Reviews

Pet by Catherine Chidgey

bridget_h's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-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

4.0

maysolver's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

pearl10's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-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

4.5

sammy_hen2's review against another edition

dark 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

4.25

I think puberty and Catholic school left us all a bit traumatized, yeah? 💀 I had a good feeling about this one going into it, but I didn’t expect to be so engrossed in the story. In the 1980s, Justine and her recently widowed father live a quiet life in a small New Zealand town. In addition to dealing with all the typical insecurities of a twelve-year-old, Justine struggles to manage her epilepsy, the loss of her mother, and the added responsibility of keeping an eye on her grieving father. In her eighth grade year, Justine becomes obsessed with her charming teacher, Mrs. Price, and things spiral from there. This was an incredibly well-written coming of age novel that perfectly captures the awkwardness of growing up, the pettiness of adolescent girlhood, and the pain of loss. The unreliable narrator, the rich symbolism and description, and the mounting tension, were all so unsettling—there’s an added level of unease reading this as a teacher. It started off a bit slow as this is more literary fiction than mystery, but there’s actually a lot of complex layers to this story. Highly recommend.

heathbarsolg's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

carlat22's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

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

5.0

I nearly gave this 4.75 stars, as I found the ending slightly disappointing. However, it was a terrific read, and I suspect I'll be mulling over the ending for a couple of days.

sjand7's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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

4.5

jk80's review against another edition

adventurous dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

book_soulsbee's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective 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

4.75

nerual_'s review against another edition

dark mysterious 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

4.25