The Ruining

Feb 09, 2013 Giselle rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, own, contemporary, mind-fuck, mystery-thriller

I've always found something fascinating about mental illness. As much as I find it fascinating, though, it's equally terrifying. It renders you helpless to your own mind, and oftentimes medication can not be relied upon. The Ruining is the perfect read for those who also share the same intrigue on our brain's workings--or malfunctions. Reminiscent of the short story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, The Yellow Wallpaper (super short and seriously creepy ending), The Ruining is the story of a girl who...more I've always found something fascinating about mental illness. As much as I find it fascinating, though, it's equally terrifying. It renders you helpless to your own mind, and oftentimes medication can not be relied upon. The Ruining is the perfect read for those who also share the same intrigue on our brain's workings--or malfunctions. Reminiscent of the short story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, The Yellow Wallpaper (super short and seriously creepy ending), The Ruining is the story of a girl whose sudden nanny opportunity is starting to seem too good to be true.

You've probably noticed that I've been reading a lot of great mind f*cks lately--I've been on a great run!--, it seems like each one I read is better than the last, and you can be sure this one will give you a run for your money! At her new job as a nanny, it all seemed so surreal how lucky Annie was to get this great job. A rich neighborhood, a giant house, even a cute boy next door. However, things have been starting to get weird when Annie's memory seems to be faulty, and she's had this… feeling, that something is just not right. It looks like Annie is going mad, and honestly, I felt like I was going insane right along with her. I felt anxious and creeped out both by Libby--the mother--and Annie's actions. I was made to question absolutely everything that was happening, never quite sure what to believe. Annie's narrative is especially convincing of her fragile state of mind. I found myself lost in her own confusion so deeply that I started to feel like I was losing my own marbles just by trying to keep it all straight. As far as mind f*cks go, it can hardy get any better than this! This is especially surprising considering the bigger picture of the mystery is not all that hard to figure out, it doesn't change the threatening, sinister feeling that gets greater as you advance in the story. Anna is a master at building suspense!

This leads me to Annie's mother. A woman who goes from the sweetest employer to a raving bitch in mere days, as if she was bipolar. I thought it made her such a great character in this type of story as you never know what will cause her next freak-out, or if she gets like that because she's secretly enjoying mentally torturing Annie. The whole book has this same tone, you never quite know who's at fault, here. Even the little girl started to give me the creeps with her constant humming of that nursery rhyme.

Annie's rock and the only sane part of the book, is Owen. She finds a friend, and then more, in the boy next door. I thought the romance was sweet, and Owen incredibly likeable. He's a truly good guy, and it's sad to say that these have been rare in YA lately. With all the suspense in the story, I did not dwell on the romance very much, but it's a great way to balance out the insanity, giving our minds a mental break.

It's really hard to review this type of book because everything is a spoiler. I want to talk about the ending, I want to praise things about it, and complain (minorly) about others. Aside from its predictability, all I can say is I thought it ended a little "easily". As if after the mystery was revealed, the author wanted to be done with the story while still having it end all nicely tied up. It's minor in the larger picture, but I was hoping for something a little more dramatic--even an ambiguous and disturbing ending like The Yellow Wallpaper would have been preferred. Needless to say, this book is fantastic and the ending only bumped it slightly to the 4star side--otherwise, it would have gotten the full 5 stars it greatly deserves for messing with my mind so completely!

--
An advance copy was provided by the publisher for review.

For more of my reviews, visit my blog at Xpresso Reads

(less)

31 likes · like · see review

Mar 01, 2013 Dan rated it 2 of 5 stars

I read this based on a twitter recommendation that this book showed the potential range for New Adult (NA) books. And this is true - unlike the other NA novels I have read, this is not simply a contemporary romance, but contains a heavy dose of gothic-like horror. Ultimately it fails not because of the subject matter but because of the characterization of Annie. Her admiration for Libby is never truly felt even though we're told of it many times. Without this connection, the transformations that...more

2 likes · like · see review

Jun 06, 2013 BookChic Club rated it 5 of 5 stars

I really liked this book. I have seen some mixed reviews of it (one of which led me to an awesome blog- David Reviews!), but I enjoyed it. I had problems stopping and just wanted to keep reading until I got to the end. I would read so many pages in one sitting.

