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ginnikin's review
3.0
A little over three quarters of the way in, it clicked as a metaphor for how masculinity treats femininity, so the ending came entirely through that filter. It's a pretty upsetting ending, but in that light, it's even more upsetting. I had seen the giant spoiler in the question & answer section of this page (grrr!!!), so I was always ready for Jamie to be an unreliable narrator. I really wish I hadn't seen it; I wonder how different the reading experience would have been.
msseviereads's review
2.0
This book is a bit disturbing... like I read and re-read the ending and I'm still unsure what happened. And if what I think happened, happened -- whoa.
And is the narrator reliable?
Someone might like this one, but I can't say that it will go on my middle school shelf.
And is the narrator reliable?
Someone might like this one, but I can't say that it will go on my middle school shelf.
gardenrose's review
4.0
Holy Shit.
If you like stories that take you on a roller coaster, plot twists or intensity then this is definitely the book for you.
Jamie's sister causes trouble, so much trouble she went to jail for it. Jamie is grateful for this but once his sister comes back into his life she goes out of her way to tell Jamie the truth about his life. But, how will it all end once he finds out? Is Kate really that bad? Are his adoptive parents keeping stuff from him? Why can't Jamie remember anything?
This story is also a little bit fucked up, once you get to that plot twist everything just comes crashing down of what you just read and you're just like, "what the FUCK!?!?!" You maybe could predict the ending once you get close to it but trust me, you need to read this whole book. From the beginning to end! I still can't get over the ending, it's kinda disturbing.
The books not a long read either so it's great to read if you don't know what or have anything else to read. Definitely recommend
If you like stories that take you on a roller coaster, plot twists or intensity then this is definitely the book for you.
Jamie's sister causes trouble, so much trouble she went to jail for it. Jamie is grateful for this but once his sister comes back into his life she goes out of her way to tell Jamie the truth about his life. But, how will it all end once he finds out? Is Kate really that bad? Are his adoptive parents keeping stuff from him? Why can't Jamie remember anything?
This story is also a little bit fucked up, once you get to that plot twist everything just comes crashing down of what you just read and you're just like, "what the FUCK!?!?!" You maybe could predict the ending once you get close to it but trust me, you need to read this whole book. From the beginning to end! I still can't get over the ending, it's kinda disturbing.
The books not a long read either so it's great to read if you don't know what or have anything else to read. Definitely recommend
michelle_pink_polka_dot's review
4.0
4.5 Stars... really addicting
Jamie has just found out that his older sister has been released from juvie... and now he can't feel his hands. 2 years ago, Cate went away for starting a fire, but now she's out and apparently she wants Jamie to know some things. Like what really happened when their real mother died... and other things that Jamie can't remember.
Jamie and Cate were adopted by a couple after their mom was shot and killed. Cate was outgoing and fun, Jamie had tons of problems. Through the years with therapy, he's been able to get most of his anxiety under control, until Cate returns. Now he's freaking out worse than ever, and he's starting to realize that the only way out is to find out the truth of their past.
My Thoughts:
This is a seriously thrilling, addicting, messed-up, and unsatisfying kind of book. I really enjoyed reading it, and I had to keep reading it until I finished. I have a thing for books that feature teenage boys as the main character. I relate so much better to guys than I do girls most of the time. I'm weird like that. But this main character was written so incredibly well that I felt like I knew him inside and out. Every feeling in this book came across as so genuine.
Jamie is out-of-control scared of his sister, but he also desperately needs information from her, and this basically is what drives the book. He also has a thing about fate and wants to believe it's real, which kind of stems from the circumstances surrounding his mother's death and how his adoptive parents came to want to adopt the 2 siblings. I especially liked all the mystery that the sister brought to the book. Cate was this cryptic enigma of a girl and normally I think that sort of thing would get on my nerves, but in this book it totally worked. The writing is amazing! I've never read a book by this author before, but I love the way she wrote this. The way she describes things, the like, philosophy that goes through the main character's head... it was really brilliant. I wish I could write like that.
