the queen of the killer twist, New York Times bestselling author Alice Feeney.

A Novel

Jiya

It made me wonder how many firsts a person can have before life only offers them seconds.

Redamancy: noun- and act of loving the one who loves you; a love returned in full

A person can become immune to beauty when exposed to it too often

When the person you love has too many bright ideas, they can completely eclipse yours. And I still do. Love you. I spent my ambition on your dreams instead of my own.

Words are only of value if we remember how to feel what they mean. We won’t forget, will we? I like to think that heat we have is more than just words.

Words are only of value if we remember how to feel what they mean. 

when you think the story is finished, it turns out it wasn't amelia who killed his mom but adam himself with her in the passenger seat.

blue

Faster, she said, turning up the car radio. Faster! She put her hand on my crotch and I looked down. I took the corner too fast and we started to spin. When I looked up, I saw my mother. And she saw me. It all happened so fast: the sound of screeching brakes, the car mounting the pavement, my mother’s red kimono flying in the air, the smash when her body hit the windscreen, and the thud of the wheels rolling over the dog. Then the silence. I couldn’t move at first. But then the girl was screaming at me.

I was still wondering about this; i'm glad the author cleared it up

‘I switched the generator off,’ Adam says. His words make no sense at first, like he is speaking in tongues. ‘What?’ He shrugs. ‘I just wanted to get back to London as soon as possible. I thought if the power went completely, you’d agree to go home.’

a reference to what she said in the beginning of the book; now that makes sense.

I wanted to give things one last shot, but I’m starting to wish I’d just left. I’ve already found a flat to move into – it’s nice, with a view of the Thames – but I hoped it wouldn’t come to that. I hoped this weekend might fix us. The estate agent is holding the flat for me until next week, says I can move in straight away if I want, so I always knew that only one of us might be going back to the house that was only ever their home.

I never would've expected amelia to be the one who killed his mom. The plot twists in this book are insane.

Your wife was to blame for your mother’s death when you were a child, and I think it’s only right that you know that, before making a decision.

could it be that she has a hand in the death of the first agent? She obviously talked to her dad so that adam could get the job. But then, could it also be that she killed october? Is she planning on killing amelia, is that why she emptied the inhaler and said that only one person will be able to leave the chapel by the end?

‘Funny how people who came between you and Robin seem to die or disappear.’ ‘What does that mean?’ ‘She didn’t exactly have many friends.’ She didn’t need them. She had me, and rightly or wrongly, I was all she wanted. But I took it for granted. ‘She didn’t have a problem making friends,’ I say, aware that I am now defending my ex-wife. ‘Everyone liked Robin. She just rarely liked them back. She became quite friendly with October O’Brien when we were working together.’ ‘October died. There is a drawer full of newspaper cuttings about her in the kitchen.’ ‘You can’t seriously think that… it was suicide. Robin was friends with you, too. She got you a job at Battersea when you were a volunteer, she was kind to you, trusted you—’

holy shit - were the letters signed by "your wife" written by robin? And the unfaithful friend is amelia? the gifts in the drawers weren't amelia's but robin's. It makes sense. 

‘What does this mean?’ I ask, holding the tiny drawer full of pennies in one hand and a broken GO AWAY I’M WRITING mug in the other. I may suffer from face blindness and the odd neurological glitch, but there is nothing wrong with my memory (most of the time). The desk is full of anniversary gifts my wife gave me over the years. ‘Are you in on all this?’

he said "my wife", he didn't specify, it makes sense now. Holy shit. Now i get why he said amelia slept with the wrong person, and why he said he's to blame too because he cheated. They didn't cheat on each other, they cheated with each other.

I think back to that happy day, when Robin and I shared a crappy basement flat in Notting Hill. We had so little then, but far more than I have now. We were kindred spirits who survived difficult childhoods and were alone in the world until we found each other. Robin always believed in me and my work, no matter what. She believed in me when nobody else did, and was always there whenever I needed her. Always. Without ever wanting anything in return.

After seducing me, her best friend’s husband, trusting her is something I’ve never been great at.

so robin is indeed henry's daughter. But i'm so shocked to learn adam was married to her for 10 years. What drove them apart?

‘What do you mean?’ I ask, staring at a picture of a bride and groom whose faces I can’t see. ‘It’s a photo of your first wedding. When you married Robin.’ We stand in silence at the top of the staircase. It feels as if we stay like that for a long time, while I try to process what Amelia has said. ‘I don’t understand—’ ‘I think you do,’ she says. ‘I think that even though you were married to Robin for ten years, she never told you that she was Henry Winter’s daughter. I think she grew up here and that little girl’s bedroom was hers.’

