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lilythebibliophile's review
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book is face-paced and compelling, with twists that I didn't see coming. The twists were foreshadowed perfectly, but I was too wrapped up in the story to be able to predict them. Lamar Giles is very talented at plotting and pacing out his thrillers.
I loved reading all the moments where Nick was outsmarting and outmaneuvering people. I was cheering for him in my head!
I did not appreciate that our main character calls a girl a skank at one point. He is written to be a slightly morally gray character, but most of his actions are coming from a good place, except that one line. I will let it slide for the most part, because Lamar Giles wrote a whole book about toxic masculinity and misogyny 6 years after this book was published, and I think the impact of Not So Pure and Simple outweighs the impact of Nick using the word skank here.
I loved reading all the moments where Nick was outsmarting and outmaneuvering people. I was cheering for him in my head!
I did not appreciate that our main character calls a girl a skank at one point. He is written to be a slightly morally gray character, but most of his actions are coming from a good place, except that one line. I will let it slide for the most part, because Lamar Giles wrote a whole book about toxic masculinity and misogyny 6 years after this book was published, and I think the impact of Not So Pure and Simple outweighs the impact of Nick using the word skank here.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Suicide, and Child death
bookbrig's review
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This rating is higher than I would have anticipated because I'm normally not a huge fan of realistic YA fiction. But this is a really fantastic thriller style story, with lots of action, some mystery, high school drama, and an interesting organized crime gloss. I read it in one day, and really enjoyed the ride. It's particularly a great read if you like mysteries, and I'm definitely going to bring it along for booktalks this summer. It does have a fair amount of swearing, but I think it's not excessive considering the events of the story.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder and Suicide
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