Throughout the book, I was trying to figure out if Annie was being an unreliable narrator, or if Libby was really being manipulative and/or just plain crazy, thus making Annie doubt herself. It was a nice twisty tale, keeping me on my toe...more

1 like · like · see review

Jun 02, 2013 Lindsey Matthews rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Ruining by Anna Collomore is a compelling novel about a young girl who takes a job as a live in nanny in California to leave her broken home in Detroit, Michigan. After building a close bond with the family and the boy next door Annie quickly discovers that Libby, the mother and one in charge, has some skeletons in her closet... literally. Libby uses Annie's dreadful past to manipulate her and make her believe that she has gone insane in order for her to cover up her own secrets. I personal...more

like · see review

Apr 19, 2013 Caroline added it

I finished this book in a rush because it started to really bother me. I read the first ten chapters or so then skipped to the last two chapters to see how it would end. When I was assured that it would have a semi okay ending I went back to reading and then I ended up skimming over the five chapters I had skipped.

It is not like I didn't enjoy reading The Ruining I did but it was drawn out. At first I thought that I would love the character of Annie but she began to grate on my nerves. Her char...more

like · see review

Apr 03, 2013 Warnie B. rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery, young-adult, plano-public-libraries, read-in-2013, realistic-fiction

Ehhhhhh...

So, on the one hand, this is a really interesting idea, and done in an interesting way. On the other hand, I can't say it's done well.

In a way, this reminded me somewhat of Nova Ren Suma's Imaginary Girls, in that we are expected to believe that the main character is convinced of another character's all around awesomeness even while ourselves feeling an overwhelming sense of revulsion for that same person. And, for me at least, it just doesn't work. All I do is loose all respect for a...more

2 likes · like · see review

Mar 23, 2013 Manda rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: that-creepy-crawly-feeling, thought-id-like-it-more, smells-like-teen-spirit, meh-story, here-be-uncovering-truth, haunt-and-horrify, great-idea-ok-execution, cant-believe-i-finished, annoying-characters

This is a bit of a struggle to review, because I wished it was better than it was. I also quickly read The Yellow Wallpaper to know the inspiration for this book and have a comparison, and unfortunately The Ruining falls short of the former's tense and (what I feel) would be a more accurate depiction of a woman's descent into madness.

This isn't to say that this was a horrible book. I just wish the writing was better, and the characters' (mostly Libby's) motivations less shaky. I didn't hate Anni...more

1 like · like · see review

Mar 09, 2013 Shoshana rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013, netgalley, young-adult, crazy-people

This was a very intense reading experience, to the point where reading it was uncomfortable at times. To that point, I'm not sure who I would recommend/sell this to - older teens, probably. It's not like there was any sexual or violent content that would prohibit it from, say, 14-year-olds, but it's pretty psychologically twisted. (Which to be fair, some people are way into.)

I've seen some criticism regarding Annie's psychotic break - her flip-flopping opinion of Libby, etc - but personally tha...more

like · see review

Feb 15, 2013 Della rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: netgalley

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

2 likes · like · see review

Feb 10, 2013 Lindley rated it 2 of 5 stars

I requested this ARC via Net-Galley because the premise sounded really creepy and interesting. At first, I enjoyed the story of a family that might not be what it seems, but as the story progressed, it became less and less believable that Annie, the novel's protagonist, didn't have a clue what was going on around her. It became a particularly frustrating read when Annie vacillated between her feelings on who she should trust--flipping 180 degrees between two characters at least three times withi...more

1 like · like · see review

Feb 10, 2013 Medeia Sharif rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2013

Annie leaves Detroit to move to San Francisco. She’s leaving behind a painful past to start fresh. She’s going to be a nanny to adorable Zoe, daughter of the Cohens. Zoe’s parents are wealthy and sophisticated. Walker is handsome and his younger wife, Libby, is flawless. Annie is going to live in their lovely abode while she takes college classes.

