'Saint X' 2020 Release Book Review #20

First off, I just want to thank Celadon Books for sending over this anticiapted 2020 release! It's hailed as "a marvel of a book" and "brilliant and unflinching" which releases February 18, 2020. I'm thrilled they sent me a copy to review this mystery/thriller "Saint X" by Alexis Schaitkin.

Synopsis from Goodreads:

"Claire is only seven years old when her college-age sister, Alison, disappears on the last night of their family vacation at a resort on the Caribbean island of Saint X. Several days later, Alison’s body is found in a remote spot on a nearby cay, and two local men―employees at the resort―are arrested. But the evidence is slim, the timeline against it, and the men are soon released. The story turns into national tabloid news, a lurid mystery that will go unsolved. For Claire and her parents, there is only the return home to broken lives.

Years later, Claire is living and working in New York City when a brief but fateful encounter brings her together with Clive Richardson, one of the men originally suspected of murdering her sister. It is a moment that sets Claire on an obsessive pursuit of the truth―not only to find out what happened the night of Alison’s death but also to answer the elusive question: Who exactly was her sister? At seven, Claire had been barely old enough to know her: a beautiful, changeable, provocative girl of eighteen at a turbulent moment of identity formation."

As Claire doggedly shadows Clive, hoping to gain his trust, waiting for the slip that will reveal the truth, an unlikely attachment develops between them, two people whose lives were forever marked by the same tragedy."

In the beginning, I was really digging this book. We follow in Claire's point of view (later on she changes her name to Emily) going through the final days of her sister's life before she was murdered: Alison. Claire holds these memories dear to her heart because she was so young when her 18 year old sister was brutally taken from her hands.

As Claire grows older, she changes her name to Emily and she moves to New York. One day, she enters a taxi and realizes it's Clive Richardson: one of the men who was a suspect in her sister's death. Idiotically, she leaves her phone under the sea. Later that night, she calls it, hoping her would answer because she came to her senses and realized how stupid it was of her to leave her phone in a strangers vehicle. Thankfully, he answered and they agreed to meet at a small diner so she could retrieve her phone. After this encounter, Emily becomes obsessed with Clive. She begins noting when he leaves his house and where he goes. She even goes as far as following him every single day to hopefully catch something he does which would lead to the truth of him killing her sister.

Emily pretty much is stalking him full on. Even calls him by his old nickname, Gogo, right before he goes into his house which sends lots of anxiety and emotions to him. She also called her parents saying she wouldn't be flying in for Christmas because she met someone and they wanted to spend this Christmas together. Emily makes up a fake boyfriend just to stay home to watch Clive's every move. And sadly enough, Emily pretty much ruined her only friendship by saying she would not be going to some college party and it just escalated so quickly.

Finally, she enters the diner where they met at and where he actually eats at every day and makes gradual conversation with him. From then on, it was sort of their ritual to meet every day like old friends. But they're both hiding secrets.

About half way through the book, I felt like I was being fed the same information over and over and over and over and over again. It was becoming extremely boring and annoying. I was not enjoying it or feeling it at all. I know lots of people enjoyed this book so much but I ended up giving it a 3/5 stars. Also, I would not consider this to be a thriller. It's mainly just a psychological mystery. Nothing about this book held me at the edge of my seat or made me want to find out who actually killed Emily's sister.

I'm extremely grateful to have received this book and I'm so glad that people absolutely loved this book! #ReadSaintX #CeladonReads