Review of Did She See You

[Gavice Victoria]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Did She See You" by Jason Johnson.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Miriam (mostly shortened as "Mim") has been mentally unstable from birth. She was diagnosed with severe psychosis, which included voices, hallucinations, and withdrawal. She does insanely hurtful things to herself and doesn't even feel the pain. Disfiguring herself was a regular occurrence, and she did it with such a sinister air that anyone would think she was doing it on purpose to punish her parents. She has also done things that would have killed her parents. Her parents try to keep an eye on her 24/7; if not, she will self-distrust by exposing herself to or causing the highest possible harm. Her father always referred to her as "Our Trouble" in his thoughts, but he never said that out loud.

Her diagnosis was fairly correct because she was worse. Her mother didn't want to give her up, so they didn't tell the whole truth about her behavior at home. I'll say her behavior was unsettling, bizarre, nasty, vengeful, well-thought-out, terrifying, demonic, and all of that, yet it was mostly consistent, which means they never got a break from her. Then a tragedy happened. Mim shoots her mother (Fiz) dead. But did she? Now her father (Denis Bic) is living his whole life trying to find out if Fiz saw who killed her. Immediately after murdering her mother, Mim goes fully into saying streams of coded words, which makes her father more furious. Denis Bic became a life coach after his wife died, but he is always paranoid about everything and everyone, always thinking that people approach him because of the incident. To find closure, he needs to know if Fiz saw who murdered her. The only way to find out is if Mim can muster an answer amid her stream of nonsensible words. Will Mim one day answer her father's question?

Did She See You by Jason Johnson is written from a first-person perspective, with Miriam's father telling the events. There are some positive aspects of the book that made me love it. First, the book brought down all my emotions. I felt for Mim's parents. They have had so many heartbreaking moments in one lifetime. Imagine that you are stuck with a child that is mentally disabled from birth. You'd have to look after them while constantly fearing the worst-case scenario. Their lives were so miserable that her dad often wished she would just die. Second, the author knows how to build tempo. It was as if I were watching a suspenseful movie play in my head. The writing style is so natural and flows effortlessly. Third, I love that this story was full of suspense and quite unpredictable. At the end of the book, I realized that almost everything I thought about the story was a mirage. The author knows just how to make my heart skip a beat. I was scared and curious at the same time. I was scared for Mr. Bic and curious about Mim. I also love how deeply this book views life and finding new meaning in a life that has lost its meaning. Lastly, I love how each character in this book was well-planned and built. Each character was perfect in their imperfections.

There is an affirmation for every chapter, which kind of relaxes me. I love how the author weaves in the lives of life coaches in this book. I enjoyed the training, the meeting, the motivations, and the affirmations. I loved getting inside the heads of life coaches to see how they give advice and help people change their lives. Another parallel message in this book is that of "screen life"—those whose totality of their lives is on screen (on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, etc.)—those who love to impress, who wait for influencers with big followings to influence them on choices to make.

There was absolutely nothing I disliked about this book. The pacing was excellent, and the narrative was unpredictable. Also, the book was professionally edited, as I encountered only one error while reading it. Therefore, I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves thrillers. Did She See You by Jason Johnson will take you on a rollercoaster, after which you will be totally spent and ask yourself, "Wait, what just happened?"

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Did She See You
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[Mercy Sos Christopher]

Sounds like something I would love to read!! I will definitely read !!!! Thanks for the review.

[Wren Michaels]

Wow, this sounds like a thrilling read. Great review

[Ruthwriter]

Mim's story is a touchy one. Coping with a psychologically imbalanced child is not always easy. I give credit to the parents. good review. thanks.

[Amy Luman]

It would be easier to blame Mim for the death of her mother than to continuously try to find out if it was true. I appreciate how conflicted Mim’s dad must feel. Just imagine loving someone so much that you would die for them and at the same time wishing they were dead.

[R_becca]

This book sounds well-written, and the author seems to have succeeded in developing interesting characters. I can't even begin to picture how Mim's parents must have felt. Amazing review

[Amy Toria]

Wouldn't it have been safer if Miriam was given the help she needed? There are some conditions that parents can't handle no matter how much they love their children. By the way, thank you for this well-written review.

[Victoria Ukamaka]

Your observations and insights were well-written and provided a great overview of what you liked and didn't like about the book. I particularly enjoyed your analysis of the book's themes and how they related to the broader context of the story. I must say that Did She See You by Jason Johnson sounds quite scary. Miriam's parents must have gone through a lot.

[Amandaruth Ama]

I'm quite enticed to read this book since it is unpredictable. I can't even begin to imagine what it will feel like to live with such a child as Miriam. How can one possibly stand watching their own child hurt herself. I can only hope for the best, and not the worst that happened to them.
Great review by the way!

[Grace Lee Rose]

It's rare to find someone born with this extreme type of disorder. Mim's parents really cared for her. They didn't sale her off or treated her less than a human. It's soothing to know this. I sincerely hope she will be able to answer her father's question amidst her incoherent speech. Your review is well-written.

[Samuel Songs]

Wouldn't it have been better for Mim's parents to get her professional help? That is why those institutions were established. Regular parents cannot be able to handle the needs for such condition. It really breaks my heart when I read stories like this. I'm curious though, so I'm adding the book to my reading list.

[Arrow Shot]

I like the way you described this book. You said that you realized, when you finished the book, that everything you knew about it was a mirage! What a way to capture my attention! I'm going to get this book right away. I'm very curious to read about this story.

[Mara Joe]

I feel for Mim's parents. Your review of Did She See You by Jason Johnson was a great read! I love how you summarized the main points and provided a detailed analysis of the themes. I can tell that this book would be right up my alley, and I'm definitely going to add it to my reading list.

[NetMassimo]

A thriller about a woman believed to have shot her mother is certainly intense and the doubts about what really happened with the possible twists make me curious. Thank you for your great review!

[Tony T]

Great job on the review! I understand that this book was written in a first person perspective, from Mim's father's point. Did it seem like other characters' voices were not heard? I usually feel so for books written in that point of view.