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amandas_bookshelf's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Murder, Outing, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Classism, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Stalking, and Alcohol
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Infidelity, and Body shaming
Minor: Racism, Abortion, and Car accident
alireadswiftly's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Twelve years ago Abby Hartmann, a freshman in college, went missing. Two weeks later, two women were killed in a sorority house (and a third injured and disfigured) on the same campus. Abby’s best friends Bree and Chelsea have long suspected Jon Allan Blue to be responsible for their friend’s murder. But with no evidence and a body never found, they have little to go on… besides similarities to crimes Blue is later convicted of. In the present day, as Blue is fast approaching his execution date, Bree and Chelsea reunite when a popular podcast decides to feature Blue’s murders. Estranged from each other in the years since Abby’s disappearance and all that went down before it, can Bree and Chelsea finally find the answers they’ve been looking for?
Don’t Forget the Girl offers a deep exploration of its characters and the effects of trauma on their lives and actions. The slow building, character focused nature of the book took me by surprise because after reading the blurb, I was expecting a creepy serial killer mystery/thriller with twists and turns. Instead, there were little to no mystery or thrills to be had. I might have been able to get on board, after I readjusted my expectations, but the characters were much too unlikeable—particularly Bree. Her sleeping with her 18 year old student gave me such the “ick” (for lack of a better word) that I nearly put the book down. On one hand, I can acknowledge that Bree’s actions are supposed to be a result of her unresolved trauma, but on the other they are simply inexcusable in my eyes. Though it is a work of fiction, I had no desire to read about or root for her.
As the story progresses, each chapter alternates between Bree, Chelsea, and Abby (in the past). While both Bree and Chelsea’s chapters are written in third person, Abby’s are written in second. I found the switch of POV to be jarring each time I got to Abby’s chapters and the continually changing perspectives to be confusing to keep track of.
In addition to missed expectations, extremely unlikable characters, and confusing POVs, this book felt like it was trying to tackle too much. In moments it was exploring trauma and the ways it leads people to do incredibly terrible things. In others it was commenting on the way women are portrayed in the media, the way the names of victims often are forgotten, the experience of queer women in the early 2000s, and on religion. Though each of these are notable, I felt myself wishing the author had picked a singular or more narrowed focus.
All in all, I am sad to say this book was not for me. Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for access to an early copy in exchange for an honest review.
Don’t Forget the Girl offers a deep exploration of its characters and the effects of trauma on their lives and actions. The slow building, character focused nature of the book took me by surprise because after reading the blurb, I was expecting a creepy serial killer mystery/thriller with twists and turns. Instead, there were little to no mystery or thrills to be had. I might have been able to get on board, after I readjusted my expectations, but the characters were much too unlikeable—particularly Bree. Her sleeping with her 18 year old student gave me such the “ick” (for lack of a better word) that I nearly put the book down. On one hand, I can acknowledge that Bree’s actions are supposed to be a result of her unresolved trauma, but on the other they are simply inexcusable in my eyes. Though it is a work of fiction, I had no desire to read about or root for her.
As the story progresses, each chapter alternates between Bree, Chelsea, and Abby (in the past). While both Bree and Chelsea’s chapters are written in third person, Abby’s are written in second. I found the switch of POV to be jarring each time I got to Abby’s chapters and the continually changing perspectives to be confusing to keep track of.
In addition to missed expectations, extremely unlikable characters, and confusing POVs, this book felt like it was trying to tackle too much. In moments it was exploring trauma and the ways it leads people to do incredibly terrible things. In others it was commenting on the way women are portrayed in the media, the way the names of victims often are forgotten, the experience of queer women in the early 2000s, and on religion. Though each of these are notable, I felt myself wishing the author had picked a singular or more narrowed focus.
All in all, I am sad to say this book was not for me. Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for access to an early copy in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Adult/minor relationship, Violence, Pregnancy, Death, Alcohol, and Murder
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