malesarmiento's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

4.75


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camillarossi's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


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staghunters's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Not the genre I go to most of the time, but Dicker surely knows how to write a compelling murder mystery. 
The first thought that comes to mind is the resemblance with Twin Peaks. Not only in the murder of a teenage girl, but particularly in the focus on the small town and the people in it. As the book progresses and we come to know a bit more about Nola Kellergan, the threads that connect her to various side characters.

Marcus, however, is not a good-natured Dale Cooper. His bloated ego shines through till well into the second act, where an incident confronts him with his fame-seeking nature. Though a change in character is not dramatic, he does improve in smaller ways.
The plot has an interesting structure. The chapters count down instead of up, Marcus' storyline is intercut with scenes that take the place of someone's monologue, and what seems to be the end actually isn't. 
The latter is also one of my critiques of the book. It is quite slow-paced for all but the last 2 or 3 chapters. Here, the events really rake up and gain speed. It answers questions, sure, but in my opinion, there were a bit too many rug-pulls. Maybe they will make more sense on a reread.

This certainly made me curious about Dicker's other books.

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penguinlost's review against another edition

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mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0


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jazful's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark funny mysterious reflective relaxing tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I couldn't stop reading! I didn't see all the plot twists coming, although with other mystery novels I actually figure out what it's about very quickly. This book was just completely different. Probably the best mystery novel I've ever read.

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hanyentreletras's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Este libro pudo ser de cinco estrellas sino fuese por ese inicio tan... soso y por algunas cosas del final (que por más que son increíbles y sorprendentes, no terminan de cuadrar al 100%). Y eso me molesta un poco.

«Si los escritores son seres tan frágiles, Marcus, es porque pueden conocer dos clases de dolor afectivo, es decir, el doble que los seres humanos normales: las penas de amor y las penas de libro. Escribir un libro es como amar a alguien: puede ser muy doloroso».

Primeramente me enorgullece decir que mis primeros sospechosos fueron los culpables, eso sí, mi teoría del por qué fue la que falló.

Algo que disfruté bastante fue el nacimiento de la amistad entre Marcus y el sargento Gahalowood, ese cariño sarcástico entre ambos 😙🤌

Also quedé maravillada por la estupidez de la gente del pueblo de no agarrar el libro y ver que todo lo que pasaba en él en cierta parte contaba cosas de Nola y Harry (jejejeje🤐🤭).

—¡Por Dios, Nola! ¿Por qué querer morir? —No es querer morir —dijo Nola—. Es no querer seguir viviendo.

feel u Nola.

«Aprenda a amar sus derrotas, Marcus, pues son las que le construirán. Son sus derrotas las que darán sabor a sus victorias».

A lo largo del libro, Harry le da muchos consejos a Marcus, más que todo para escribir pero creo que ellos pueden usarse para la vida en sí, como el anterior.

Antes de la agresión, decía que pintaba porque estaba dentro de él. Cuando se recuperó por fin, decía que pintaba para estar menos solo.

En este libro, todos los personajes que aparecen son importantes. Si bien Luther es alguien raro, la historia de su personaje es preciosa. Es un artista que lo tenía todo y en un segundo, por estar en un mal lugar, lo perdió. Sin embargo, el arte fue lo que lo mantuvo con vida y propósito.

...Un buen libro, Marcus, es un libro que uno se arrepiente de terminar».

Y que final!!!! Fue un torbellino de sorpresas, de incógnitas respondidas desde todas las versiones. Magnífico. Sé que es un buen libro porque, así como Harry le dice a Marcus, no me arrepiento de leerlo.

Acá todos son sospechosos, todo es una hipótesis porque es algo que alguien dijo no un hecho en concreto. El libro abre con la premisa de saber quién mató a Nola pero luego ese punto no importa tanto, solo queremos saber qué pasó ese 30 de agosto y antes y después.

Es un libro que recomendaré mucho y pediré videos cuando lleguen al final jajajs

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katieelizabeth_reads's review against another edition

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mysterious sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

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charlottestiennon's review against another edition

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mysterious sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5


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liesbethvv's review against another edition

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mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

In its genre, this is one of the best I’ve read. The suspense and plot twists are amazing and even though the book might be a tad too long, I still found myself very invested in the outcome and the storyline. Curious to read more Joël Dicker!

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maddalcna's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0


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