The description of this book is not a good representation of the story. I found this story very odd.

Not usually what I normally read but it wasn’t terrible. I would probably read another book by this author. The writing was good and the storyline interesting.

Based on the description, this book was not what I expected.
It is a murder mystery of sorts, with the murdered woman - stuck between life and the afterlife - appearing again at different stages of her life and in the days before her death to solve the case of her own murder. Confusing? A little. But mosty, it is not satisfying, because it could never be solved that way, and most importantly, we know who the murderer is halfway through the book.
The rest acts as a twisted explanation of the motive, which, granted, turns this into a good psychological thriller, but without suspense.
It is a murder mystery, psycho thriller and story about friendship, but with a framework which didn't suit me.

The violence and debauchery in this story was unearned and pointless. I could really not finish it. It was just a twisted and gross story.

This book was a roller coaster ride from start to conclusion. I knew things could occur because of the character shenanigans but how. Plain Janey is a cautionary tale about friendships that’s bonded over lies and secrets. It’s also filled with suspense that creeps up on the readier. Janey threw caution to the winds and ended up in a tsunami.

Unsure how I feel about this novel. The premise was interesting and I did find myself wanting to keep reading, but it was just a bit odd. There were so many different things going on in the story that were strange and seemed out of place and things just got strange towards the end. I don't really know how to review this story, but the description of the novel doesn't really accurately describe the story.

So, the other day I was browsing available books on NetGalley and came across Plain Janey by Nicola McDonald. Having never heard of this author, I found myself somewhat intrigued by what appeared to be a unique novel. Once I started reading, my thoughts and opinions were all over the place. You know how people are always rubber-necking when they pass a car accident? No one really wants to see any carnage from the accident, yet you just can’t help looking. That’s the best way I can describe my ability to have read this entire novel.

I’m not saying it was bad, but it was truly bizarre. Jane and Sophie met as young girls and thirteen years later they are still best friends. Jane is happily married to Kamden, a successful life coach, and mom to four-year-old twins, Mercy, and Taylor. Sophie is a police detective and was happily married to Raylen until he suddenly left her for a “younger model” without any explanation. A year and a half later, Sophie still isn’t over her husband leaving her and sets out to prove to herself that it wasn’t her fault, that any married man can be seduced. Oh, and she’s completely batshit crazy.

I’m not a big fan of books with a ton of cheating, but something about this one sounded different to me, thus why I chose to read it and continue reading it until the end. Honestly, although the blurb states “an intense and passionate look at infidelity,” it was Sophie’s slow collapse into insanity that was most disturbing. Well, that, and also Jane’s complete disregard for her wonderful husband and happy little home that she had.

Unfortunately, I can say little about the plot because of spoilers, but I will say that about 20% into it, everything changes in a hugely unexpected way. I absolutely didn’t see it coming, which is always fun. However, things just continued to get more and more bizarre as the novel progressed, almost to the point of being silly.

There were several times that I almost closed out this novel, not wanting to finish it. But back to my earlier reference about car accidents, I just couldn’t look away. I applaud McDonald’s attention to detail in developing her characters and also the unique plot. However, this was just too weird for me.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Matador for providing this review copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Suspense thriller. Told from Jane's point of view. Be wary of your friends and the secrets you share. Be wary of the abuse suffered in both childhood and adulthood as it can bite you in the butt and cause your entire world to implode. If you are considering an act of revenge against a sexual partner, read this book and hopefully it will change your mind.

Jane and Sophie had been friends since age 3 but Sophie's unwillingness to move on after being cheated on by her husband will tear their world apart!

The characters in this book were so intriguing throughout the story and the plot was superb! I just couldn't put it down once I started reading it. I'll definitely be keeping up with this authors work going forward.