Review: Billy Summers

Author: Stephen King

Started reading: September 29th 2021

Finished the book: November 10th 2021

Pages: 515

Genres: Thriller, Crime

Published: August 3rd 2021

Source: Storytel

Goodreads score: 4.30

My score:

Synopsis

Billy Summers is a man in a room with a gun. He’s a killer for hire and the best in the business. But he’ll do the job only if the target is a truly bad guy. And now Billy wants out. But first there is one last hit. Billy is among the best snipers in the world, a decorated Iraq war vet, a Houdini when it comes to vanishing after the job is done. So what could possibly go wrong?

How about everything.

My thoughts

I was SO happy to get this book as a birthday present! I'd seen many good reviews in the month that the book was published. This book was a wild ride and I started to love Billy Summers. I feel like it's a real Stephen King book, with your WTF moments and an ending that leaves you pondering for a while.

Pros

• Same quirk: I loved that I have the same quirk as Billy Summers. He loves that cold spot underneath your pillow if you go to sleep. I LOVE that too. I always put my arms there and just relish in that bit of coldness before falling asleep. I had never heard that in a book so it was fun to read about it.
• Life story: Some parts of the book have flashbacks and the way Stephen King intertwined that in this book was very ingenious. You read more and more about Billy Summers early years and his years serving in the army. This book felt like a life story and I enjoyed that a lot.
• More than you think: This book is much, much more than you think. I think, that if you've read the synopsis you only know 10% of the book. So much more is going on, more is happening and I liked the second part of the book the best, when Stephen King introduces a second main character.
• Stephen King ending: THIS. ENDING. I did NOT like the ending, but I was sure I could go on with my life and maybe think about it a few days and start to like it. But no, no, no. Don't forget: You're reading a Stephen King book. So he threw another ending in my face and I wanted to go back to the first ending so bad... This book left me with that book-hangover feel. Really well done.

Cons

No no.

Overall

A real Stephen King book. I love how different all his stories are, but that you can still have that Stephen King feeling. I've been reading quite a lot of his books lately and I'm currently listening to A Good Marriage, which is so much fun as well. I'm just always sure that I'm going to read a good book if I pick up a Stephen King book.

Other opinions on this book

"King has multiple novels in play here - thriller, at least two coming-of-age stories, and a knockout road novel - and he knits them together beautifully, never missing a stitch. King has never been better than he is here at wrapping readers into a propulsive, many-tentacled narrative - complete with a perfectly orchestrated, moving ending."

- Booklist.

Memorable quotes from this book

"You can't help how you feel. Feelings are like breathing. The come in and go out."

Thanks for reading!

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