But things quickly take a turn for the worst. First off, Annie is haunted by what happened in Detroit; she believes she’s at fault for her little siste...more

like · see review

Jan 31, 2013 Cathy rated it 4 of 5 stars

It never ceases to amaze me the amount of power the act of persuasion and manipulation has over some people. Sure there might be easier targets than others but still it doesn’t stop fascinating me. This book was pure manipulation in its highest form, it was crazy with a capitol C and I loved every minute of it. Psychological in all the right ways.

We meet Annie who has just moved out of her home in Detroit to California to be a nanny to a family she met online. That alone is enough to be shady in...more It never ceases to amaze me the amount of power the act of persuasion and manipulation has over some people. Sure there might be easier targets than others but still it doesn’t stop fascinating me. This book was pure manipulation in its highest form, it was crazy with a capitol C and I loved every minute of it. Psychological in all the right ways.

We meet Annie who has just moved out of her home in Detroit to California to be a nanny to a family she met online. That alone is enough to be shady in itself, but she wanted to get out the family looked like a very happy all American family. She was excited to finally go there and get away from her family and all the bad memories she had there. She arrived there and everything seemed to be going great, she was taking care of Zoe mostly as Libby would take care of baby Jackson. Walker, the husband was there but not really, you know the type a businessman that doesn’t want to get in the middle of anything.

As Annie was taking care of Zoe she knocked over some boxes and saw some papers she probably shouldn’t have seen, this of course angered Libby and now begins the strong manipulation. Libby would make Annie feel like she was her best friend, even like a sister. She would make suggestions to her and if she didn’t follow it she would get angry and that caused Annie to want to please her even more. Annie is obviously not a very strong person if she was manipulated so easily but still it was an interesting thing to watch, she’s quite dependant on other people.

From the very beginning of the book you knew something was off with Libby, and even if you already knew what it was it was the unfolding of the whole situation that made this book exciting. To watch the layers fall from here and there and the crazy manipulating sociopath would emerge. But Annie the ever gullible and easily manipulated still to the very end seemed to want to be in Libby’s good graces, that was annoying but again she is weak. Throughout the book she forms a relationship with her neighbor, Owen. I think it’s a healthy relationship but I also think that maybe Annie needs to learn how to be strong and independent.

Overall the book was good, again seeing something unfold that you already know is going to happen is fun because you don’t know exactly how it will happen. I really loved that Libby would call Annie Nanny and say no I’m calling you Annie, now Nanny what are you doing. Too funny! And Annie started believing her name was Nanny. What great manipulation. Check the book out if you get a chance!
(less)

1 like · like · see review

Dec 04, 2012 Melodie rated it 3 of 5 stars

I signed up to read this ARC via Netgalley because the premise was so good/spooky - a young woman with a trauma in her past leaves her hometown in search of a better life. Annie is hired to act as a nanny to the young Cohen family and at first, all is bliss. Libby, her boss and mother to two children, is nurturing, kind and encouraging. But when Annie accidentally uncovers part of Libby's past, Libby turns into Mother Dearest and begins to subtley torture Annie in ways that leave her wondering w...more

1 like · like · see review

Feb 14, 2013 CorLostForWords rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, arc-tour, e-book

Source: Received from publicist. Many thanks goes to Penguin/Razorbill for sending me a copy of this book for review. I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review. This review is part of the Razorbill blog tour.

My Rating: 4/5

Annie Phillips jumps at the chance to nanny for a family in sunny California when she realizes it would mean she could leave her current life, and family, behind. She falls in love with the Cohen family, and idolizes Libby. The adage be careful what...more Source: Received from publicist. Many thanks goes to Penguin/Razorbill for sending me a copy of this book for review. I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review. This review is part of the Razorbill blog tour.

My Rating: 4/5

Annie Phillips jumps at the chance to nanny for a family in sunny California when she realizes it would mean she could leave her current life, and family, behind. She falls in love with the Cohen family, and idolizes Libby. The adage be careful what you wish for comes into play as she realizes that not everything is ideal in her new life. She fights to hold on to her sanity as she tries to figure out if Libby is truly the person she thinks she is; or if she is the cause for all of the weird and crippling situations that are occurring with a frightening regularity.
The Ruining has oppressive undertones that nag and worry the reader as they are reading. It is easy to see Annie's descent into madness, even though she herself cannot see it. Within the first few pages we get a glimmering of Libby's personality. However, Annie, who is completely enraptured with creating the ideal life for herself with a new family, does not see that there is something off with her 'perfect' family.
The undertones throughout the novel continue to build this web of confusion, and madness around Annie, leaving the reader unsettled. As we find out more, we realize, long before Annie does, how dangerous Libby can be. Nothing is as it seems, and Annie will need to figure out what is going on before she loses herself, her identity, completely.
I would have liked more closure, for Annie's sake, as I felt that there were some things left unresolved. Collomore weaves a brilliant tale of madness and horror as Annie realizes that things are not alright, that she cannot trust herself, or those around her. I just wish that there had been a more visual, more tangible interaction between Annie and Libby at the end of the book once Annie comes full circle and realizes just what has happened to her. I felt the ending was a bit anti-climactic for my taste. That is not to say others won't enjoy it, I just wanted a little more action.
All in all, The Ruining is a chilling and disturbing read that does not pull any punches. Annie struggles with identity and madness. The sheer insidiousness of the book alone had me reading along wanting to know more, with the hope that Annie would realize what was happening to her before it was too late. Even now, the book has gotten under my skin, and it has left me feeling a little unsettled.(less)

like · see review

Feb 10, 2013 Bailey (IB Book Blogging) rated it 4 of 5 stars

THE RUINING is a heart-wrenching psychological thriller that had me on edge the entire book. Once I started it, I just couldn't stop. The plot twists and shocking revelations are aplenty, making it difficult for the reader to even want to get away from the novel. I had no idea what to expect going in, which made it all the more enjoyable for me. Readers of all genres are going to gobble THE RUINING up in no time. Anna Collomore is one heck of a writer!

Annie is what I would describe as an unreli...more THE RUINING is a heart-wrenching psychological thriller that had me on edge the entire book. Once I started it, I just couldn't stop. The plot twists and shocking revelations are aplenty, making it difficult for the reader to even want to get away from the novel. I had no idea what to expect going in, which made it all the more enjoyable for me. Readers of all genres are going to gobble THE RUINING up in no time. Anna Collomore is one heck of a writer!

Annie is what I would describe as an unreliable narrator in that everything she thinks and feels is almost begging to be questioned. I had no idea what was real, or what to even think about Annie. Her interactions with Libby were confusing and extremely odd. I found myself wanting to believe in Annie, no matter what crazy things were going on around her. My mind scrambled to come up with explanations for the events that conspired around her. At one point, I even felt like I was going as crazy as Annie!

The one person that felt real to me in Annie's jumbled up world was Owen. He is the most solid guy that I've ever come across in YA. He isn't your average guy, nor is he the stereotypical bad boy who usually pops up in YA. He's heroic, admirable, hot, and crazy sweet. I don't think Annie would have made it without Owen. While he plays a minor role in the beginning of the book, he is essential to Annie's happiness by the end. I love Owen.

I absolutely love books that shock me to the core. THE RUINING is one of those books that is guaranteed to make readers minds spin. There isn't anything that can prevent that! At one point in the book, I wasn't even sure where I stood on anything. I felt as lost as Annie. It's a special kind of book that can make me wonder at what truly is going on. While I was able to solve the mystery towards the end before everything was revealed, I still think Collomore did a wonderful job crafting it. I did feel a bit disoriented during some scenes, wondering how Annie got there in the first place without any kind of explanation. However, that didn't stop me from devouring the novel!

