Review of Deceptive Calm
Posted: 22 Jul 2025, 17:35
[Following is a volunteer review of "Deceptive Calm" by Patricia Skipper.]
Reading Deceptive Calm by Patricia Skipper was better than I expected. It can be said that this book belongs to the genres of romance, thriller, crime, and history. There is something for every reader! I am amazed at the variety of emotions I felt, along with their intensity. Following the protagonist’s life story, she grew close to my heart.
At the beginning of the book, we meet the protagonist, Vanessa, and see what her life at the orphanage looks like. As the story continues, she initially faces relationship and family difficulties, which makes her focus on building a career for a long time. Throughout it all, she has her best friend Trisha by her side, giving her endless support for all endeavors. As the story climaxes, the reader can see how every injustice gets resolved.
I was won over by the humor that runs through the entire book. In addition, watching the friendship between Vanessa and Trisha was heartwarming. It can be compared to all the great girly friendships that we already know from other books.
Along with the friendship, the theme of everlasting true love is represented through Barry, her high school friend. Vanessa encounters difficulties of an unimaginable scale, but it is for the reader to discover.
Throughout daily life, the book highlights small victories amidst great loss, the status of African-American people in American society approximately 80 years ago. A reader can see how life challenges Vanessa, as she struggles and fights for justice and her place in the world.
One thing that I didn’t expect on that scale was the amount of history described or mentioned in the book. Valuable as a learning opportunity, it includes mentions of both famous people and famous historical events, as well as lesser-known individuals and their accomplishments.
Even though I fell in love with the characters and the story, I must say that the dynamic of the book is different in the first and the second half. It starts a bit slowly for my taste, and I was dragging myself until the middle of the book, but I couldn’t put it down in the last quarter. I think it would be better if the dynamics of the story were more balanced.
In summary, I loved the story and the characters, but I didn’t like the difference in dynamics of the story, which is why I’m giving it four stars out of five. I would recommend this book to everyone, and especially readers who enjoy a good thriller with a pinch of romance, which is what this book is essentially about.
******
Deceptive Calm
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Reading Deceptive Calm by Patricia Skipper was better than I expected. It can be said that this book belongs to the genres of romance, thriller, crime, and history. There is something for every reader! I am amazed at the variety of emotions I felt, along with their intensity. Following the protagonist’s life story, she grew close to my heart.
At the beginning of the book, we meet the protagonist, Vanessa, and see what her life at the orphanage looks like. As the story continues, she initially faces relationship and family difficulties, which makes her focus on building a career for a long time. Throughout it all, she has her best friend Trisha by her side, giving her endless support for all endeavors. As the story climaxes, the reader can see how every injustice gets resolved.
I was won over by the humor that runs through the entire book. In addition, watching the friendship between Vanessa and Trisha was heartwarming. It can be compared to all the great girly friendships that we already know from other books.
Along with the friendship, the theme of everlasting true love is represented through Barry, her high school friend. Vanessa encounters difficulties of an unimaginable scale, but it is for the reader to discover.
Throughout daily life, the book highlights small victories amidst great loss, the status of African-American people in American society approximately 80 years ago. A reader can see how life challenges Vanessa, as she struggles and fights for justice and her place in the world.
One thing that I didn’t expect on that scale was the amount of history described or mentioned in the book. Valuable as a learning opportunity, it includes mentions of both famous people and famous historical events, as well as lesser-known individuals and their accomplishments.
Even though I fell in love with the characters and the story, I must say that the dynamic of the book is different in the first and the second half. It starts a bit slowly for my taste, and I was dragging myself until the middle of the book, but I couldn’t put it down in the last quarter. I think it would be better if the dynamics of the story were more balanced.
In summary, I loved the story and the characters, but I didn’t like the difference in dynamics of the story, which is why I’m giving it four stars out of five. I would recommend this book to everyone, and especially readers who enjoy a good thriller with a pinch of romance, which is what this book is essentially about.
******
Deceptive Calm
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon