A Book Club Competition - Who Will Win

At the end of each year, I work on strategy, goals, and content ideas for this site. My big goal for 2022 is to reach more fiction. I've spent the last two years on a big non-fiction binge, and I'm missing the world of fiction. I also wanted to mix up my content and include a fun way of reviewing books. So, my bookish friends, Noah and Leslie, decided to compete for "Best Book" each month.

The Ground Rules

To help keep things mostly apples-to-apples, I selected a theme each month. Then, Leslie and Noah each submit a book to me for reading. Neither knows what the other shared with me. Then, over the course of a month, I read the books and choose a winner for the best book that month.

January 2022: Fiction book – Thriller

I selected a thriller for January because I know they are hugely popular and, frankly, not always my preference. Leslie submitted The Perfect Marriage by Jeneva Rose. Here's what she said (slightly shortened) about why she chose it:

This is a book that I found randomly while I was at the beach and absolutely could not put it down. This book has everything - cheating husband, scorned wife, and a murder mystery at the center of it all. Usually, I can guess endings, but I did not see this one coming, and I sat in silence at the end of it, absolutely blown away.

Happily, it was on Kindle Unlimited, so I nabbed it to read.

Next, Noah "gleefully" submitted Dark Matter by Blake Crouch. Here's what he said:

A mind-bending multiverse ride; while sort of pop fiction, it still really hits a lot of my buttons. It's filled with intrigue, adventure, and a massive and unrelenting dose of suspense. I will let the work speak for itself. Enjoy!

I found Dark Matter (Kindle version) through my local library, so I read this one first.

These two books are very different, and hard to truly compare them. Dark Matter has elements of quantum mechanics and a multiverse, whereas The Perfect Marriage is a murder mystery.

I liked how fast-paced Dark Matter felt. I guessed at the ending, but I liked how the author used the predictability against the reader and left you wondering, "Could this end differently?" You have to read to find out. I also enjoy thinking about an infinite number of dimensions and infinite versions of our universe, and this book fits that bill.

I did not like how the author wrote women, which is typical for me in books written by men. Crouch writes that his main character deeply loves his wife, but I felt like he also saw his wife more as an object than a whole person. I do argue with myself on this point, however, because the story is, but isn't about their relationship. I gave the book four stars because the way Crouch wrote the two female characters still doesn't sit well with me.

I liked the Prologue of The Perfect Marriage. It was short and felt like a blurb for the back of the book in how it made me want to read. However, I was promptly turned off by the first-person present writing style. Knowing that a great story can override writing styles, I pushed through. Sadly, I was able to predict the outcome fairly early on in the story and continued to be distracted by character inconsistencies, plot holes, and general confusion on due process for the alleged murderer.

I appreciate the attempt to be a Gone Girl style book but unfortunately did not hit those same notes for me.

Two Will Enter, One Will Win

Comparing these books and deciding a winner between my two friends isn't easy. But that's because I'm being super friendly. For me, the winner was Dark Matter by Blake Crouch from Noah.

Check out both and decide for yourself!