The only thing that holds me back from screaming from the rooftops for everyone to read this book is that I had a feeling from the very beginning what was going to be the end result. And I was right. I didn't want to be right. After the "big reveal" happened, I kept waiting for there to be another major twist to tell me I was wrong and that never happened. Also there is no conclusion in this ending. It felt very unsatisfying... creepy, but unsatisfying. And I have a love/hate thing with endings like that. I'll probably like the way this ended a lot better in a few weeks. It's too fresh now and I feel like I need to know MORE!
OVERALL: A book about a boy with psychological problems and his need to find out more about his past in order to overcome them. It's got the whole psychological mystery thing going... and it's a total mindfuck. I recommend this for anyone who is in the mood for spectacular, addictive writing. I just personally wish the ending was more concrete.
My Blog:
Jamie has just found out that his older sister has been released from juvie... and now he can't feel his hands. 2 years ago, Cate went away for starting a fire, but now she's out and apparently she wants Jamie to know some things. Like what really happened when their real mother died... and other things that Jamie can't remember.
Jamie and Cate were adopted by a couple after their mom was shot and killed. Cate was outgoing and fun, Jamie had tons of problems. Through the years with therapy, he's been able to get most of his anxiety under control, until Cate returns. Now he's freaking out worse than ever, and he's starting to realize that the only way out is to find out the truth of their past.
My Thoughts:
This is a seriously thrilling, addicting, messed-up, and unsatisfying kind of book. I really enjoyed reading it, and I had to keep reading it until I finished. I have a thing for books that feature teenage boys as the main character. I relate so much better to guys than I do girls most of the time. I'm weird like that. But this main character was written so incredibly well that I felt like I knew him inside and out. Every feeling in this book came across as so genuine.
Jamie is out-of-control scared of his sister, but he also desperately needs information from her, and this basically is what drives the book. He also has a thing about fate and wants to believe it's real, which kind of stems from the circumstances surrounding his mother's death and how his adoptive parents came to want to adopt the 2 siblings. I especially liked all the mystery that the sister brought to the book. Cate was this cryptic enigma of a girl and normally I think that sort of thing would get on my nerves, but in this book it totally worked. The writing is amazing! I've never read a book by this author before, but I love the way she wrote this. The way she describes things, the like, philosophy that goes through the main character's head... it was really brilliant. I wish I could write like that.
The only thing that holds me back from screaming from the rooftops for everyone to read this book is that I had a feeling from the very beginning what was going to be the end result. And I was right. I didn't want to be right. After the "big reveal" happened, I kept waiting for there to be another major twist to tell me I was wrong and that never happened. Also there is no conclusion in this ending. It felt very unsatisfying... creepy, but unsatisfying. And I have a love/hate thing with endings like that. I'll probably like the way this ended a lot better in a few weeks. It's too fresh now and I feel like I need to know MORE!
OVERALL: A book about a boy with psychological problems and his need to find out more about his past in order to overcome them. It's got the whole psychological mystery thing going... and it's a total mindfuck. I recommend this for anyone who is in the mood for spectacular, addictive writing. I just personally wish the ending was more concrete.
My Blog:
ciaralo's review
I...don’t know how I feel about this one? I feel like I need to sit with it a bit. I was definitely intrigued throughout!
dani005's review
5.0
WHAT THE HELL DID I JUST READ.
I never saw that coming. This book scared the shit out of me. That ending, and the all the parts leading up to it and then to just conclude it like that! I swear my mind is running a thousand miles a minute and there is no way I'm sleeping easy tonight.
This book wasn't a scary, horror story with cheap gory tricks to make you cringe- no this was a hair-standing on end, mouth dropping open in disbelief, psychological thriller that made me scared for my own sanity. So many ideas and questions based off of reality and how we comprehend it were explored in this book. The idea of perception and perspective; the idea that everyone understands the truth to be one way and yet, one person understands it to be a whole other way. Who's in the right? and what happens when there's no one left to know the truth except the one person who's crazy. And an even worse notion to consider, how can you tell who is crazy when everyone's perception blames one person as being crazy while that same person has the proper perspective to understand who is really crazy in the current circumstance but everyone thinks otherwise. Agh. I'm pretty sure I just killed off a few brain cells trying to understand and figure this book out. And the further I read into this book, the more convoluted the craziness got so that I was pretty sure I was losing my sanity along with everyone else in this book.
