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dealingwithdragons's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The proportion of readers who saw little character development in this book surprised me until I thought about how differently people can think about "character development". Do these characters become *better* people over the course of the novel? Absolutely not. They start bad and get worse. But they do *develop*: they change. Our awareness of them grows and changes. That's character development from a writing analysis standpoint.
feldy's review
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
sayhar13's review against another edition
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
hitbooksnotgirlz's review against another edition
4.0
When a book is told from the perspective of only one person, I prefer a female MC. But this one was too interesting to pass up, and I quite enjoyed it. It was pretty fucking dark, filled with twists, and it didn’t go at all how I thought it would. Loved it!
missgrangerr's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
sarahlopod's review against another edition
4.0
This review can also be found on my blog.
This found its way onto my TBR after Rachel’s five-star review of it, and I’m thankful I let her guide my decision to read it instead of paying attention to the relatively poor rating it has on Goodreads. First and foremost, it’s important to remember that this is a YA thriller and to adjust expectations accordingly. I wasn’t going into this expecting a new and meaningful favorite; I went into this wanting to read something entertaining, which is what I got.
Tragedy is infinitely more interesting than bliss. That’s the allure of self-destruction. Or so I’ve found.
The reader knows from the outset that one of the main characters will die, but we have no way of knowing how, when, or why. The tension in the novel slowly builds as the narrator unfurls the story of what happened. There were points where I felt things were a bit absurd in how dramatic they got, but by the last 15-20% I was fully hooked on wanting to know what would happen and thought the eventual reveals were really well-done.
“But even if he were my boyfriend, it wouldn’t be my fault that he’s an asshole.”
“I didn’t say it would be.”
“But you were thinking it, weren’t you? Everyone always blames women for the things men do. It’s why men never learn.”
In addition to being a solid thriller, I felt like the underlying commentary here was quite interesting. Without getting into spoilers, I’ll just briefly say that I think this book does a great job of showing the harm toxic relationships can cause while also demonstrating how difficult they can be to leave. There are multiple instances of these, both familial and romantic, and range from outright abuse to dependency. The messages conveyed are important and while the setting has a level of drama that doesn’t quite rise to realism, it’s still easy to see how they can be translated to real life.
That was noble, wasn’t it? To think of others first? I’d always told myself that, but doubt chewed at the edges of my certainty. Maybe the truth was that I preferred death to guilt.
One of my only complaints is that some of the background characters felt interchangeable and unnecessary, but I think the larger cast was necessary for the plot to progress the way it did. For the most part, though, this was a really solid thriller. It fully captured me and ended up being a good read. I’d definitely recommend it to those who enjoy the genre.
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This found its way onto my TBR after Rachel’s five-star review of it, and I’m thankful I let her guide my decision to read it instead of paying attention to the relatively poor rating it has on Goodreads. First and foremost, it’s important to remember that this is a YA thriller and to adjust expectations accordingly. I wasn’t going into this expecting a new and meaningful favorite; I went into this wanting to read something entertaining, which is what I got.
Tragedy is infinitely more interesting than bliss. That’s the allure of self-destruction. Or so I’ve found.
The reader knows from the outset that one of the main characters will die, but we have no way of knowing how, when, or why. The tension in the novel slowly builds as the narrator unfurls the story of what happened. There were points where I felt things were a bit absurd in how dramatic they got, but by the last 15-20% I was fully hooked on wanting to know what would happen and thought the eventual reveals were really well-done.
“But even if he were my boyfriend, it wouldn’t be my fault that he’s an asshole.”
“I didn’t say it would be.”
“But you were thinking it, weren’t you? Everyone always blames women for the things men do. It’s why men never learn.”
In addition to being a solid thriller, I felt like the underlying commentary here was quite interesting. Without getting into spoilers, I’ll just briefly say that I think this book does a great job of showing the harm toxic relationships can cause while also demonstrating how difficult they can be to leave. There are multiple instances of these, both familial and romantic, and range from outright abuse to dependency. The messages conveyed are important and while the setting has a level of drama that doesn’t quite rise to realism, it’s still easy to see how they can be translated to real life.
That was noble, wasn’t it? To think of others first? I’d always told myself that, but doubt chewed at the edges of my certainty. Maybe the truth was that I preferred death to guilt.
One of my only complaints is that some of the background characters felt interchangeable and unnecessary, but I think the larger cast was necessary for the plot to progress the way it did. For the most part, though, this was a really solid thriller. It fully captured me and ended up being a good read. I’d definitely recommend it to those who enjoy the genre.
Blog | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
missemilyv19's review against another edition
3.0
I loved everything about this book.... in theory. I loved the wilderness setting, I loved the unreliable narrator, I loved that it was basically written as a confession letter. I loved it all. And then I read the book.
I will admit, there was something unputdownable about this book. I did fly through it very quickly. The short chapters and easy writing really helped with that.
Having a teenage boy write a letter as to why he killed his girlfriend sounded so interesting. And there's so many things leading you into it that make you that "oh that's why!" But then it all turns out so dull and boring and it makes no damn sense.
A lot of the details that we're told don't add up to anything. The other people in the woods really don't matter, the others deaths don't add up at all. The random dude walking off into the snowstorm is literally forgotten about. It's just all nonsensical. A story for the sake of a story. Which I guess lines up with the narrator.
Overall, this is more like 2 stars but I rounded it up because I was able to read it so quickly.
I will admit, there was something unputdownable about this book. I did fly through it very quickly. The short chapters and easy writing really helped with that.
Having a teenage boy write a letter as to why he killed his girlfriend sounded so interesting. And there's so many things leading you into it that make you that "oh that's why!" But then it all turns out so dull and boring and it makes no damn sense.
Spoiler
He thinks she cheated on him in Peru. She treats him like absolute shit. He legitimately cheats on her in the woods. He's told that she admitted that she knows she treats him like shit. He's also told that he was a literal PROJECT for her to "fix." And then in the end, it's a twisted mercy killing?A lot of the details that we're told don't add up to anything. The other people in the woods really don't matter, the others deaths don't add up at all. The random dude walking off into the snowstorm is literally forgotten about. It's just all nonsensical. A story for the sake of a story. Which I guess lines up with the narrator.
Overall, this is more like 2 stars but I rounded it up because I was able to read it so quickly.