Thank you to NetGalley and Severn House for giving me an ARC of "Waste of a Life". All thoughts and opinions are my own.
DNF at 20%. I really wanted to like the book. I like the concept and I really love how kind and empathic Ellen approaches her job. So often, we equate messiness with a lack of virtue or self-care when in reality, it's really hard to let certain things slip past us. As someone who wrestles with depression, I really appreciate how Brett spotlights how hoarding/not cleaning is not a crucial character flaw but a symptom of something much bigger. I applaud him for such care.
Which is why I'm so bummed that I didn't connect with the book. Typically, I abandon books at 10% but I really wanted to like this book. Unfortunately, I felt that the book felt more like a decluttering anthology with an unfortunate death in it rather than a mystery book. I'm not saying I wanted Ellen to suddenly become Poirot when Waites died but I really wished his' death felt more like a priority in this mystery rather than a thing that happened. Because of that, it doesn't feel like the book has actually started, even after 1/5 of the book has passed. Additionally, Ellen is a passive lead, which isn't bad on its own but combined with the pacing issues, I couldn't convince myself to keep going.
TW: Death, suicide, Alzheimers, depression, cancer
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