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rinnykitty's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Since this is such a strong "go in blind book" that you shouldn't even know anything before reading the first page, time to spoiler tag my entire review.
first off, I really liked the writing style. I like quick reads and the fact there were less words per line made me finish this book in a day. It was easy for me to read, as well, even though some of the metaphors seemed more literal than figurative (I've seen other reviews wonder if Cady explaining her blood wrists were just a metaphor, and honestly, I dont know either).
Other than that, I actually found myself relating to the main character. I'm poor as fuck, never committed a crime, and dont have migraines - but I do have memory loss due to neurological issues that wiped most of my teenage memories completely and made my mother constantly worried about me. I understood when she said she didn't want to be pitied, and then Gat said well why the fuck you saying all this shit about your migraines then. Like, dude, just because she doesn't want to be pitied doesn't mean her migraines poof! become less of her life.
And same with the romance. Sadly I still remember some of my pathetic flings, how as a youngster you think the first love is real and forever and the best thing since Betty White. The romance was a damn mess but didn't we all make bad, cringey, makes us look back and think "oh no girl what are you doing" type relationship choices as teens.
And.. the twist. Goddamnit I picked it up right away.. when Cady realized no one was responding to her emails. Yeah the first thought should be "they're too rich to care about their email account", but with how absent they were my mind went straight to "they're dead aren't they. Oh no you better not". And they were. Even worse, why not throw them in as ghosts and badly explain the whole entire last part of the book. And the whole reveal be a fire. All died in a fire. And became ghosts. What a twist. Yaaaawn. When it comes to rich people drama, The Cousins by Karen McManus came out on top. That's the type of twist I was looking for, not something on the same level as "it was all just a dream!" (But instead, replace dream with ghosts).
Other than that, I actually found myself relating to the main character. I'm poor as fuck, never committed a crime, and dont have migraines - but I do have memory loss due to neurological issues that wiped most of my teenage memories completely and made my mother constantly worried about me. I understood when she said she didn't want to be pitied, and then Gat said well why the fuck you saying all this shit about your migraines then. Like, dude, just because she doesn't want to be pitied doesn't mean her migraines poof! become less of her life.
And same with the romance. Sadly I still remember some of my pathetic flings, how as a youngster you think the first love is real and forever and the best thing since Betty White. The romance was a damn mess but didn't we all make bad, cringey, makes us look back and think "oh no girl what are you doing" type relationship choices as teens.
And.. the twist. Goddamnit I picked it up right away.. when Cady realized no one was responding to her emails. Yeah the first thought should be "they're too rich to care about their email account", but with how absent they were my mind went straight to "they're dead aren't they. Oh no you better not". And they were. Even worse, why not throw them in as ghosts and badly explain the whole entire last part of the book. And the whole reveal be a fire. All died in a fire. And became ghosts. What a twist. Yaaaawn. When it comes to rich people drama, The Cousins by Karen McManus came out on top. That's the type of twist I was looking for, not something on the same level as "it was all just a dream!" (But instead, replace dream with ghosts).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Animal death, Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, Medical trauma, Cursing, and Death
Moderate: Grief, Dementia, and Blood
Minor: Death of parent and Infidelity
leahwithplantsinthelibrary's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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
5.0
i have only 3 words:
1) what
2) the
3) HELL
this book was average. until it wasn't anymore. be warned, it will make you cry. no not cry. it will make you bawl. and it will leave your mind reeling. it will leave you wanting to read it again in search of HOW THE HELL you missed the most crucial point of the story.
cadence is flawed, there is 100% no hiding that. she says things that make her seem so privileged but still make you pity her. i do think, that ultimately, these flaws give the end of this story a whole lot more depth. keep the tissues near.
if you are struggling through parts 1 to 4, please pull through !! emily lockheart is an absolute genius with words and formulating the perfect plot.
please read this book. but not before you go to bed. then. read it again. and cry.
((note: i think that the reason i liked this writing so much is because she did something that i never knew i needed: she wrote a human being. "mirren. she is sugar. she is curiosity and rain." to me, that means so much more than "her hair was blonde, her eyes were blue." as people we are told we are so much more than our looks, but in books that was previously all we had to go on. now this is something different. who are we? what are we made of? ))
1) what
2) the
3) HELL
this book was average. until it wasn't anymore. be warned, it will make you cry. no not cry. it will make you bawl. and it will leave your mind reeling. it will leave you wanting to read it again in search of HOW THE HELL you missed the most crucial point of the story.
cadence is flawed, there is 100% no hiding that. she says things that make her seem so privileged but still make you pity her. i do think, that ultimately, these flaws give the end of this story a whole lot more depth. keep the tissues near.
if you are struggling through parts 1 to 4, please pull through !! emily lockheart is an absolute genius with words and formulating the perfect plot.
please read this book. but not before you go to bed. then. read it again. and cry.
((note: i think that the reason i liked this writing so much is because she did something that i never knew i needed: she wrote a human being. "mirren. she is sugar. she is curiosity and rain." to me, that means so much more than "her hair was blonde, her eyes were blue." as people we are told we are so much more than our looks, but in books that was previously all we had to go on. now this is something different. who are we? what are we made of? ))
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Grief, and Mental illness
Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug use, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit
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