“Two Seconds Later” by Tina Griffith

Two Seconds Later

Tina Griffith
Independently Published (2024)
ISBN: ‎ 979-8325354939
Reviewed by Leslie Anne Smith for Reader Views (06/2024)

“Two Seconds Later” is, at its core, the story of a woman who feels like she has lost everything. Part romance and part revenge story, “Two Seconds Later” by Tina Griffith follows Lara and her husband Asher as his infidelity comes to light and Lara is forced to reckon with how she wants to heal. Unable to accept the end of her own relationship and hurt by Asher’s betrayal, Lara takes justice into her own hands. Griffith’s latest novel has all the trappings of a revenge epic.

Spanning a tumultuous time in Lara’s life and revealing the beginnings of her heartfelt romance with Asher, “Two Seconds Later” shows the lengths one woman will go to prove her dedication to the love of her life, and what she is unwilling to allow.

Griffith has a detailed writing style and goes to great lengths to root the reader in the emotions of the characters. At times this can feel a bit overwhelming, as there is a significant amount of time spent telling us about the character’s thoughts and emotions versus showing us their reactions. But Griffith succeeds at making her protagonist a sympathetic character.

Another hallmark of Griffith’s writing in this work is the use of flashbacks. There are a significant number of flashbacks where the characters reminisce about how they met one another and about their lives as a whole. In some cases, the flashbacks are quite long, and I struggled to keep track of where in time we were in the story. This also happened when the focus of the story would switch between characters. For lovers of slow-burn revenge stories, this may work well though, as it builds the histories of the characters in great detail. I found myself deeply invested in Lara and how she approached her situation. Out of the entire cast, Lara is the most interesting, which makes the book’s length seem less daunting. It’s easy to tackle a large novel when you’re attached to the main character!

Lara is a relatable protagonist, and her rage and hurt are something readers will be able to identify with. In many ways, she does what I think many heartbroken people have imagined doing (even if we know it’s a bit crazy). Like all good revenge tales, this one requires the reader to suspend their disbelief when it comes to elements of Lara’s actions. But the overall effect is a page-turner of a novel that takes the reader on a roller-coaster of emotions all the way to the explosive ending. I have a feeling readers may be divided over Griffith’s choice of ending, but I honestly could not think of a more fitting way for the story to end. This novel will be a great read for those who love character-driven tales of love and revenge, that are slightly sweeter than bittersweet.