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sunshine_sophia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
therefore, i did not really feel attached or connected to any of them. the flashbacks/current events were confusing and not clearly marked. it was hard to understand what was happening now, and what was in the past. the plot was also confusing and i thought there was too much dialogue. there was a lot of fluff and things that didn’t matter. yet, there were many plot holes and things that were never addressed. i didn’t understand the world that he was trying to create and found myself confused and lost though out the book. i felt like this book could’ve been longer, but also could’ve been more concise. it was just fine.
the one positive i will say is this book is a good commentary on how women/femme presenting people are perceived in society and treated. women/femme presenting people are more likely to be the victims of violence from men and this book shows that.
Graphic: Murder, Gore, and Death
Moderate: Sexual violence and Child abuse
ns4's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Vomit
Minor: Sexual violence
megancrayne's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Sexual assault, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Torture, Stalking, Violence, Body horror, Cancer, Child death, Medical trauma, Terminal illness, Sexual violence, Rape, Blood, Death, Addiction, Mental illness, Fire/Fire injury, and Panic attacks/disorders
cursed_sapphire's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Torture, Mental illness, Cancer, Gun violence, Violence, Toxic relationship, Adult/minor relationship, Stalking, Murder, and Blood
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Alcohol, Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Mental illness, Gore, Addiction, Sexual violence, Kidnapping, and Injury/Injury detail
nialiversuch's review against another edition
- 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
3.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Addiction, Body shaming, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Toxic friendship, Medical content, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Ableism, Violence, Police brutality, Blood, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Stalking, Abandonment, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Body horror, Cancer, Confinement, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Sexual assault, Rape, Sexual violence, and Homophobia
ronnieb's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I have really conflicting feelings about this which leads to my 3-star rating. The story follows our main character Lynnette who was part of a massacre in the 80s and now belongs to a group of other women who survived this same thing. The way this is described and they are all characterized is my first issue with the book. If you are a horror movie, specifically Slasher films, the references in this book are galore. It is pretty obvious which real-world franchise each character is supposed to emulate and it does become a bit unbelievable at points. Obviously, this kind of book requires some amount of suspension of disbelief but for me as a reader to believe that these multiple women went through multiple attacks/massacres like a Scream or Halloween just was a lot. I am a slasher film fan and it is much easier for me to do that for those films than it was for me to do that for this novel. The number of times they would mention the movies, books, and the term “Final Girl” as they relate to this group would just pull me out of the story at times.
I also found our main character to be unlikable which is fine but she was also so annoying and kind of dumb. I see why she is characterized this way as it makes sense to her arc and it is satisfying but being in her head was difficult during some pages of this book. The other characters were mostly fine but there were a lot of characters and keeping them straight and their individual stories straight was difficult at points (especially when it comes to all the women in the group and the attack they went through). I think if the book included a pseudo-cast list in the beginning almost as a table of contents that would have helped a lot. It also would have fit thematically with the book as it really reads as if the events taking place on the page were a movie playing out.
My final point of discussion is relating to the pacing/plot of the book. I will say the book surprised me with almost every twist and turn except our final one. However, they all had a very low impact as I realized that I was just not invested or cared that much. Looking back the twists make sense though and the overall pace is fine. I think it does sag toward the middle a bit but the beginning and ending is interesting in my opinion.
Graphic: Child death, Body horror, Cancer, and Blood
Moderate: Sexual violence and Suicide
kllyholt's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Don’t recommend.
Graphic: Misogyny, Mass/school shootings, Kidnapping, Murder, Stalking, Gun violence, Violence, Sexual violence, and Gaslighting
laguerrelewis's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Blood, Death of parent, Police brutality, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide attempt, Child death, Death, Abandonment, Cursing, Gore, Misogyny, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Stalking, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Medical content, Sexual violence, Drug abuse, and Racism
c_dmckinney's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcohol, Child death, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Murder, Torture, Gun violence, Police brutality, Stalking, Classism, Cursing, Death, Sexism, Toxic friendship, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Death of parent, Grief, Misogyny, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Alcoholism, Blood, Cancer, Gore, and Emotional abuse
travelseatsreads's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
3.5
A great fun read which plays of many horror/slasher tropes but I felt the end got a little too Rambo-ish for my liking which distracted from my enjoyment of some great twists.
I really enjoyed Grady's writing style though so will be going back for more.
Full review to come.
Graphic: Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Torture, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Police brutality, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Body horror, Cancer, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Gore, Toxic friendship, Grief, and Stalking
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Cannibalism, Addiction, Alcoholism, and Animal death