THE RUINING is a book for readers that want to experience crazy without actually going mentally insane themselves. It's a fascinating YA thriller that will leave readers craving more of Collomore's impressive story-telling. (less)

like · see review

Mar 15, 2013 David rated it 1 of 5 stars

david-reviews.com

(This review will contain spoilers but you will receive a warning before it)

I've been putting off writing this review for about 4 days now. I've been struggling with trying to find the right words to describe why I didn't like this book.

Let's start with what I did enjoy. I loved the fluid writing style. There were no rough transitions between paragraphs and there weren't any messed up sentences. The author can definitely spin a sentence and I loved that.

Then there is the cover....more david-reviews.com

(This review will contain spoilers but you will receive a warning before it)

I've been putting off writing this review for about 4 days now. I've been struggling with trying to find the right words to describe why I didn't like this book.

Let's start with what I did enjoy. I loved the fluid writing style. There were no rough transitions between paragraphs and there weren't any messed up sentences. The author can definitely spin a sentence and I loved that.

Then there is the cover. I absolutely loved the cover. It drew me towards the book and I was looking forward to reading it.

And now on to the bad. I figured out the plot before I was even half way in. (Mega spoiler) Libby chose Annie to take care of her children even though she knew for a fact that Annie's little sister drowned while in her care. No parent in the right mindset would allow Annie to permanently take care of their children. Unless they have ulterior motives, of course. Then the moment Annie accidentally uncovered a box of important documents which included a crucial clue, a will that included Walker, Libby's husband as the heir of his ex wifes huge fortune. If that doesn't practically spell out (framed) murder for the reader, I don't know what would. (Mega spoiler over)

And then there is Annie, the main character. I understood that she wanted to trust Libby, wanted to be her best friend but when she was clearly being manipulated and forced into doing things, the red flags should have gone off for her. I mean God, Libby locked her in a room for an entire day. I was hoping that Annie would finally take control of herself and the situation, but nope. She cried, made a couple phone calls to the wrong people and then forgave Libby like it was nothing the moment she was let out. If that was me I wouldn't have called my mom. I would have called 911 like a normal person.

The last problem I want to talk about is the ending. If Libby and Annie had an epic show down and Libby was confronted with the truths of her past, I would have been happy. But no, that's not what happened. It was literally summarized in maybe 2 paragraphs by Annie's boyfriend. For me, that isn't an ending. That was just a quick and easy wrap up that left me disappointed.

I'm sure that I would have liked this book if I didn't figure out the plot from the get go. I'm positive other people will love it, but it definitely isn't the book for me.

1/5
(less)

like · see review

May 11, 2013 Amani rated it 4 of 5 stars

It took me a few minutes to decide whether to give this 3 or 4 stars. I did like this book, I enjoyed the story and I couldn't put it down, but there's just something about it that seems a little.. off. I'm not sure what it is. I think it might be the fact that I couldn't sympathize with the protagonist. I enjoy books that make me feel the way the protagonist is feeling, and in this book I didn't. Maybe it's the writing style, or maybe it's the way things happened. The book dragged on a little a...more

2 likes · like · see review

Jan 25, 2013 Melanie rated it 4 of 5 stars

I love psychological thrillers and this one did not disappoint. Annie leaves her tough world behind and takes a job as a live-in nanny with a perfect rich family in a mansion and starts college and bonus there's a cute guy next door. Her new life seems perfect......but that very quickly changes. This book plays with your mind, it's awesome. As Annie starts to feel like she's losing her mind with all the strange happenings, you'll feel like your losing your mind along with her. Annie is a great p...more

like · see review

Feb 05, 2013 Ashley rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: debut-author-challenge

Reviewed at The Quiet Concert

Contemporary/Psychological thrillers are not my normal choice but The Ruining had me instantly captivated, flying through the book. Collomore developed the relationship between Annie and Libby (her boss) with such detail and intensity it was hard to start to feel creeped out by what was happening. By the end you really start to question Annie's sanity and try to figure out what is Libby's deal and piece together the clues given. The relationship between Annie and Ow...more

like · see review

Jan 17, 2013 Nicole rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc-or-first-reads, debut-author-challenge, 4-stars, 2013-read, ya-other

This review and more can be found at The Quiet Concert

MY MIND IS REELING! If you enjoy a good psychological thriller then READ THIS BOOK. I felt like I was loosing my sanity right along with Annie (or was it Nanny?).

