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lversrock's review against another edition
4.0
oh my GOD. i don't even know where to begin with this.
so this book is very short, only about 120 pages. i burned through the 77-page PDF version in about 2 hours. definitely a wild ride. this book is VERY dark. it deals with murder, stalking, PTSD, pedophilia, etc. some of the violence scenes are also painfully graphic, and it dives into explicit detail when it comes to gore.
i absolutely love gemma amor's writing style though. the time jumps are absolutely brilliant. the flashback scenes didn't just focus on one specific year. it dipped in between different years from childhood and childhood and exhibited her growth throughout the book. i tend to lose sight of the timeline when there's a whole bunch of time loops in a book, but this one displayed it perfectly. i was able to put the pieces together along the way and still keep track with the story.
all in all, this book gave me chills and an unsettling feeling in my stomach. i would recommend it to anyone who loves a good thriller, but definitely don't read it alone in the dark.
so this book is very short, only about 120 pages. i burned through the 77-page PDF version in about 2 hours. definitely a wild ride. this book is VERY dark. it deals with murder, stalking, PTSD, pedophilia, etc. some of the violence scenes are also painfully graphic, and it dives into explicit detail when it comes to gore.
i absolutely love gemma amor's writing style though. the time jumps are absolutely brilliant. the flashback scenes didn't just focus on one specific year. it dipped in between different years from childhood and childhood and exhibited her growth throughout the book. i tend to lose sight of the timeline when there's a whole bunch of time loops in a book, but this one displayed it perfectly. i was able to put the pieces together along the way and still keep track with the story.
all in all, this book gave me chills and an unsettling feeling in my stomach. i would recommend it to anyone who loves a good thriller, but definitely don't read it alone in the dark.
bookishbunner's review against another edition
3.0
Akin to Penpal but didn't carry the same level of paranoid horror. Still an intense read. The tooth scene had me cringing and putting the book aside for a few minutes to recoup.
aylagood's review against another edition
3.0
I was drawn by the premise as it felt like an original idea. This was a quick read and kept me engaged. I appreciated that it wasn’t longer than it needed to be. I was expecting a bit more at the end, maybe a slight twist but it was also okay without it. This might be my first horror novella so I don’t really have much to compare it to.
inkedwxtchreads's review against another edition
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? It's complicated
2.0
I know a lot of people love this book lol, But respectfully….why? This was such an interesting concept that fell very flat. I haven’t read ‘pen pal’ but now I might just to see the comparison to see if it’s any better since people say this is a copycat of that.
None of the characters actions make sense over the years, the second part where she faces the villain were super underwhelming and could have been a lot more interesting…. And I just felt like it held back quite a lot for how dark people say it is.
I mean maybe me and my expectations are the broken ones but…. This was just so meh.
I just kept asking myself “but why?” To everything the character did lol. I probably ranted my husbands ear off in the process.
justinkhchen's review against another edition
4.0
4 stars
Emotionally potent, while Dear Laura is not overly complex, intricate or in-depth, it packs all the right punches within its short length, delivering a sympathetic journey of a woman tormented by a traumatic childhood event. I do think going in expecting 'horror' might lead to disappointment, as its progression shares more characteristics with a thriller than something that is haunting or atmospheric. Still, I find the writing fluid, and overall very well-paced — will definitely read more from this author!
Emotionally potent, while Dear Laura is not overly complex, intricate or in-depth, it packs all the right punches within its short length, delivering a sympathetic journey of a woman tormented by a traumatic childhood event. I do think going in expecting 'horror' might lead to disappointment, as its progression shares more characteristics with a thriller than something that is haunting or atmospheric. Still, I find the writing fluid, and overall very well-paced — will definitely read more from this author!
tfui's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
michloue's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
3.5
mariewikle's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
5.0
A fabulous read!! Not very long but captivating non the less! I loved it