Member Reviews
I really enjoyed this book!
This book explored morality and what risks are worth it for the greater good.
We follow Amara as she starts working at a pharmaceutical research facility, exploring the set backs and extensive process that is required to get a medication out to the public. It’s here that she meets Robert and is pulled into a secret society that put out trial treatments and medications without all the red tape.
I enjoyed the pacing of this book and how Amara was a flawed yet relatable FMC. Along with the underlying plot I also enjoyed the interpersonal relationships explored in this story.
Full review will be posted on TikTok (@batty_books) Feb 11th.
The Uncontrolled Variables by Jana Foster | ARC Review
Thank you Jana Foster and NetGalley for sending me this ARC!
4⭐️//2🌶️
This book was not at all what I anticipated, but it was a riveting story. Amara Ferguson is an aspiring scientist; since she was little she has dreamt of one day winning the Nobel prize for advances in science. After being heartbroken without explanation, Amara begins working at a research institute alongside her best friend Coleen. Shortly after beginning to work at the institute, Amara meets Robert, a PhD Candidate who instantly catches her attention, and makes her feel less lonely and dejected. The more she gets to know him, the more secrets she uncovers about his involvement with a secret organization that conducts medical research, with promises to make new and ground-breaking drugs available to the larger population. Soon Amara learns that the secrets Robert keeps will test the limits to what ethical medical research entails, and how far Amara is willing to go for the greater good.
There were so many twisty turns in this book that I did not anticipate, but when I reached the end of the book and saw the full picture, all the pieces fell into place. There were moments when I was questioning whether Amara knew what is happening, but was purposefully avoiding them, just to protect herself from all the terrible things happening to and around her. Seeing her trying to rebuild herself after heartbreak, to experiencing being ignored and put down by her mother, to feeling as an outsider in most social situations, Amara has always felt like she is cannot be enough for the people in her life. A lot of the decisions she made throughout the book made so much sense when you see how other treat her. Her emotional growth throughout the book, and the way she learned to stand up for herself was incredibly gratifying.
This was an interesting read. I’ve been on a thriller kick lately and this was a good mix of a medical thriller and the unpredictability of the relationships we form with others. It was a bit darker than I originally expected it to be but that just made it even better.
I don’t know how to rate this. It was a decent medical thriller, with a bit of a slow start but once it got going the premise was truly interesting and gripping, until the ending. It’s like the author gave up or hadn’t thought it through. It was abrupt and unsatisfying and didn’t fit with the dark features of the mystery. If I could rewrite the last four chapters I think this would be four stars but as it is? I dunno. I will give it a three for now because I feel very blah about it.
If this is a series or part one of two it would make more sense but I didn’t get the sense that there is more to the story. I need an epilogue or something because wtf?
This was an interesting read! I liked that it was relating science and facts to the unknown and unpredictability that comes with relationships and emotions. I think the story was well written and it was interesting having the medicine tie in!!
Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complimentary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!
I found myself immersed in a compelling blend of personal struggles and societal pressures that really resonated with me. The way the story unfolds highlights how individuals navigate their paths amid uncertainty, which is something I can relate to.
I particularly enjoyed following Amara’s journey, especially for her friendship with Colleen added a warm and wholesome element to the narrative. Their bond felt genuine and offered a sense of comfort amidst the chaos of their lives. The cozy mystery and suspense woven throughout kept me hooked, making it hard to put the book down. Overall, it was a good read.