What scares me the most, is that the mental illness like what was explored in this book is a real thing; its a sad and disheartening thing, and yet, this book brought up that hazy idea of perception and perspective. Who are we to decide because of the perception we have towards "crazy" people who is crazy and who is not, or who can handle society and who can not. And yet, I don't want to be mean or condescending or in away offensive but there is a very strong part of me now after reading that book that holds a fear for people out there in society that I could very well have contact with who are affected by such a mental illness like the character(s) in this book, and whether or not they are (or should be allowed- cuz' once again who are we to judge) living unchecked on the streets with no one realizing the potential harm they are causing others and themselves. It scares me as I read this book and I see the affects that this illness has, how it drains the life out of some and ruins relationships and causes so much strife. Unlike this author's first book where the kid struggled but did eventually understand his illness and sought help, this book had a very different twist in how its story was concluded for its characters that left me with so many more questions and second guessing what it was that I read, what wasn't real, and just who was crazy and just who would be held responsible or if anyone would be held responsible at all. This book plays so many games with my mind and I'm pretty sure at this point I'm probably over thinking it but this book certainly gave me such chills that only a few other thrillers have been able to do, and was written with such amazing talent and with such an amazing voice through which to share the story through.
This author had such a great voice; she captured the fear and frustration of the main character to such a fantastic degree as he struggled to come to terms with the troubles his sister was getting herself into as she spiraled out of control. There was never a dull moment. I couldn't even put this book down. After reading so many books that have just let me down and that couldn't even snag my attention from the start, this book was a fresh and wild ride that I seriously craved. This book had so many twists and turns; so many scenes that had my stomach twisting itself into knots. I kept rooting for this kid to keep going, to keep fighting through the pain and frustration because I was sure that in the end, this kid would be alright. Except the ending came and there couldn't' have been a crueler and harsher and more shocking twist. One that had my heart pounding and every party of me practically recoiling in shock from this book. Books are sometimes even better than roller coasters, because if this thing ever manifested itself into roller coaster form; it would have the carts flying off the tracks every time the ride was run.
I still don't know what to make of this ending. I wish there was some way I could scream a warning to the characters in this book. It wouldn't matter that the book's over because the story and its characters are still living on in my memory and its torture knowing how this book ended and somehow wishing that I could break past that dramatic irony the author created and make sure people learned the terrifying truth about what really happened. I have definitely found a couple of new favourite genres; every time that I read a thriller or psychological thriller, they just seem to captivate and scare more of the shit out of me for each new book that I read. These books are almost never a disappointment and always leave me reeling and wanting more at the same time.
Stephanie Kuehn is no different; she excels at writing books for these genres. She gets right inside of the character's heads and create such heavily convoluted plots that its like diving off a cliff every time you read one of her books; there's that rush of fear and exhilaration as you jump and just when you break the water, there's that little bit of pain you feel as all that pressure pushes back against the falling force of your body. She did a fantastic job on her first book, Charm & Strange; I loved that one, and she did just as a fantastic job on the second (if not making this one even more shocking than the first), and I can NOT wait for the third book she writes.
I never saw that coming. This book scared the shit out of me. That ending, and the all the parts leading up to it and then to just conclude it like that! I swear my mind is running a thousand miles a minute and there is no way I'm sleeping easy tonight.
This book wasn't a scary, horror story with cheap gory tricks to make you cringe- no this was a hair-standing on end, mouth dropping open in disbelief, psychological thriller that made me scared for my own sanity. So many ideas and questions based off of reality and how we comprehend it were explored in this book. The idea of perception and perspective; the idea that everyone understands the truth to be one way and yet, one person understands it to be a whole other way. Who's in the right? and what happens when there's no one left to know the truth except the one person who's crazy. And an even worse notion to consider, how can you tell who is crazy when everyone's perception blames one person as being crazy while that same person has the proper perspective to understand who is really crazy in the current circumstance but everyone thinks otherwise. Agh. I'm pretty sure I just killed off a few brain cells trying to understand and figure this book out. And the further I read into this book, the more convoluted the craziness got so that I was pretty sure I was losing my sanity along with everyone else in this book.