You know what they say "If it seems too good to be true, it probably is".

Annie just escaped the poverty of Detroit to start anew in California where she will be attending SFSU while Nannying for the Cohen's. Annie takes to the Cohens quickly, especially Libby who seems to understand...more This review and more can be found at The Quiet Concert

MY MIND IS REELING! If you enjoy a good psychological thriller then READ THIS BOOK. I felt like I was loosing my sanity right along with Annie (or was it Nanny?).

You know what they say "If it seems too good to be true, it probably is".

Annie just escaped the poverty of Detroit to start anew in California where she will be attending SFSU while Nannying for the Cohen's. Annie takes to the Cohens quickly, especially Libby who seems to understand Annie and care about her wellbeing. Libby fills a void in Annie's life, enabling the attachment that Annie forms so quickly. But too soon, the Cohens catch Annie after she accidentally stumbled across some seemingly unimportant papers and the entire dynamic changes.

Libby's behavior towards Annie becomes erratic. One moment she is warm and motherly, the next she is cold and patronizing. Since Annie is so fond of Libby, she internalizes Libby's displeasure and believes it is her responsibility to be better. Libby applies more and more pressure, demands more and more from Annie, and Annie finds herself giving in. She can't go back home and has no where else to go. She played her hand with the Cohens so she's desperate to make this work.

She feels the boundaries that should exist slipping away but Libby offers just enough push and pull that Annie is constantly doubting herself, and as a reader I was doubting everything too. More and more weird stuff starts to happen that Annie can't explain or remember, small changes that prey on Annie's weaknesses. She's overworked, stressed and exhausted and it all starts to take a toll on her mental health.

The progression of events in this novel and decline of Annies mental wellbeing is really believable. This book is written in such a way that you question everything even if you already have an idea of what's supposed to happen or who is to blame. I found myself cataloging almost every detail wating for the next page to point a finger at someone new. Everything and everyone is suspect. And Annie's thought process as she tries to make sense of things is really convincing which only adds to the suspense and confusion. I was freaking out by the end of this book because becoming crazy doesn't seen so unlikely if you have the right triggers. Reading this was a total mind f%#k.

Throughout the book, Annie finds comfort in the wholesome boy next door, Owen. She feels clear-headed and herself when around him so he's kind of like her small hold on reality and normalcy. But this relationship really takes a backseat to the rest of the story and I was a little upset by the lack of detail, my only real negative comment. Annie and Owen practically went from just meeting to fullblown relationship with baggage which made me feel as if this romance was just used as a tool for the rest of the plot to progress and wrap-up cleanly.

This book is fantasically creepy. Its hard to give to much more detail without the risk of giving too much away but the setting, characters and events just work together so well. Anna Collomore drops just enough red flags in the dialogue that keep you on the edge of your seat. This book reads more like a contemporary for at least the first half but then really picks up at the end as the weirdness starts to happen more frequently. The resolution is a little brief but still sufficient.

Overall, this is a suspensful and gripping read. If a glimpse at mental illness and instability sounds enthralling to you then this is definitely something you should read.

4/5 stars.(less)

like · see review

Apr 01, 2013 Christelle rated it 2 of 5 stars

I don't know what to say.

I was reeeeally interested in this book in the beginning. The eeriness really drew me in. However, it failed in execution.

