Was His & Hers actually better on screen?

We didn’t agree. One of us has been ranting since episode one. And somehow, the show might have fixed what didn’t work in the book.

A small English village. A murder. Three narrators, his, hers, and one voice that keeps its secrets longer than the others. His & Hers by Alice Feeney is built on the idea that everyone is lying, including the structure itself, and by the time you figure out who to trust, it’s already too late.

Now it’s a Netflix show. Tessa Thompson stars. Jon Bernthal is a detective who is… not great at being a detective. We have opinions. This post is spoiler light. Full breakdown is on the podcast.

The Book

His & Hers (2020) follows Anna Andrews, a BBC journalist sent back to Blackdown, the English village where she grew up, to cover a murder.

The detective on the case is Jack Harper. Her ex-husband.

The book alternates between:

• Anna’s perspective
• Jack’s perspective
• A third narrator in italics

That third voice is the entire game.It’s the reason the structure does most of the heavy lifting, and what separates this from a standard thriller.

The atmosphere works. The English countryside, the return-to-hometown tension, the slow reveal of who these people actually are.

The pacing mostly works too. Perspective shifts land where they should. And there’s a crime scene detail that had Laura wanting to Google, “is this even feasible.”

She did not Google it. Yet.

Where it loses momentum

The middle drags. The procedural beats slow down right when the personal stakes should be picking up, and you feel it.

And the twist…For two of us, it didn’t fully hold up.

Hot take: Feeney is too twisty. Not every story needs one more turn of the knife.

There’s also a section involving animal cruelty that bothered all three of us. Worth flagging if that’s a hard line.

Overall

• Laura: 2.5
• Michelle: 3
• Katya: 3

Same landing spot. Very different reasons.

The Show

Six episodes on Netflix. Tessa Thompson plays Anna. Jon Bernthal plays Jack.

The biggest change comes immediately. The story moves from a small English village…to a small town in Georgia. That shift sets the tone for everything that follows.

What works

Tessa Thompson carries this. She makes Anna someone you can root for, even when the journalist choices get questionable.

Jon Bernthal commits. Fully.

Hot take: He is not great at being a detective.

The writing makes Jack frustrating in a way that feels… unintentional. His partner Priya ends up doing a lot of the actual competence.

The tone

The Southern Gothic vibe does some work. But not always the right kind.

The lake house feels like a vacation rental instead of something with history and weight.
That matters. It flattens the tension.

Anna’s mother’s house lands closer to what the story needs.

The relationship

Anna and Jack have tension. But not warmth. Which makes sense for estranged exes…but also makes it harder to feel the emotional core.

Overall

As an adaptation:

• Laura: 2
• Katya: 3
• Michelle: 3.5

As a standalone show:

• Laura: 2.5
• Katya: 3
• Michelle: 3.5

More watchable than faithful.
Not binge-worthy.

Book vs Show: What Changed

The biggest loss

The third narrator is gone. That voice is what makes the book feel manipulative in a good way. Without it, the show becomes more straightforward. You could argue for a voiceover approach, like Bridgerton or Gossip Girl. The show doesn’t do it. Whether that works depends on what you wanted from the story.

Anna’s character

The book leans hard into her alcoholism.

The show softens it.

• Katya: glad it’s toned down
• Michelle: that edge was doing important work

The result:

TV Anna is easier to root for. Book Anna is harder… and more interesting.

What the show adds

Some additions actually work. The network executive subplot gives Anna more agency and pays off late. There’s a photograph reveal scene at the lake house that’s the best visual moment in the show.

What didn’t work

• Jack’s competence
• The lake house aesthetic
• Timing of certain reveals
• And for one of us, the location change entirely

Who Is This For

You’ll like this if:

• You enjoy unreliable narrators and don’t need to trust anyone
• You like messy characters more than likable ones
• You’re okay with a slower middle if the ending delivers

Skip if:

• You need tight plotting that holds up on re-read
• You want competent detective work
• You’re sensitive to animal cruelty (especially in the book)

If You Liked the Book, Try

• Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney
• Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney
• The Housemaid by Freida McFadden
• Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris
• The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine

If You Liked the Show, Watch

• Broadchurch (2013)
• The Stranger (2020)
• Mare of Easttown (2021)
• Big Little Lies (2017)
• Anatomy of a Scandal (2022)

FAQ

Is His & Hers better as a book or a show?

We didn’t agree. The book has the structure. The show has the cleaner execution.

• Laura: book
• Michelle: show (by a hair)
• Katya: leaned show

Do you need to read the book first?

No. The show works on its own. You’ll miss the third narrator and a sharper version of Anna, but you won’t be lost.

Should you read the book after watching?

Yes, if you liked the show. You’ll know the ending, but the structure is the point.

Content warnings

• Animal cruelty (book, toned down in show)
• Murder
• Bullying
• Alcoholism (heavier in the book)

Podcast Episode

We break this down in full, spoilers and all.

The third narrator.
The ending.
The location change.
And which one of us yelled “burn” at the others.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts or at:
linktr.ee/chapteronesceneone