Reviews

This book was equal parts mysterious and beautiful, and I loved it so much. I am an autistic person myself, and I connected with the main character Charlie. The descriptions of her autistic traits were a bit simplistic and stereotypical but were accurate, and I liked the methaphor of a lopsided seesaw. I truly did not guess the twists and endings in this book except one, and I had a blast getting to know all of the characters and seeing Charlie fiercely love and protect the people she cares most about. Overall this was fun and enjoyable and made me tear up at the end.

renzoreads's review against another edition

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4.0

17 year old Charlie Hudson has one goal - to finish high school and get out of Sawyer, the oppressive small town she has grown up in. That goal might be in jeopardy when Clay Cooper, the owner of multiple businesses with Sawyer, is discovered dead each of his employees is a suspect in his death - including Charlie. Determined to protect herself, and her friends, Charlie tries to track down the potential murderer before they find their way to Charlie, as they believe she has what they are after.

This was my first Wendy Walker book, and it definitely won’t be my last. I really enjoyed her writing style. This was a great psychological thriller that had me intrigued from the first chapter. I really liked Charlie as a character. Her autism adding a layer of complexity to her personality, but not feeling like it was included to be a novelty. There were multiple twists throughout which kept me guessing as to who the murderer was, and what their motives might have been. I thought this was well paced and enjoyed watching the mystery unfold. While I feel like the ending could have had a bit more closure, I still enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone looking for a good whodunnit.

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for my digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

zarlina's review

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2.0

Was the story good? Up to a point. Was it believable? Not even a little bit. The narrative was amazing and in the beginning I really enjoyed the mix of narrated chapters and the played out audio parts, until I realised they were just a way for the author to loophole her way out of letting us know what the main character had figured out. Suddenly in the climax we find out details Charlie had noticed about the character behind the so called twist, which were supposed to make it feel like all pieces fell in place but instead made for a moment of eye rolling. If the only way you can write a twist is to withhold information, you're not doing it right.

The ending was so over the top it made me physically cringe and I could barely finish the last chapter because it was just so. bad. Everything magically worked out for everyone, in the least realistic way possible.

So why two stars? Because of the narrator. She was amazing. The book, however, wasn't.

toofondofbooks_'s review

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i just felt like NOTHING WAS HAPPENING and even thought the audio is full cast, by chapter 13 i had only gotten two chapters with said full cast :\ and the rest narrated by paige layle, who has a great style, but what really sold me was the full cast, you know?

jessmonda's review against another edition

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lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

ptgooty's review against another edition

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mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

thehuiabird's review

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dark mysterious slow-paced

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

2.0

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