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annamickreads's review
3.0
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.
"The Only Girl in Town" is set in two timelines: the past ("then") and the present ("now"). In the present, high school senior July Fielding wakes up one morning to realize that everyone in her entire town has vanished without a trace. Desperate to get to the bottom of the mystery, she begins driving around and unraveling a series of clues left behind from past memories to piece together how to get them back.
This is my first experience with Ally Condie's works so I likely don't have the same perception of her previous writing, but I felt torn about the way this book was written. The "chapters" are short pages sometimes with fewer than three or four sentences to build up the high emotional intensity that drives this book. While I can always appreciate a pace that kicks the reader into gear (and, also, being so emotionally intense serves the plot immensely), some readers might feel that this method is jarring, especially because it leaves little time to sit in the world of the book.
We meet several of July's closest friends and family but I felt like as characters they weren't as fleshed out as I would want them to be to have that deep emotional connection this book wants to drive home. I will say however as a cat person with anxiety myself, July's thoughts and feelings about her cat Yolo were incredibly relatable.
The story itself is meant to leave a lot up for interpretation, but at the heart of the book is July's struggle with an unnamed mental illness (often referred to as "loneliness") that is likely depression. Readers follow July's life and how it steadily falls apart while also following the story of how she (eventually) pulls herself back to gather.
Every single person's experience with depression and anxiety is different, so I am going to refrain from commenting on the depiction of mental health in this book, despite being someone who struggles with similar issues. I WILL say in my opinion, there's significant allusions to suicidal ideation, so if you struggle with depression or suicidal ideation, PLEASE take care when reading.
Finally: it always makes me laugh when books use my college town as a setting!! Shoutout to the real Lithia, aka Ithaca NY
"The Only Girl in Town" is set in two timelines: the past ("then") and the present ("now"). In the present, high school senior July Fielding wakes up one morning to realize that everyone in her entire town has vanished without a trace. Desperate to get to the bottom of the mystery, she begins driving around and unraveling a series of clues left behind from past memories to piece together how to get them back.
This is my first experience with Ally Condie's works so I likely don't have the same perception of her previous writing, but I felt torn about the way this book was written. The "chapters" are short pages sometimes with fewer than three or four sentences to build up the high emotional intensity that drives this book. While I can always appreciate a pace that kicks the reader into gear (and, also, being so emotionally intense serves the plot immensely), some readers might feel that this method is jarring, especially because it leaves little time to sit in the world of the book.
We meet several of July's closest friends and family but I felt like as characters they weren't as fleshed out as I would want them to be to have that deep emotional connection this book wants to drive home. I will say however as a cat person with anxiety myself, July's thoughts and feelings about her cat Yolo were incredibly relatable.
The story itself is meant to leave a lot up for interpretation, but at the heart of the book is July's struggle with an unnamed mental illness (often referred to as "loneliness") that is likely depression. Readers follow July's life and how it steadily falls apart while also following the story of how she (eventually) pulls herself back to gather.
Every single person's experience with depression and anxiety is different, so I am going to refrain from commenting on the depiction of mental health in this book, despite being someone who struggles with similar issues. I WILL say in my opinion, there's significant allusions to suicidal ideation, so if you struggle with depression or suicidal ideation, PLEASE take care when reading.
Finally: it always makes me laugh when books use my college town as a setting!! Shoutout to the real Lithia, aka Ithaca NY
thepinkpublications's review
4.0
Gutwrenching story of July who goes through hell and back trying to get her lived ones back. If you want an exciting mystery this is it!
marisalipp's review against another edition
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I initially really disliked the ending of this book so I gave it 2 ⭐️ but as I’ve been thinking more about it, I think it is a really deep and interesting message and I really liked it. I completely did not see it coming which I guess is the point!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
bluebell4's review
This book is really intense and heavy. I’ve read this authors work before but from what I understand this is her first novel that could be considered “thriller”. I started it but just had to but it down, I don’t like being scared by books and this one had me on edge the whole time. I skimmed to the end just to see what would happen (I needed a happy ending) and it did end up okay?? But it was just so so heavy, I even dreamed about it even though I read a very small amount of it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
grclnntt's review
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
3.75
First half could have been shortened and then second half could have been explained more. I’m a little confused what happened, but overall I understand and enjoyed it. 3.75 bc a bit too long. Check trigger warnings, too
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Abandonment
Minor: Blood
tatbookshelf's review
5.0
Review:
5⭐
THE ONLY GIRL IN TOWN started off so good. I loved how suspenseful it read, and how quick it was to read. I liked how the chapters were written-the spacing and how everything was short and to the point. I entirely enjoyed everything that I read. The idea of being the only girl in town was mystery in itself. What happened? Where did everyone go? Why did they go? Did someone take them? Will they come back? These were the questions I asked myself throughout the book. THE ONLY GIRL IN TOWN was suspenseful, well-written, emotional, and the perfect amount of mystery that had me reading and reading until the very end.
5⭐
THE ONLY GIRL IN TOWN started off so good. I loved how suspenseful it read, and how quick it was to read. I liked how the chapters were written-the spacing and how everything was short and to the point. I entirely enjoyed everything that I read. The idea of being the only girl in town was mystery in itself. What happened? Where did everyone go? Why did they go? Did someone take them? Will they come back? These were the questions I asked myself throughout the book. THE ONLY GIRL IN TOWN was suspenseful, well-written, emotional, and the perfect amount of mystery that had me reading and reading until the very end.
residual_sizzle's review
4.0
The Only Girl in Town was a haunting and poetic YA novel. I'm not sure that I have resonated with a characters internal struggles more than I did when I was reading this. It was not at all what I expected it to be, and enjoyed the entire thing thoroughly. The chapters are very short and digestible, there's a dual timeline between past and present, which I really liked. I liked how mysterious and atmospheric it felt. I tried the entire time to guess what was happening and found myself getting proved wrong a few times throughout which was honestly pretty nice.
I genuinely think that it should maybe come with some trigger warnings on it, to warn readers that there are thoughts of suicide, exploration of teenage depression and some more.
Overall, I think this novel was great, but for some should be read with care.
I genuinely think that it should maybe come with some trigger warnings on it, to warn readers that there are thoughts of suicide, exploration of teenage depression and some more.
Overall, I think this novel was great, but for some should be read with care.
nana08's review
5.0
This book was a beautiful interpretation of death, pain, and losing yourself. It made my heart ache understanding this tragic story and realizing what it was about. As I know this book isn’t for everyone, it truly touched my soul and made me ache for something I didn’t know I needed. Beautifully tragically written and I’m grateful I stumbled upon this book. I’m that happy kind of sad now