I liked Annie's backstory. Yes let's make the main character someone with a very difficult past. Yes, let's make the MC a victim of mental illness. Why not? This gave Annie some dimension and honesty. I am tired of the perfect MC who doesn't know she's pretty and is clumsy and adorable. In other words, I'm am so tired of Bellas!!! Make it stop! Anna,...more

1 like · like · see review

Feb 11, 2013 Avery rated it 3 of 5 stars

When I first started to read this book I was excited- it had all of the elements that I enjoy in books of this nature, psychological thrillers, where the main character struggles to differentiate between fact and fiction- a fast-paced plotline where you are constantly sitting on the edge of your seat, a build-up and swell of emotions as the main character spirals more and more downwards into insanity, and a villain who is so convincing that you can't help but wonder if they actually are a villai...more When I first started to read this book I was excited- it had all of the elements that I enjoy in books of this nature, psychological thrillers, where the main character struggles to differentiate between fact and fiction- a fast-paced plotline where you are constantly sitting on the edge of your seat, a build-up and swell of emotions as the main character spirals more and more downwards into insanity, and a villain who is so convincing that you can't help but wonder if they actually are a villain. That being said, I feel that at the crescendo of the book, the most epic part, it just... fell flat, ending on a sour note, or, in this case, too normal of a note, bordering on domestic.

Additionally, I did find the romance element of the book, between Annie and Owen, to be fairly unconvincing. Only after a few encounters, in all of which Annie was horrid to Owen, he was willing to do anything for her. While I think that the author had intended for this to come across as being romantic, I thought that it was anything but- I couldn't help but think that Annie had ended up in almost an identical situation to that of which she was in with Libby, with Owen (being bossed around by another, not having control of her life, etc.)- you'd think that with everything that she had suffered through she would know better than to do that again.

As becomes evident, I am quite torn about this book, perhaps the most torn that I have ever been while rating a book before- does the awesome first 3/4 of the book outweigh the iffy last 1/4? Or is the last 1/4 do disappointing that it colours everything else? Is the book worth 3 stars? 4? Or even 5? Would I recommend this book? Or would I recommend similar books instead? Overall, while I do love the concept of the book I think that the execution is lacking, especially at the end. I personally find that "The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer" by Michelle Hodkins and "Lucid" by Adrienne Stoltz and Ron Bass are more successful at tackling this genre than this book is. That being said, I can see myself rereading this book again in the future- a sign that I like it enough to do so.(less)

like · see review

Feb 20, 2013 Melissa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: new-adult-challange, creepy

plot 7/10: Wow is all I can really say. Giselle over at Xpresso reads had told me this would be a mind f*ck before I started reading, but she wasn't kidding. It was one of those books that makes you feel like you're slowly going insane right along with the main character. After I finished the book I felt l like staring at a wall for a few hours and rocking back and forth...just kidding sorta. It really messed with me though.

I will say that it was a little predictable. I was able to figure out th...more

like · see review

Dec 31, 2012 Emily rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: owns, arcs

The Ruining definitely gave me the creeps, which is hard to do while reading in the middle of a bright cheery day. It reminded me of the mind bending twists and visual imagery that the film Shutter Island displayed.

I was absolutely certain I had it all figured out, but I sunk into the same confusion and hysteria main character Annie fell into and began to doubt myself. Was she really insane, or was the family who keep their secrets so hidden to blame for her madness?

While the ending was left o...more

like · see review

May 08, 2013 Anna Z rated it 5 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

like · see review

Jan 21, 2013 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: netgalley-arc, predictable, 2013, ebook, 3-stars

The Good

Libby. Libby's unbelievable mood swings and bipolar tendencies made for an interesting character. Every time she showed up, you had no idea who you were going to get: sweet, supportive, motherly Libby or mean, demanding, unrealistic Libby. She is by far the most complex, interesting character in the story hands down.
The ending. The ending to this book is perfectly ominous. You have no idea if Annie is safe or not, but the most interesting aspect of this story was the fact that Annie...more The Good

Libby. Libby's unbelievable mood swings and bipolar tendencies made for an interesting character. Every time she showed up, you had no idea who you were going to get: sweet, supportive, motherly Libby or mean, demanding, unrealistic Libby. She is by far the most complex, interesting character in the story hands down.
The ending. The ending to this book is perfectly ominous. You have no idea if Annie is safe or not, but the most interesting aspect of this story was the fact that Annie learns nothing. Most characters learn from past experiences and, by the end of their journey, are smarter and stronger for them. Annie most definitely is not. She is perfectly content to once again hand her entire life off to another person, allowing them to control every aspect of it.

