Scan barcode
nkcrabtree's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
maggiesasha's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked this book. The only reason I didn't give it full points is because I found the first 100 pages to be slow, before Jill actually starts trying to solve the mystery.
hannahnana73's review against another edition
3.0
Uh contains quite iffy content so if I'd known beforehand I wouldn't have really picked this up...
Plus it was pretty predictable...
Buttt still a good book...
And I liked the idea of the players etc...
Srsly messed up though...
I mean can we talk about how *shudder* unfeeling and horrid ALL the characters are?!! Like srsly NO EXCEPTIONS they're all terrible...
Rating - 3.5 stars
Plus it was pretty predictable...
Buttt still a good book...
And I liked the idea of the players etc...
Srsly messed up though...
I mean can we talk about how *shudder* unfeeling and horrid ALL the characters are?!! Like srsly NO EXCEPTIONS they're all terrible...
Rating - 3.5 stars
nikkireadsstuff's review
3.0
If you loved the show Gossip Girl, love reading mysteries, and have a love of teenage drama...this book is for you!
First let me say that this book reminded me so much of my high school experience...without the murder. I went to a private Catholic all girls high school, which was such a great experience for me! Definitely feeling the nostalgia with this book!
Second, Goodman's writing is fun to experience, as she nestles some nuggets of mystery throughout the book-small details that if you aren't reading carefully you will likely miss. She does a great job of transporting you into the world of The Players and bringing you back to high school just a bit.
Lastly, the mystery was just that. A mystery. I feel like Goodman spent the majority of the book in flashbacks of what Jill's freshman year was like and her friendship with Shaila...rather than setting up the mystery surrounding her death. The fact that Jill bites her nails when she's feeling anxious wasn't really explored and was left as a loose end that didn't really cycle back to the fact that she sort of knew something was off about Adam. I actually don't really blame Nikki, Henry, Quentin, or Adam for being upset at Jill for bringing up old wounds the way she did. It felt rushed and random.
I truly think the mystery of Shaila's death and the scandal it brought to the community was way more interesting than the details of The Players and they're hazing techniques. I wanted more mystery and more development of Rachel and Graham trying to find evidence to exonerate him from Shaila's murder.
I AM however really glad that the most obvious culprit was not the one who actually killed Shaila. The revelation of that secret hit me gradually...because I felt it...then BAM! GOTCHA! Not what you would've thought.
Overall, I enjoyed this book because of the nostalgia but wasn't really captivated by the mystery of the whodunit. Definitely would recommend for a fun take on Gossip Girl though!
First let me say that this book reminded me so much of my high school experience...without the murder. I went to a private Catholic all girls high school, which was such a great experience for me! Definitely feeling the nostalgia with this book!
Second, Goodman's writing is fun to experience, as she nestles some nuggets of mystery throughout the book-small details that if you aren't reading carefully you will likely miss. She does a great job of transporting you into the world of The Players and bringing you back to high school just a bit.
Lastly, the mystery was just that. A mystery. I feel like Goodman spent the majority of the book in flashbacks of what Jill's freshman year was like and her friendship with Shaila...rather than setting up the mystery surrounding her death. The fact that Jill bites her nails when she's feeling anxious wasn't really explored and was left as a loose end that didn't really cycle back to the fact that she sort of knew something was off about Adam. I actually don't really blame Nikki, Henry, Quentin, or Adam for being upset at Jill for bringing up old wounds the way she did. It felt rushed and random.
I truly think the mystery of Shaila's death and the scandal it brought to the community was way more interesting than the details of The Players and they're hazing techniques. I wanted more mystery and more development of Rachel and Graham trying to find evidence to exonerate him from Shaila's murder.
I AM however really glad that the most obvious culprit was not the one who actually killed Shaila. The revelation of that secret hit me gradually...because I felt it...then BAM! GOTCHA! Not what you would've thought.
