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editorsel's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
As for the flowery writing, I suppose it’s supposed to reflect Margot as an English major, a constant observer, but because every other sentence is described by some metaphor or simile, it feels disingenuous and unrealistic to someone who’s just a college kid. All in all, it’s not a bad read, definitely something you can just listen to with just enough interest to keep going.
Minor: Rape and Murder
shawniejo's review against another edition
3.25
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault
Minor: Vomit, Stalking, and Car accident
pammyslifestyle's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism and Alcohol
Minor: Drug use
trishsmelody'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
Moderate: Rape
zippysherman's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Eating disorder and Rape
Moderate: Death and Alcohol
Minor: Animal death
erinbrady'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? It's complicated
3.75
Moderate: Rape
melissatrew's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
2024 is going to be the year of the fantastic new thrillers, I can tell already! This was twisty and manipulative and so fun to read - think Mean Girls meets Inventing Anna. Stacy Willingham is an auto-buy author for me, and she’s staying at the top of that list after this book. The story got a little slow in places, but all of the twists & turns & deceptions pulled me back in and kept me hooked. 4.5 stars.
”We got away with murder, not just once but three times over.
Moderate: Death and Murder
Minor: Rape
honey_coated_chapters's review against another edition
2.0
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Rape
astoriareader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
- Margot grew up in the Outer Banks in North Carolina, and she is starting her freshman year at Rutledge in South Carolina. Prior to starting college, her BFF, Eliza, died.
- In the summer before sophomore year, she befriends a trio of girls, Lucy, Nicole, and Sloane. She moves into their rental home, which the girls rent from a fraternity that’s adjacent to the rental.
- At the beginning of the book, there is a time jump to middle of sophomore year, where Lucy is MIA & something has happened to a frat boy next door. The police are investigating.
- What happened to Eliza, Lucy, and the frat boy?
- This is Willingham’s third book, and so far, I’ve read all three & love her writing style. This one, however, was my least favorite of the three.
- This was a slow burn with multiple timelines. The chapters are short & digestible.
- The characters weren’t very likable, and there’s a lot about toxic friendships.
- The ending was okay. It wasn’t bad, and it wasn’t great.
- Side note: the cover of the book was really pretty!
- I did think this was a compulsive read. I ended up finishing in one sitting because I wanted to see what happened.
- The reveal of the mystery about what happened to Eliza was predictable, and I expect readers of the genre to feel the same way.
- I enjoyed the book, and it is well-written.
Graphic: Death, Grief, Murder, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Blood, Vomit, Stalking, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
Minor: Infidelity and Car accident
cait_reads_and_drinks'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
3.5
Okay, I’ll be honest, this one started off slow. There was a lot of building things up and I just wanted things to start happening. And then they did. There’s a lot of red herrings, which I expected because I feel like that’s kind of the author’s MO, but the twists were solid and did not disappoint. Margot’s internal critiques and insecurities felt way too familiar to early college Cait and let’s just say I’m glad things worked out differently for me 😂
While I think the book probably could’ve been more engaging in the beginning and definitely could’ve have gotten the same effect in less pages, I enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone who loved Flicker In The Dark or likes stories where you don’t know who to trust.
Moderate: Rape