If I hadn't recently read both books I think this would have been even more confusing. This series takes liberal adaptations in order to shoehorn both stories concurrently into one series. There is a nice symmetry between the storylines, of abandoned children and the aftermath. And loss.
I'm a big fan of Tana French, especially "The Likeness" so I'll focus on that story line; I enjoyed seeing how others envision the characters, and above all, that manor house of Whitethorn. The novel lets you worm your way into Lexie's head and it's seductive. However, film gives us those atmospheric images of Ireland: lush green, dark and sinister woods, and that manor house. The dialog, the Irish slang and accents are terrifiic; fast, sharp, and wickedly smart.
Read the books, especially "The Likeness."
