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racheldallaire's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Suicide, and Murder
Minor: Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Abortion, and Alcohol
ashes_book_cave's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Pedophilia, Violence, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Suicide, Car accident, Abortion, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Minor: Vomit
nomron's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Car accident, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Car accident, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
samantha7815's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
aformeracceleratedreader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.5
Graphic: Child death, Death, Grief, Car accident, and Alcohol
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Blood, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Abortion
katherinesreadingalot's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Alcohol
Minor: Abortion
rebecca_spain'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
3.5
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Grief, and Car accident
Moderate: Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Gore, Rape, Suicide, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Abortion, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
s_lorenz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Pedophilia, Rape, Suicide, Blood, Car accident, Abortion, and Suicide attempt
allisonplus'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? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Car accident, and Murder
ruthypoo2's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
In the current timeline, the main character, Monica, is struggling not only with a personal crisis, but the upcoming 5-year anniversary of her sister’s death that was determined to be a suicide. Monica has never been convinced that her popular and happy cheerleader sister, who was planning a bright future, would end her own life. The fact that immediately preceding her sister’s death, four other girls on the same cheerleading squad had died from either a car accident or as a murder victim leads Monica to suspect there are a lot of unanswered questions that the police, including her beloved stepfather, have ignored. Monica accidentally uncovers some items hidden away in her house and this sets her off on a personal quest to find out if there’s any connection between the cheerleaders’ deaths.
As for the secondary timeline, peppered in between Monica’s chapters are flashbacks that reveal what was happening in other characters lives five years earlier, including the cheerleaders and their friends. This insight helps the reader connect to the victims and become more invested in seeing Monica succeed with her amateur sleuthing.
The story moves along at a fast pace, even though there’s minimal action. Most of the book is character development and conversation. There’s definitely satisfaction when Monica gets some insight through snooping and research, which really is as much as can realistically be expected since she’s just a teenager with a bicycle and not Magnum, P.I.!
The author, Kara Thomas, includes difficult and complex issues into the story, such as substance abuse, bullying, body image, abortion, statutory rape, and suicide. I feel these topics are handled well, but get lost in the story as it progresses. For example, one character seems to be headed down a path leading to misuse of prescription pain meds, but gets distracted and never voices another craving or complaint about the pain that was causing them to take up to 4 pills at a time. This is just a side note though because I didn’t get too hung up on this oversight and stayed glued to the progression of story regardless.
Overall, a very good book. I listened to the audio and really like the narrator, Phoebe Strole, who did a great job voicing teen and adult characters, as well as different temperaments and emotions. Her voice was well suited to this book.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Suicide, Car accident, Abortion, and Alcohol