What scares me the most, is that the mental illness like what was explored in this book is a real thing; its a sad and disheartening thing, and yet, this book brought up that hazy idea of perception and perspective. Who are we to decide because of the perception we have towards "crazy" people who is crazy and who is not, or who can handle society and who can not. And yet, I don't want to be mean or condescending or in away offensive but there is a very strong part of me now after reading that book that holds a fear for people out there in society that I could very well have contact with who are affected by such a mental illness like the character(s) in this book, and whether or not they are (or should be allowed- cuz' once again who are we to judge) living unchecked on the streets with no one realizing the potential harm they are causing others and themselves. It scares me as I read this book and I see the affects that this illness has, how it drains the life out of some and ruins relationships and causes so much strife. Unlike this author's first book where the kid struggled but did eventually understand his illness and sought help, this book had a very different twist in how its story was concluded for its characters that left me with so many more questions and second guessing what it was that I read, what wasn't real, and just who was crazy and just who would be held responsible or if anyone would be held responsible at all. This book plays so many games with my mind and I'm pretty sure at this point I'm probably over thinking it but this book certainly gave me such chills that only a few other thrillers have been able to do, and was written with such amazing talent and with such an amazing voice through which to share the story through.
This author had such a great voice; she captured the fear and frustration of the main character to such a fantastic degree as he struggled to come to terms with the troubles his sister was getting herself into as she spiraled out of control. There was never a dull moment. I couldn't even put this book down. After reading so many books that have just let me down and that couldn't even snag my attention from the start, this book was a fresh and wild ride that I seriously craved. This book had so many twists and turns; so many scenes that had my stomach twisting itself into knots. I kept rooting for this kid to keep going, to keep fighting through the pain and frustration because I was sure that in the end, this kid would be alright. Except the ending came and there couldn't' have been a crueler and harsher and more shocking twist. One that had my heart pounding and every party of me practically recoiling in shock from this book. Books are sometimes even better than roller coasters, because if this thing ever manifested itself into roller coaster form; it would have the carts flying off the tracks every time the ride was run.
I still don't know what to make of this ending. I wish there was some way I could scream a warning to the characters in this book. It wouldn't matter that the book's over because the story and its characters are still living on in my memory and its torture knowing how this book ended and somehow wishing that I could break past that dramatic irony the author created and make sure people learned the terrifying truth about what really happened. I have definitely found a couple of new favourite genres; every time that I read a thriller or psychological thriller, they just seem to captivate and scare more of the shit out of me for each new book that I read. These books are almost never a disappointment and always leave me reeling and wanting more at the same time.
Stephanie Kuehn is no different; she excels at writing books for these genres. She gets right inside of the character's heads and create such heavily convoluted plots that its like diving off a cliff every time you read one of her books; there's that rush of fear and exhilaration as you jump and just when you break the water, there's that little bit of pain you feel as all that pressure pushes back against the falling force of your body. She did a fantastic job on her first book, Charm & Strange; I loved that one, and she did just as a fantastic job on the second (if not making this one even more shocking than the first), and I can NOT wait for the third book she writes.
siobhan27's review
4.0
Complicit was a book I picked up for review in a hunch. I really did not know what it was about but i was compelled by the aspect of a good mystery and family drama. So when I started reading this book I was hooked from the very beginning and it did not stop until the very end.
Complicit follows Jaime, a young boy who is adopted and has a sister in jail for some very unsettling things she did a few years back. I will not say what those things are because I honestly think it added to the mystery. But damn this girl is MESSED UP, but it was great to read. I loved not knowing if Cat, his sister, was coming after him or going after someone else. But i knew there was more to her story than she let on. And boy was i right. I will admit that I kind of figured out the end early but it didn't diminish my enjoyment of the book because I didn't know if I was right or wrong but I knew something was up, and I wanted to know what it was!