‘It’s you,’ I say. We study the image then: the expensivelooking suit he wore for the wedding, the confetti on his shoulders, the wedding dress, the rings, the happy smiles… and someone else in the shot. ‘Henry is in the background. We both know he wasn’t invited, but the fact that he was there – standing on the street outside the register office by the looks of it – along with seeing this picture on his wall of family portraits, suggests that he thought of you as much more than just a screenwriter who adapted his books.’ Adam still doesn’t understand. This isn’t going to be easy. But my husband needs to know the truth now, and I need to be the one to tell him. ‘The woman in the wedding photo isn’t me.’

So adam slept with robin. I still can't comprehend why robin went through all this trouble? What's her goal? and what's her story?

I just stood there, staring, unable to process what I was seeing. She smiled. I’ll always remember that. Then I remember you looking between the two of us. Your wife in the doorway and your whore in our bed. ‘I thought it was you,’ you said, wrapping the sheet around yourself. When I didn’t respond, you said it again. As if the words might sound less like lies if you said them a second time. ‘I thought it was you.’ Just the thought of lying can make you blush, and your cheeks turned bright red.

ok, so what if robin is henry's daughter? henry lived in the chapel and robin said that she escaped her home and sought refuge in the cottage alongside her mom. Mayhaps, henry is the one who ran over adam's mom? And robin was riding with him in the car? Adam saw them but not their faces and robin saw him too. Also, what if henry's his dad. He abandoned him early enough so that's plausible. It would excuses the "adam in the box". And seen as robin has been to their house, it makes sense now that the chapel is decorated in the same style as their house.

If thirteen-year-old me had walked the dog myself, like I promised to, she wouldn’t have been killed walking along the pavement that night.

OMG!!!! HER FRIEND FROM WORK IS ROBIN?!!! Alright so robin isn't october, we can scratch that. I'm still curious about the relationship between henry and robin, and henry and amelia, and of course robin and adam.

She’s a bit too fond of microwave meals and tinned food for lunch – I’ve never seen her eat a salad or anything green – but nobody is perfect and there are plenty of worse things in life to be addicted to.

robin is playing with them - i'm so curious about her reasoning

Except he doesn’t have a face. What I appear to be looking at is some kind of scarecrow, but with the head of a snowman.

I'm so confused. What connects henry and robin? Assuming she's october, did he try to kill her because he didn't like adam working on his own work than on his adaptations?

it could be very well that this is october...it would make sense. with the quote she said she liked, the fact that she hates them (maybe they have something to do with her death), she also said she wasn't old and she has blond long hair, something awful happened to her and she got rid of her cards not to be found, oh and the paper in the drawer they found had her name.

Listening to them in the place where she used to live, and laugh, and dream, is such a strange and surreal experience.

everything she did was truly mean, but this, this is pure evil

There is an inhaler in the drawer on the other side of the bed. Robin puts it in her mouth and takes a puff, but it isn’t nearly as satisfying as her pipe. She expels the rest of its contents into the air, then takes the empty inhaler with her, along with the prescription sleeping pills she has found.

what if adam and amalia or just amalia killed adam's mom? also if robin is the woman in red aka his mom like i think then it wouldn't make sense that she wants something evil to happen to him...unless he was involved in her killing. But then again, how could amelia be the killer if his mom died when he was a boy?

Watching her die will always be the worst thing that ever happened to me.

After what she has already seen and heard, Robin is fairly sure that at least one of them will never leave this place again.

Samantha Varey

& audiobook ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Mar Or

Have to say I did not see that one coming

Nicole Mills

I liked the premise and the idea of the book. Also love the spooky suspenseful setting the chapel gives. Although when I found out who was who…jaw dropped. CRAZY! 

Jessica Roberts

I guessed all the twists and the characters were insufferable, but the writing was good.

Chloé Dupèré

This book is perfect if you want a good winter thriller. This had a lot of twists and turns. It's told in 3 different P.O.V's. Adam's wife has been writing him secret anniversary letters. Each letter lands on a cliffhanger. It was a fast-paced read. 

Samantha 

This book is perfect if you want a good winter thriller. This had a lot of twists and turns. It's told in 3 different P.O.V's. Adam's wife has been writing him secret anniversary letters. Each letter lands on a cliffhanger. It was a fast-paced read. 



This is hard to say I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I wished I could have. So many people told how amazing this book was and once I started reading and got halfway I was wondering if I was reading the same book. The first half was so boring and the characters were so frustrating, and I understand that was probably the point of the book for them to be like that. But it has to be good enough and tolerable enough for me to want to keep reading. It took a lot in me to keep going when I really didn’t want to. And even though the second half was better I have experienced the concept of the twist in a different book and of course I’m going to compare the two and of course I’m going to like the one that kept my interest more than the other. So while I may be the problem and didn’t love this book just know a lot of people do and would recommend it for y’all to read. 

