Similar Features by Gemma Johns is a murder, mystery, thriller. I absolutely loved it!
The book is narrated by Cassandra, Jade, and Fiona.
Cassandra has been in a relationship with Jade ever since her marriage ended. She was married to Patrick Henderson and was the first Mrs. Henderson.
Cassandra and Jade are now married, have a beautiful house in the suburbs and her business is successful.
Life was perfect. Until she was contacted by Fiona.
Fiona is married to Patrick Henderson, she is the second Mrs. Henderson.
She knew her marriage was in trouble the moment she found Cassandra and Patrick’s wedding album. She is blown away by their similar features, they could be twins or at least sisters!
Troubled by Patrick’s lies, missing money, and unexplained disappearances, she leaves him and files for divorce. Hoping to get answers to her questions and maybe broker a better financial settlement, she makes contact with Cassandra.
Cassandra decides to meet Fiona, mainly out of curiosity. She too is amazed at how similar they both look. Cassandra finds she really hasn’t had closure on her divorce and also has the same unanswered questions about Patrick.
The three women become friends.
Patrick, who has kept an eye on his first ex-wife and also on his soon-to-be second ex-wife, realises they have now joined forces. There is every chance of his secrets being exposed.
What will Patrick’s next move be?
This is a murder mystery story that flicks between the present and the past.
I found I couldn’t stop reading, wanting to find out all the answers. This to me is a sign of a good book when it keeps you enthralled and guessing from the beginning to the end.
I thouroughly enjoyed this book and definitely recommend it.
Author: Gemma Johns
Copy courtesy of Gemma Johns and Spectrum Books
A selection of our Beauty and Lace Club Members are reading Similar Features by Gemma Johns. You can read their comments below, or add your own review.
You ma also like to read The Marriage Sabbatical.
I love to read, any book on any topic. I now love ebooks as they are easier to store, I was running out of bookshelves! My other interests are family, gardening and our beautiful King Charles spaniel dog who is my reading companion.
I would like to thank Spectrum Books, Beauty and Lace and Gemma Johns for the opportunity to read Similar Features.
Having just finished Similar Features I am struggling to know how to review it. I enjoyed reading a book that portrayed same sex couples in a thoughtful, honest and natural way, and found the characters interesting. However I did find the writing style a little clunky and disjointed at times, I found a lot of the descriptive text and inner dialogue was too explicit in explaining exactly what the character was thinking or feeling rather than hinting towards it and letting your imagination fill in the gaps. I felt like the reader was forcibly being made to feel or react in a certain way rather than allowing suspicion or suspense to form more naturally. I also think perhaps I received an unedited copy as there were a quite a few typos, syntax errors and missing words.
The story line was interesting, though as a couple of other reviewers mentioned, I think the ending was a little rushed, with several new characters suddenly introduced in the last couple of chapters. I believe some of these characters could have been fleshed out and explored a little more throughout the book without giving away the ending.
Overall it was an interesting read and I look forward to seeing the author continue to refine her writing as I think she has great potential.
It took me a little while to get into this book but eventually I began to enjoy the twists and turns.
I agree with the others above that the ending was a little rushed.
An interesting read once you get into it, and I’m always happy when I can’t guess the ending.
Similar Features by Gemma Johns
Patrick Henderson has a ‘type’ and when his two ex wives Cassandra and Fiona meet they realise how alike they look – hence the title Similar Features.
As Cassandra and Fiona become friends, linked by their common interest, Patrick and their hatred for him, people are constantly asking if they are sisters.
Patrick is charming and had swept both girls off their feet, that is until they were married and his controlling personality comes through.
So when Patrick is found murdered his ex wives are the top suspects, along with Cassandra’s new wife Jade.
This is the second book by Gemma Johns that I have been lucky enough to read thanks to Beauty and Lace. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for her next release!