Jaime was great character because he was an unreliable one. Although he knew his sister was bad, he also loved her and wanted to be around her because of their past. She remembered their mother, who was killed when Jaime was very young and therefore they both got adopted. Unreliable narrators are some of my favorites narrators, if they are done well. And Jaime was done very well. I wanted to believe everything he said, but I knew he did not remember everything and his past was hazy so that made him one interesting person to tell the story. Cat, his sister on the other hand was also an interesting character but I found she was very 2 dimensional as a character, but happily she became quite an interesting character, especially near the end when everything was revealed. Her relationship with Jaime was explore in more detail and their past was hashed out as well, which answered A LOT of questions.
Overall, Complicit was a great read with many twists and turns and characters that stay with you long after you finish reading the book. I will say that the end was a big loose for my liking but overall I loved how it ended. This book is for all who love a good mystery and some crazy characters that are worth reading!
Complicit follows Jaime, a young boy who is adopted and has a sister in jail for some very unsettling things she did a few years back. I will not say what those things are because I honestly think it added to the mystery. But damn this girl is MESSED UP, but it was great to read. I loved not knowing if Cat, his sister, was coming after him or going after someone else. But i knew there was more to her story than she let on. And boy was i right. I will admit that I kind of figured out the end early but it didn't diminish my enjoyment of the book because I didn't know if I was right or wrong but I knew something was up, and I wanted to know what it was!
Jaime was great character because he was an unreliable one. Although he knew his sister was bad, he also loved her and wanted to be around her because of their past. She remembered their mother, who was killed when Jaime was very young and therefore they both got adopted. Unreliable narrators are some of my favorites narrators, if they are done well. And Jaime was done very well. I wanted to believe everything he said, but I knew he did not remember everything and his past was hazy so that made him one interesting person to tell the story. Cat, his sister on the other hand was also an interesting character but I found she was very 2 dimensional as a character, but happily she became quite an interesting character, especially near the end when everything was revealed. Her relationship with Jaime was explore in more detail and their past was hashed out as well, which answered A LOT of questions.
Overall, Complicit was a great read with many twists and turns and characters that stay with you long after you finish reading the book. I will say that the end was a big loose for my liking but overall I loved how it ended. This book is for all who love a good mystery and some crazy characters that are worth reading!
paperkindle's review
4.0
I didn't expected that ending. Or even thought about such an ending. I was pretty sure Cate did it, did it all. A very brave ending. I wonder what became of Jamie, did he stay sane, did his condition with his hands disappear? Such an open ending, sigh. Will they ever tell him the truth altho he already know, I think not. I liked it :) I hope I'll read more of her books in the near future!
ms_aprilvincent's review
There’s a lot to think about here. I dont know how I feel yet.
Edit: To me, it seems that the author had an interesting story but didn’t execute it well. The problem is not with the writing. The problem is that the “twist” was both lazy and, frankly, offensive.
**this part is spoilerish**
It would’ve been a-ok to explore sociopathy and the measures one uses to hide crimes, evidence of crimes, and even memories of crimes. Instead, we get the cop-out of hiding behind a mysterious undiagnosable mental illness, which is, I don’t know: icky. the author spent the first half of the book showing characters in therapy, taking medication, and practicing mindfulness and relaxation exercises, all of which is very healthy! Then in the last chapter, she undoes it all with a very weak attempt at a gotcha.
That ending really ruined a lot of the goodwill I’d built up because, like I said, the writing is good! But the first part of the book made promises that the last part didn’t keep.
Edit: To me, it seems that the author had an interesting story but didn’t execute it well. The problem is not with the writing. The problem is that the “twist” was both lazy and, frankly, offensive.
**this part is spoilerish**
It would’ve been a-ok to explore sociopathy and the measures one uses to hide crimes, evidence of crimes, and even memories of crimes. Instead, we get the cop-out of hiding behind a mysterious undiagnosable mental illness, which is, I don’t know: icky. the author spent the first half of the book showing characters in therapy, taking medication, and practicing mindfulness and relaxation exercises, all of which is very healthy! Then in the last chapter, she undoes it all with a very weak attempt at a gotcha.
That ending really ruined a lot of the goodwill I’d built up because, like I said, the writing is good! But the first part of the book made promises that the last part didn’t keep.