Priscilla Stanfield

3.75/5⭐️

This is hard to say I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I wished I could have. So many people told how amazing this book was and once I started reading and got halfway I was wondering if I was reading the same book. The first half was so boring and the characters were so frustrating, and I understand that was probably the point of the book for them to be like that. But it has to be good enough and tolerable enough for me to want to keep reading. It took a lot in me to keep going when I really didn’t want to. And even though the second half was better I have experienced the concept of the twist in a different book and of course I’m going to compare the two and of course I’m going to like the one that kept my interest more than the other. So while I may be the problem and didn’t love this book just know a lot of people do and would recommend it for y’all to read. 

Listen books don’t normally give me the spookies but this one for sure did at times. This has been on my TBR for a while and now I’m wondering why I didn’t read it sooner. It was absolutely crazy and I audibly gasped at times. 110% read this one.

Lauren Dale

Throughout the book I kept thinking how the characters were connected to each other. The reveal of it all did not disappoint. overall a great thriller.

Dica

Horrible characters throughout, great twists at the end. 

Aims

was a little boring at first, the twists took a while, but once they started they didn’t stop. INCREDIBLE

prachi

It was a good thriller book! Honestly, I was not into it until I got into halfway of the book lol it was worth it though! The plot twists made a lot of sense. I loved how it was revealed one by one. 

yena 

It was a good thriller book! Honestly, I was not into it until I got into halfway of the book lol it was worth it though! The plot twists made a lot of sense. I loved how it was revealed one by one. 

Amelia wasn't the one writing the letters.. when that was revealed IT MADE A LOT OF SENSE... i was literally gaping my mouth because of the revelation

I really thought that Amelia was the one writing the letters and she SLEPT with Henry.. lol but girl it was Robin. And it was a favor as Henry's daughter my goodness.

Amelia was NOT the one who crashed to Adam's mom. It was ADAM holy shit but I think I was late to catch on the hint cos I was just thinking the nightmares were just out of his guilt because he let his mother walk his dog but BOY OH BOY... the guilt was because he caused his mother's death.... and he got relieved because Amelia also died and took the blame????? LIKE WHO IN THE RIGHT MIND GETS RELIEVED BY THAT. He's insane. Sick in the head.

Robin thinking the only right way to get rid of Amelia was to kill her???????? You are just like your father my goodness. You could've reported her to the police or I dont know???? What is the need to kill her honestly 😭

All this time, I truly believe Amelia was the victim. Amelia is a trouble child I get it but that's because of her traumatic childhood, she became guilty of a crime she did not directly commit, she was killed by her husband's ex wife, improperly buried and completely forgotten cos no one will look for her 😭 the one thing she did completely wrong was the cheating incident and also the DUI (indirectly). But all of these incidents are also Adam's fault but she was the only one blamed for it. What she did was completely mild compared to what Robin and Adam did like going back to their normal life after killing a woman (his husband's second wife and her ex best friend!) like it was nothing! Crazy. They are truly meant for each other

armoni mayes

brilliant i literally never saw it coming with the twists

This book genuinely had me trying to read in between the lines. Once I was at the last 50 pages or so I found myself turning the pages back towards the beginning of the story to see what I missed and how I didn’t expect anything of that. And then after every chapter I couldn’t believe that there was still more information being revealed. 

Lauren R

Bria

Complex, mysterious, insane, and I loved It! Multiple points of view shared from the characters and appreciated the end wrapping up most of the loose ends. Much enjoyed! 

Lacee Foutch 

Caroline

Rock, Paper, Scissor is my first book by author Alice Feeney and the first thriller for the year 2022. The book was gripping till the very end. There were a lot of small things that I really like about Rock, Paper, Scissor but first little of the plot. 

The plot is about a couple who are married 10 years but all is not right between them for a long time. So when the couple win a weekend getaway to Blackwater Chapel in Scotland, they take the chance to give their marriage a final shot. The couple exchange traditional gifts on their anniversary while the wife write she husband letters which she never let's him read. The letters are honest and hold a lot of secrets. But someone in their marriage is lying and don't want a happily ever after. 

The book though a bit slow paced still kept me hooked on because all the major twist and turned came in end. The book sometime felt creepy and eerie and will give you goosebumps. The characters in the book are easily relatable.The book is written in terms, that there were a lot of interesting line that I felt was so true and if you are the one to learn new words then this book does contain 13 new words that you will learn along with its meaning. 

