I can’t remember if I requested an ARC of Saint X.
I was pretty surprised when it showed up on my doorstep last fall, so I’m guessing that I didn’t actually seek this one out. However, it’s possible I just forgot. Book bloggers tend to say yes to any offers of free books that come their way, and, while I limit the ARCS I request to only a few per year, there’s a good chance I read a synopsis of Saint X before my self-imposed ARC restrictions and requested the freebie copy.
Whatever the case, I was pretty psyched when it arrived, because 1) pretty cover!, and 2) it came with a press packet! To make things even more exciting, the press packet contained….bookish recipes!! It was just too perfect for this book and book-inspired recipe blogger, and I figured it was kismet that Saint X found its way to me.
However, as I eagerly skimmed the press packet, my heart began to sink. The publishers of Saint X are planning a launch of 20,000 copies. That’s a pretty substantial number of books, particularly for a debut author. Clearly, there are high expectations for this one.
And, that healthy print run is what set my spidey senses tingling.
After years of working in publishing, I’ve developed a bit of sixth sense when it comes to sniffing out bestsellers and duds. And, while my intuition isn’t 100% foolproof, I will say that, more times than not, the runaway bestsellers are the ones you don’t see coming.
On the flip side, the books you do think everyone will rip off the shelves are the ones that end up being duds. Aaaaaaand, that will leave you with approximately 17,296 copies left in stock.
Tartlets, I’m sorry to tell you that, for me, Saint X was a dud.
I found the beginning of Alexis Schaitkin’s debut novel to be very slow and dull. I realize that the author is setting the stage, and while some may enjoy the long, languorous descriptions of the tropical island where an ill-fated family is vacationing, I found the level of detail unnecessarily exaggerated and overdone. It’s hammered into your head repeatedly throughout the first chapter: THIS IS PARADISE! SURF, SUN, UNLIMITED DRINKS, GIRLS WITH GREAT BEACH BODIES! UPPER-MIDDLE CLASS FAMILIES ARE ENJOYING THEIR WELL-EARNED AND EXPENSIVE BEACH VACATIONS!
We get it. Bad things are not supposed to happen here. Can we just get to the trouble in paradise, please?
Honestly, I was ready to throw in the (beach) towel by page 34. I forced myself to keep reading, but I was pretty damn excited to invoke my 50-page rule and officially call it quits with Saint X.
Then, the murder happened. (This is not a spoiler.) Finally, the story got a little more interesting. And emotional. I was intrigued, so I kept going.
I got to page 76 and had to put the book down because, well, the day was beginning and I had things to do. I placed my bookmark between the pages, thoroughly intending to return to Saint X the next free moment I got.
That was, ummm, three months ago? Yeah. Thanksgiving came and went. Christmas came, company came, then they all went, too. January came and brought with it a TBR pile as long as my arm, and the story of Saint X just didn’t have the pull to bring me back to it. Now, here we are, with the official pub date for Saint X only a few weeks away, and me without a finished book. I’m gonna call a time of death on this one and just place it in my DNF pile.
Saint X wasn’t a bad book; it’s well written, though not in a style that I prefer. I expected this to be more of a thriller, but from what I read, it’s more of a “what happens after” kind of thing, which is an admittedly different and cool concept.
When I left off, the story was getting kinda good, but not good enough to win out over the other books waiting to be read on my shelves. Since there is such a large publicity campaign planned for this title, I’ve noticed Saint X pop up on Instagram feeds of other book bloggers I follow. From what I’ve seen so far, I’m not the only one who DNF’d this book. However, reading is subjective, and many readers may disagree with me/us and really love this book.
For what it’s worth, though, I think Celadon Books better make some extra room in their warehouse for the remaining copies…
Have you read Saint X? I’d love to know what you thought about it!
Saint X by Alexis Schaitkin will be available for sale on February 18, 2020 from Celadon Books. Although I received a complimentary advance copy of this book, all opinions expressed in this review are my own, and I was not compensated in any way for this review or for any other promotion/publicity I’ve done related to this book.
Agree. It was ok. I didn’t like the ending. How Claire meet Clive was too far-fetched for me. From about 1/2 way point, I skimmed/sped read to get through it.
Hi, Kelly! I agree…how she met Clive felt too contrived for me. I’m a fan of coincidence, but come on… lol. Sounds like I didn’t miss much by stopping reading early on! Thanks for letting me know. 😊