According to Plan Author Erica Damon
Book Review
5 out of 5 stars!
"I can't stay here. No one will help me, not even the police and I have to go." - Laura
He's smart, funny, outgoing, and "nice" but he doesn't take no for an answer. . . Laura's routine and life are soon disrupted by a man who couldn't understand no meant no. Everyone turning their backs on Laura and siding with Jared. . . She has one choice and one choice only. Leave!
Only the plan doesn't go well, and Laura may or may not be lost in the woods. She has to get away, get free from the obsessive man. Jared however will not allow that to happen. He MUST find her and prove they are meant to be together! She will believe him, and he will rescue her. RUN.
"I heard you like no one else. I saw you like no one else." - Jared
Love and hate are two sides of the same coin with a very thin line separating them. Love and hate can lead to obsessive behaviors. When you're in love with someone or involved with someone you want to know all about them. Their favorite foods, where they like to go, where they live, their phone number, etc. When you hate someone, you want to know their weaknesses and what makes them tick. . . This book showcases both sides of the coin.
"Pseudocide." I had to look up the word because I really wanted to know what it meant. When I looked up the definition, I knew this was going to get interesting fast. Laura has run out of options and has decided this is the way, to fake her death and disappear. Hoping to leave behind the one who wouldn't take no for an answer the one who everyone deems nice. Only even the most well thoughtout plans can go wrong. . .
The author out did herself with this book and all the details within it. It's very believable and you wonder just how likely this is to have happened. Erica clearly put in a lot of time, research, and effort into this read and I can tell. We've all dealt with someone who did not respect our boundaries and caused us to go from politely declining them to "rude". Firmly stating no and them brushing us off as the coldhearted one. . .
Or having a gut feeling about someone but everyone around you is too blinded by the person's mask to see what lies underneath. Assuming you are just overreacting or plain wrong. Always trust your gut even if others are saying the opposite.
I LOVED the duo POVs in this book, also really liked how when we switch from Laura to Jared the font for the chapter header changes. With Laura we get a third person POV aka "Laura, she, her". We get to step back and view her as she's struggling to win in this game of Cat and Mouse. While with Jared we get first person POV aka "I, me, my". I loved being inside of his head and reading through his internal monologue, almost felt like I was reading his journal. Because after reading the book, I know he would write very long and DETIALED entries.
I personally loved Jared, yes, I know I'm calling my therapist after I get done posting this. . . Jared's someone who has never been rejected before and when Laura does you see the thread beginning to fray. There are so many points that make it difficult to just utterly hate Jared. Yes, I know! I should hate him because he refused to respect Laura's boundary the moment, she said no. And then the other boundaries after that as he tried to "prove" how well they would work together.
Jared's a complex character and I enjoyed him so much. Even how Laura could see behind his mask and his anger that flared up occasionally. He truly cares about Laura and her wellbeing it's just a little warped. I loved this one scene in the book from Jared's POV at a bar and the irony of the scene. The Cat and Mouse game the two play throughout this book is intense and feels so real.
I loved the psychology of this book and how it causes thought provoking ideas. Even questioning if maybe I have read too many dark romances, or I'm just too far gone. . . But I really just loved how this book showcases love and hate. How love can toe the line with obsession and doing things you wouldn't normally do. Things that may be seen as politically incorrect but when you're in love even if it's a healthy, non-stalker relationship some things may cross the line.
This book is a dark, psychological suspense thriller! There are scenes dealing with a stalker, an unhealthy obsession, thoughts of suicide, some highly intense things toward the end of the book that may be triggering to some. I don't want to list out everything because some may be potential spoilers. But this is a game with unhealthy/toxic plans and plans of escaping.
There's language in the book and some scenes where one of the main characters has a couple of "self-gratification" moments. Mention of wanting more and some of the thoughts that come with that. Just hints, and the self-gratification moments are not detailed out and lengthy. Anxiety attacks and having to calm down from them are depicted on the page.
I could and want to keep going on about this book! But I know if I do, I will give too much away. I honestly want to see more of Jared and his background. What turned him into the person we get to read about with this book. I have a lot of respect for the author and how much research she put into this book. Love books that can cause such in-depth thought-provoking ideas. I want to read more from Erica because at the end of this read, I was speechless!
Now where did I put my therapist's number? Enjoy the suspense of this book and don't forget to give the author some stars!
Amazon.com: According to Plan: A Psychological Suspense Thriller eBook : Damon, Erica: Kindle Store
Erica Damon - Erica Damon Author
Erica Damon (@erica_writes_isla) TikTok | Watch Erica Damon's Newest TikTok Videos
Comments
Post a Comment