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kberman20's review
challenging
sad
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
not sure how I feel about this one. Felt like the child sexual assault was brushed over along with how serious his crimes were due to the focus being on Billy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Child abuse, Rape, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Alcoholism and Addiction
spatterson12's review
3.0
I can’t figure out how I feel about this one — probably a 3.5?
It’s like if Gossip Girl, Succession, and My Dark Vanessa had a book baby.
It’s a quick read, but the second half kind of dragged for me, which doesn’t seem to be the common experience with other readers. I kind of pieced together some elements early, so that might of led to slowdown for me. I thought the first half was very intriguing and kept me guessing.
TW: Sexual assault — Somehow I accidentally read three SA books in a row. Gotta pick something lighter soon.
Cassie receives a call from her older brother that their younger brother, Billy, has been arrested for allegedly raping his ex girlfriend. The story is told from Cassie’s POV as her family fights for the freedom of this Ivy league, scholarship pre-med athlete.
During the investigation, Cassie starts to unravel a relationship she had in her teens with a much older man who had promised her the world.
These stories are running parallel as the family starts to fall apart and create a contentious environment between each other.
It’s like if Gossip Girl, Succession, and My Dark Vanessa had a book baby.
It’s a quick read, but the second half kind of dragged for me, which doesn’t seem to be the common experience with other readers. I kind of pieced together some elements early, so that might of led to slowdown for me. I thought the first half was very intriguing and kept me guessing.
TW: Sexual assault — Somehow I accidentally read three SA books in a row. Gotta pick something lighter soon.
Cassie receives a call from her older brother that their younger brother, Billy, has been arrested for allegedly raping his ex girlfriend. The story is told from Cassie’s POV as her family fights for the freedom of this Ivy league, scholarship pre-med athlete.
During the investigation, Cassie starts to unravel a relationship she had in her teens with a much older man who had promised her the world.
These stories are running parallel as the family starts to fall apart and create a contentious environment between each other.
lacemska's review
2.0
Hmm not sure. Felt like the heavy topics were being glazed over with a tv like quality.
ssara's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
alcazort's review
1.0
1.5 because I did read it quickly, but only in the hopes it wasn’t as awful as I thought. I chose to finish this book so I could review it fairly. First and foremost this book needs a multitude of trigger warnings. It has difficult content laid out in a way that is damaging to those who have suffered sexual abuse. The authors note indicates that the author believes she had good intentions in the making of this book, but the execution was sorely lacking and it did not seem to support or honor victims. It honestly made light of a dark subject and perpetuated the art of victim manipulation and blaming. This book read like a Brock Turner memoir from the perspective of his family. The main character is unlikable as is every other character in the book. The main character is also psychologically broken due to a lifetime of sexual abuse which is unrelated to the rape main storyline. All in all I skimmed this book as quickly as possible and encourage people to pass it by.
hgibson284's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
megn317's review
3.0
I wanted to give it 2 stars but then I realized the reason for such a low rating was bc the book was unnerving and unsettling…not bc it was a bad book. So I’m giving it a 3 bc though the topic was triggering…the story did move forward easily and kept me wondering/guessing. Sad/ gross/ toxic/ scary and sexual abuse topics abound so beware.
akmickler16's review
3.0
I felt compelled to finish this even though I picked up on the twists pretty early on. The middle of the book felt long and overdone, but I felt like the conclusion was appropriately nuanced. Not my fav book of this year, but still a decent read.
torturedpoetlakes's review
i’m aware i stopped reading this book very early but the writing style just isn’t appealing to me. i really wanted to give this book a try even though i was a bit hesitant to even pick it up based on the synopsis. maybe i will try to read it again in the future, but it just isn’t for me right now.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Rape