Overall the book is a must read if your someone who is into thrillers.

buny

** spoiler alert **
           adam and robin were both psychopaths for doing the things they did and still going on abt their life as if nothing of great value happened ?? the plot becomes confusing at some points and i think maybe if i were to read this book w proper attention, id have gotten everything but since at some point i just wanted to get done w what id started, i didnt care much. but robin being the one writing the letters did scatter my brain a bit so i went back to check and realised adam didn't call his "wife" even once by her name, which was clever as fuck id admit. it also made me go FUCK! how could i miss all of that. it was right in front of my eyes 

i also think that all of the things made sense by the end because the writer decided to reveal robin's true identity by like, 80% of the book. i think it to be a bit too unnatural given how they both cheated on her, and were practically living the life SHE gave them so her not coming up at alllll in their povs for the entirety of the book, not even once, was boggling to me. i get that her character's real identity was a mystery and it needed to be a mystery for the book to workout in the end but its just a bit 

this book was initially 3 stars from me but bc of the witch stuff and it's anonymity, the samuel fiasco at the end, which made me lose my sleep and get the creeps for the next few days, i give it a 4 👍👍👍👍

tris

eh it was okay, first few chapters were interesting however, it got more and more boring tbh.. & also story plot jumping to the past and present was so confusing i hate this book

➺ 
  4/5 🌟


I should have finished this book in just two days but I got distracted by another book and it took me almost a week to finish this.

I've come up with a lot of theories while reading this, but I'll be honest, I never saw those plot twists coming. I really had a WTF moment, especially in that first reveal, and it made me feel so manipulated by the author. It was like she made a fool out of me for making me believe something that is entirely not this whole time. That specific plot twist made me want to re-read it all over again. Some parts which I initially thought a bit confusing suddenly make much more sense after re-reading it knowing the truth. 

But I have to say, the consecutive plot twists is a bit too much for me. It was revelation after revelation after another revelation, all for the sake of shock factor. It became a bit excessive for me and even though the rest of the plot twists are unexpected, some came out so randomly. 

Still gave this a solid 4 stars because this really put me at the edge of my seat. The shock I've experienced with the first reveal might be the most enjoyable part of this book. It was a pretty good introductory read from this author and I will definitely pick up more of her books in the future.

It’s an okay thriller. I think it was supposed to be more of a horror/thriller and as someone who seriously has a fear of ghosts I found myself laughing a few times. The superstition, the replicated furniture, locked doors, typed notes, the whispering of names three times were probably supposed to add to the suspense but I just found these things laughable. 

I thought the idea of a MC having face blindness was rather intriguing but how could he not know who his father in law was in a marriage that lasted over a decade? 

There were twists and turns that took the story up a notch but I knew from the beginning that one of them would be murdered and one would be the murderer. It was just a matter of figuring out who would be who. 

It’s possible that the ending was too twisty making it feel haphazardly thrown together to tie it all up in the final hour. 

I do believe that if I gave this a reread I might have a greater appreciation for it knowing what I know now. I will do my best to give it another go when I find time. 

Christa Bell

It’s an okay thriller. I think it was supposed to be more of a horror/thriller and as someone who seriously has a fear of ghosts I found myself laughing a few times. The superstition, the replicated furniture, locked doors, typed notes, the whispering of names three times were probably supposed to add to the suspense but I just found these things laughable. 

I thought the idea of a MC having face blindness was rather intriguing but how could he not know who his father in law was in a marriage that lasted over a decade? 

There were twists and turns that took the story up a notch but I knew from the beginning that one of them would be murdered and one would be the murderer. It was just a matter of figuring out who would be who. 

It’s possible that the ending was too twisty making it feel haphazardly thrown together to tie it all up in the final hour. 

I do believe that if I gave this a reread I might have a greater appreciation for it knowing what I know now. I will do my best to give it another go when I find time. 

me gustó el plot twist de las cartas, lo demás fue shit

Ximena Calvo

Syahla Aurel

OMG??? Everything escalated and unfolded so suddenly and unexpectedly, from the character to the plot twist. The thing that blew my mind was the hints that were already there from the first chapter, and I was probably too stupid to realize it soon, lol. This was perhaps the best psychological-thriller book I have ever read yet (aside from Verity). If you like Gone Girl then you definitely SHOULD read this book.

l ˚｡⋆୨୧˚

this book was EXTREMELY hyped up! after finally reading it, i can positively say that it’s for good reason. this book was AMAZING. alice feeney did something incredible with this book. 

i was immersed in this book from the beginning. there was so much information that didn’t make sense & forced me to continue reading. i needed to know what happened next *immediately* !!! waiting until the next day was not always an option. alice feeney kept me on my toes - i couldn’t believe a single thing that any of the characters said. the blurb said there were lots of secrets and there really was 😭 i still don’t even know what to think. the way robin went about exposing amelia + who she really was to adam was fascinating. genuinely don’t know how someone could write a book with sooo many twists and turns and make it good. 

i cannot recommend this thriller enough. it is such a great page-turner, i seriously didn’t want to put it down.

Paulina

I am so disappointed. I mean it was good or I would not have given it 3 Stars but… idk. It felt like the author had too many ideas and wanted to fit them all in one story. Facts about characters were often more than one time listed which I did not get but well, the writing was okay and some plottwists were cool and unexpected but nothing great

Samantha Varey &
Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney

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