The Bad

The instalove. I really liked Owen's character, but there was a good bit of instalove going on when Annie first meets him, which I didn't really care for.
The predictability. It's fairly obvious early on in the book what is actually going on, and it's unbelievably frustrating that the narrator is so naive that she doesn't understand what is happening to her. I understand it is because of her background--she just wants someone to love and accept her, to keep her safe, and she feels like she has nowhere else to go, but still. Call the police or something? It was just a little too unbelievable the amount of stuff Annie put up with.
The confusion. The problem with books like this is that they need to be written in such a way that they are mind-boggling and puzzling, leaving the narrator in a state of confusion, without creating a plot line that gets too complex for its own good. There were about two chapters near the end of the book where the psychological manipulation was too much for me and I had a hard time following the plot. Other than that, the suspense and disorientation were crafted fairly well, other than the overall predictability of the story which I already addressed.

Overall Rating

3/5 - While fairly predictable and slightly confusing at times, this book had a very strong ending. Libby was a wonderfully complex, unpredictable antagonist and I loved every time she made an appearance. The most fascinating part of this story, however, was Annie's total inability to learn from her mistakes. As a character, she has little to no growth over the course of the story, despite the horrible things that happen to her. As a role model, she is terrible, but as a character she is very interesting in that she represents the fact that some people really never change.

(less)

like · see review

May 08, 2013 Rayne rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: psychological, mystery, stand-alone-novel, there-s-romance-in-there-somewhere, new-adult, victims-of-the-insta-love-monster, young-adult, totally-saw-that-coming

The story behinds this novel is actually quite excellent. The plot works very well in theory, but when it comes down to the execution, the novel fails to live up to its promise. It was just too much of everything, which ended up making the story predictable, overly dramatic and even too hard to process and take on sometimes. I do appreciate the author's efforts with the particular way in which all the subjects of the novel got handled and the way the story progressed, but it got a bit out of han...more

1 like · like · see review

May 26, 2013 Nancy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Things are really looking up for Annie. She is leaving behind her life in Detroit for a new life in San Francisco. No more living in poverty for her. She is now the new nanny for the Cohen family and she has it all. The mother, Libby, takes Annie under her wing and buys her fancy clothes and even lets her use the car. Annie has a boyfriend now and life couldn’t be better. But it can be worse. Libby is starting to find fault in everything Annie does. She is getting blamed for things she didn’t do...more

like · see review

Jan 13, 2013 Tris The Stiff rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc-s-i-own, books-i-own, books-ive-won, couldnt-finish, ew, not-worth-the-read

This had a promising start but not much more after that. I got around page 200 and could read no more.

The main character is very annoying. Libby will do some torturous things to her and she'll just shrug them off. She continues to act like Libby is God and constantly sticks up for her. Annie is probably the most annoying character I've ever read.

I'm not really sure why this is called a thriller? Now I haven't read much in this genre but isn't it supposed to pick up a bit faster? Pretty much th...more

2 likes · like · see review

Dec 08, 2012 Jasmin rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: galleys, dec-12, 2013-feb-release

The Ruining is about a girl, Annie, who didn't have the best childhood. She isn't a lucky girl but now luck might finally come to her…or so she thinks. Annie takes on a job as a nanny in San Francisco. She stays with a nice and wealthy family and looks after their two kids. Only this way she can pay for university. Not sure what to study her host mom encourages her to study the same she did herself. Annie feels really close to her host mom because she thinks only she "gets" her. The first weeks...more

like · see review

title link	preview: The Ruining
avg rating	preview: The Ruining Goodreads rating: 3.45 (328 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15715847-the-ruining?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1349214469l/15715847.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15715847-the-ruining?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Ruining by Anna Collomore[/url]

The Ruining

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (3)

Genres

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Anna Collomore

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About The Ruining

The Ruining

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topicDiscuss This Book

combineOther Editions (3)

Genres

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Anna Collomore

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About The Ruining

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (3)