Review of Deceptive Calm
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Review of Deceptive Calm
[Following is a volunteer review of "Deceptive Calm" by Patricia Skipper.]
There’s a certain kind of book that doesn’t just tell a story but haunts you quietly afterwards — Deceptive Calm is like that. At first, it seems like a familiar premise: a woman trapped in a gilded cage of abuse, lies, and silence. But the more I read, the more it unfolded into something deeper, something that felt strangely close to the surface of real life. Vanessa Vaughn’s story isn’t just about surviving a brutal marriage or reclaiming a stolen identity. It’s about what it means to have someone stand by you in your darkest moment — and what it does to you when the world, the system, even your own family turns away. The emotional center of the novel, for me, was not just Vanessa’s inner strength, but Trisha Bibbs’ unshakable loyalty, her fierce, instinctive protectiveness, and that very human bond between two women who should have been broken — but weren’t.
Trisha isn’t your average sidekick. She’s more like a human firewall against the kind of evil that hides behind designer suits and family legacy. In the world this book paints — one where racism is written into medical records and justice has a price tag — Trisha is that rare character who never once wavers. There’s this moment when she’s literally holding a gun and shielding Vanessa and Brett from certain death, and all I could think was: how many women like her are out there, unthanked, unnamed, just doing what needs to be done? I think what hit me hardest was how real it all felt. The hospital cover-ups, the family gaslighting, the smug cruelty behind Alexander’s calm voice. It was eerily familiar. Too familiar. I'm not sure if that’s why it hurt, or why I couldn't look away.
I liked the strong portrayal of female friendship between Vanessa and Trisha; it was powerful and emotional without being overly sentimental. There was no romantic gloss, no moralizing tone — just real fear, raw courage, and the kind of love that doesn’t ask questions. But I disliked that Trisha wasn’t given even more page time in the first half, considering how much of the emotional and physical heavy lifting she does later. There were chapters early on where her absence was noticeable — like a missing limb. I wonder if the author was trying to mirror Vanessa’s isolation, but still, I felt the loss. Giving Trisha a more active presence from the beginning would’ve made her rise feel less sudden and even more earned.
I’m giving Deceptive Calm 4 out of 5 stars. I held back that one star mostly because of Trisha’s delayed prominence. She’s just too essential to be treated as an accessory in those first 100 pages. If her loyalty and grit had been allowed to breathe a little earlier, I think the story would’ve flowed even more powerfully — like a friendship unfolding in real-time instead of a flashback surprise.
And yet, here I am days later, still thinking about it. Still remembering the way Vanessa whispered goodbye to a version of herself that had been caged for too long, still picturing Trisha standing over her like a fortress. This book isn’t just fiction. It’s a quiet scream, a love letter to loyalty, and a reminder that some people are worth rebuilding your whole life for.
******
Deceptive Calm
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
There’s a certain kind of book that doesn’t just tell a story but haunts you quietly afterwards — Deceptive Calm is like that. At first, it seems like a familiar premise: a woman trapped in a gilded cage of abuse, lies, and silence. But the more I read, the more it unfolded into something deeper, something that felt strangely close to the surface of real life. Vanessa Vaughn’s story isn’t just about surviving a brutal marriage or reclaiming a stolen identity. It’s about what it means to have someone stand by you in your darkest moment — and what it does to you when the world, the system, even your own family turns away. The emotional center of the novel, for me, was not just Vanessa’s inner strength, but Trisha Bibbs’ unshakable loyalty, her fierce, instinctive protectiveness, and that very human bond between two women who should have been broken — but weren’t.
Trisha isn’t your average sidekick. She’s more like a human firewall against the kind of evil that hides behind designer suits and family legacy. In the world this book paints — one where racism is written into medical records and justice has a price tag — Trisha is that rare character who never once wavers. There’s this moment when she’s literally holding a gun and shielding Vanessa and Brett from certain death, and all I could think was: how many women like her are out there, unthanked, unnamed, just doing what needs to be done? I think what hit me hardest was how real it all felt. The hospital cover-ups, the family gaslighting, the smug cruelty behind Alexander’s calm voice. It was eerily familiar. Too familiar. I'm not sure if that’s why it hurt, or why I couldn't look away.
I liked the strong portrayal of female friendship between Vanessa and Trisha; it was powerful and emotional without being overly sentimental. There was no romantic gloss, no moralizing tone — just real fear, raw courage, and the kind of love that doesn’t ask questions. But I disliked that Trisha wasn’t given even more page time in the first half, considering how much of the emotional and physical heavy lifting she does later. There were chapters early on where her absence was noticeable — like a missing limb. I wonder if the author was trying to mirror Vanessa’s isolation, but still, I felt the loss. Giving Trisha a more active presence from the beginning would’ve made her rise feel less sudden and even more earned.
I’m giving Deceptive Calm 4 out of 5 stars. I held back that one star mostly because of Trisha’s delayed prominence. She’s just too essential to be treated as an accessory in those first 100 pages. If her loyalty and grit had been allowed to breathe a little earlier, I think the story would’ve flowed even more powerfully — like a friendship unfolding in real-time instead of a flashback surprise.
And yet, here I am days later, still thinking about it. Still remembering the way Vanessa whispered goodbye to a version of herself that had been caged for too long, still picturing Trisha standing over her like a fortress. This book isn’t just fiction. It’s a quiet scream, a love letter to loyalty, and a reminder that some people are worth rebuilding your whole life for.
******
Deceptive Calm
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
