Reviews - The Getaway | The StoryGraph

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692 reviews for:

The Getaway

Lamar Giles

3.84 AVERAGE

hauntedtxt's review against another edition

3.5

dark sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

mrxdg's review against another edition

4.0

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

I picked up The Getaway by Lamar Giles because I’ve been trying to branch out in what I read—different voices, different genres—and this one checked both boxes. I don’t usually go for dystopian YA, but this surprised me in a good way. The story is set in a luxury theme park turned survival compound for the ultra-rich, and things go downhill fast. There’s lockdowns, disappearances, and creepy new guests who show up acting like they own the place—because they kind of do. The atmosphere is tense from the jump, and Giles does a great job flipping fun, familiar places into something dark and unsettling.

The wristbands that can cause pain? That hit hard.

What really stuck with me was how the story handles power.

Barnabus starts off looking like a resistance hero, someone who might help take the system down—but by the end, he’s just as bad as the people he wanted to replace. That twist really worked for me. Connie being alive was a nice emotional moment, but it doesn’t magically fix anything, which I appreciated.

It’s a book that doesn’t pretend there are easy fixes when systems are this broken. Overall, The Getaway was smart, intense, and way deeper than I expected. Glad I gave it a shot.

rays_0n_wat3r's review against another edition

3.0

dark slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: N/A

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

readtomea97's review against another edition

4.0

challenging dark hopeful mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

prisandherbooks's review against another edition

5.0

Actual rating: 4,5 stars

Reading The Getaway was like watching an episode of Black Mirror. The horror lies in the fact that the story is terribly realistic and believable, with great social commentary on racism, inequality and classism. The pace was fast, with a plot full of twists and turns and a suffocating rising tension. All in a very atmospheric setting.

The only thing stopping me from giving it a full 5 star is how little we really know about the main characters and the lack of attachment I had towards them. Other than that, The Getaway is criminally underrated and one of the best horror books I’ve read in a while! I’ll be on the lookout for the next Lamar Giles horrors for sure!