Yesterday Review

**Thank you to Headline/Wildfire and Netgalley for sending me an ARC in return for an honest review. 3 stars!!! Where do I even start with this book? I thought it was a very average read. There are a couple of parts that I found interesting enough while the rest of it was a drudgery to read. In addition, I found some parts to be rather mind boggling and confusing even though this book is classified as a sci-fi thriller. The concept of the book is original enough. Set in a dystopian world where people are divided by the amount of memory they retain - Monos who retain a day's worth of memory while Duos retain memories of two days worth. The characters store their memories in iDairies which they refer to at the end of each day. This results in a world where Duos are considered more elite than Monos. The book follows the lives of 4 distinct characters and is told from each of their POVs. The plot is centered around a crime with the story following how each character is involved in it and the reader is taken into their worlds/thoughts. As the story unravels, we find out that each of the characters has a secret to hide. The plot is complex enough that it is layered with lies and plot twists. However, this is where the excitement ended for me. The characters of this book came across as very one dimensional and I found them to be very unrelatable. The MC Mark and Claire Evans are in a mixed marriage of Mono & Duo. The novel contains a lot of political aspects with regards to their union and the hardships they face. At the heart of their struggle, as a couple, are dysfunction and infidelity. The book deals with this in depth. Unfortunately, the execution for this was lacking, in the sense, the author doesn't deliver raw emotion. I found the writing style to be very dry and this showed in the poor development of characters as they were not fleshed out. The only character that was mildly engaging was Sophia Ayling. In terms of the worldbuidling, although a lot was told through newspaper cuttings and iDairy entries. However, this coupled with the writing style made for a rather boring read. I didn't find the world immersive enough. It was very lackluster. Additionally, there were some things that were not explained fully enough. I think more thought should have been given to creating a detailed narrative here. Vivid descriptions would have helped to build a richer storyline. Another negative that I had with this book was with the reveals. I found them too far-fetched especially towards the end. This made me rate the book even lower. The only positives, I have is that the pacing was done well. The chapters were not too wieldy and made for quick reading. Although, I did breeze through the final pages. Initially, the book starts out slow but then gains momentum. Overall, the book has the potential to be better. I'm unsure as to whether I would read more by this author. I would recommend reading this book if you are looking for something a little unusual.

#adult #scifi #mystery #thriller #contemporary #dystopia #FeliciaYap