Overall, I enjoyed this book because of the nostalgia but wasn't really captivated by the mystery of the whodunit. Definitely would recommend for a fun take on Gossip Girl though!
sirensaria's review against another edition
3.0
I wouldn't say this was great, but it had some good points. But the middle really started to drag. Around the middle I could tell who the real murderer was. For me, there really weren't many twists. The very end was fitting, though.
The characters were okay. There were some that were supposed to be main characters, but were flat. The main character, Jill, was interesting. She really came into her own, which was nice.
All in all, it was a decent read, just wish there had been more intrigue. More mystery.
The characters were okay. There were some that were supposed to be main characters, but were flat. The main character, Jill, was interesting. She really came into her own, which was nice.
All in all, it was a decent read, just wish there had been more intrigue. More mystery.
biliboc_diana_simona's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
izzyjunghans's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I love the set up, but the execution wasn’t fully my thing. I was definetly super invested, but looking back on it, it wasn’t mind-blowing. A little predictable, which can also be good sometimes.
literally such an unsatisfying ending. Her doing everything for brown, then quitting? I understand why but bro NO.
whimsy_and_rigor's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I thought about abandoning this book so many times because it felt like such a slog. It was not the high strung thriller I expected it to be, and the characters were not as compelling as I wanted. I am not one to usually be able to perfectly predict the twist, but I was able to do it with this one. The book was just fine. I might recommend it to students who are just getting into this genre.
mehsi's review
5.0
One of my most anticipated reads of 2020 and it delivered! Murder, mystery, not so secret societies, who can you trust?
I just love a book with tons of suspense, thriller, societies that are semi-secret (the best are of course those that are secret), and a murder. I also love the cover, the broken bracelet, the blood, the uniform.
And this book gets real dark and I love that. I have to say that it took me a bit to get into the story. At first I just wasn’t that impressed with Jill. And it didn’t help that the story went back to the past without notice which confused me greatly. Eventually I did get used to the format and I fell in love with it, but yeah, in the beginning it wasn’t easy.
This book is about a group named the Players. Each year 8 new students are picked. In each grade there are 8 Players. The Seniors are the top dogs, and this year that means Jill and her friends are the boss. They want to change things, because we quickly find out that while it is pretty cool to get picked for The Players, I mean think of all the perks, it isn’t easy, especially for girls to become one. Before they get initiated into the group they have to do so called pops. Which are challenges. If you are a guy, you are a happy dude because you get away pretty much without harm… if you are a girl however, be prepared to be broken in ways that shouldn’t be allowed. Stripping, sending nudes, being touched without permission in intimate places, getting the hardest challenges, and it continued from there. It was really horrific. These girls are broken. These girls have had things happening to them that shouldn’t happen at all. I know that I would have definitely quit if it was me… then again given the technology I am sure the guys would blackmail the girls.
I just love a book with tons of suspense, thriller, societies that are semi-secret (the best are of course those that are secret), and a murder. I also love the cover, the broken bracelet, the blood, the uniform.
And this book gets real dark and I love that. I have to say that it took me a bit to get into the story. At first I just wasn’t that impressed with Jill. And it didn’t help that the story went back to the past without notice which confused me greatly. Eventually I did get used to the format and I fell in love with it, but yeah, in the beginning it wasn’t easy.
This book is about a group named the Players. Each year 8 new students are picked. In each grade there are 8 Players. The Seniors are the top dogs, and this year that means Jill and her friends are the boss. They want to change things, because we quickly find out that while it is pretty cool to get picked for The Players, I mean think of all the perks, it isn’t easy, especially for girls to become one. Before they get initiated into the group they have to do so called pops. Which are challenges. If you are a guy, you are a happy dude because you get away pretty much without harm… if you are a girl however, be prepared to be broken in ways that shouldn’t be allowed. Stripping, sending nudes, being touched without permission in intimate places, getting the hardest challenges, and it continued from there. It was really horrific. These girls are broken. These girls have had things happening to them that shouldn’t happen at all. I know that I would have definitely quit if it was me… then again given the technology I am sure the guys would blackmail the girls.