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merilizabeth's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This is not my usual type of read, but this is a phrase I use constantly now. I float around the genres currently. This gave me ‘13 Reasons Why’ vibe. The writing style was super nice and the wording was captuvating it kept my pages turning. The ending was a mystery and I did not wait such turn out which frankly kept me questioning what exactly was the ending then and how did the book end? I am still not quite sure about the ending and the plot. Frankly ending spoiled the book for me a bit. Otherwise I did like it but not a five star read. Also the LGBTQ theme was off key for me even tho I sometimes read down that alley, this kind of love seemed a bit over the top and unhealthy.
emldavis001's review against another edition
3.0
This book wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either. I got through the whole thing, but it was kind of a struggle. This book was also really predictable. Honestly, just pick up something else. Don't waste your time.
aimee119's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
leah_grace07's review against another edition
3.0
This book was a nice breath of fresh air from all the fantasy books I had been reading... the mystery aspect was well done and I - for the most part - enjoyed the character development, I wished some more characters that were further delved into, but it was still exceptional!!:)
nishaali's review against another edition
2.0
I was drawn to Suicide Notes from Beautiful Girls because of the haunting title and cover. The blurb held promise of teenage issues, intrigue and tragedy and compared the novel to Gone Girl and 13 Reasons Why, two books I've read and enjoyed. Plus it's a mystery so basically it was ticking all of my boxes!
Up until a year ago, June and Delia were best friends. Whilst Delia was the more daring, experienced and also slightly unstable of the two, theirs was an unwavering friendship despite their differences, one bonded by the ties of secrets. However, when one night's antics go too far, their friendship is tested and in the aftermath, June distances herself from Delia. That is until she hears news that Delia has died in a suspected suicide. For June, the incident dredges up the past and not-so-old feelings and she finds herself obsessing over what exactly happened that night when Delia went up in flames, and what drove her to take such drastic action? After Delia's ex-boyfriend suggests foul play, June begins to dig deeper into her old friend's suicide and is confronted with the fact that some details about the incident just do not add up...
Suicide Notes from Beautiful Girls started well. When the idea that Delia's death might not have been suicide, but something more sinister, was introduced it held promise. It was endearing at the beginning to see June so doggedly follow the few clues she had and put herself in uncomfortable positions because she was desperate to do right by her friend. The story was setup using flashbacks showing their friendship before they became estranged. It was these glimpses into the past that allowed the reader to get a better understanding of Delia and June and their friendship since details were scarce in the present. Their inseparability and reliance on each other was clear and it made the reader want to find out what exactly happened that changed things so drastically between them. These flashbacks though were not in chronological order and so the narrative did often feel rather disjointed.
As I read on, I also started to find the characterisation quite flimsy. I did not care one iota for Delia, and considering the whole point of this book was finding out the truth behind her alleged suicide, it didn't help me feel any sympathy for the character or cheer on June to solve the mystery. I also couldn't get fully behind the whole friendship either - it seemed toxic and didn't seem to be balanced for the two of them. June seemed much more reliant on Delia, crediting her with giving her confidence, whilst Delia came across as rather possessive. Although close and almost obsessive friendships between girls aren't all that uncommon when growing up, this friendship did leave a bit of a bad taste in my mouth.
In terms of the other characters, June's boyfriend wasn't well-developed enough for me to take his plot arc seriously. The characters introduced later on were also rather two-dimensional, their only purpose was to serve as plot devices and they all appeared to have just one or two basic characteristics - jealous, broody, pining etc etc. Although this could be explained by their background, which I won't go into in detail because spoilers, I still didn't feel like it was a good enough reason to not develop them a bit further especially as they're pretty crucial to the climax. Save for Jeremiah, Delia's ex-boyfriend, who seems to be the only character to show any genuine emotion, none of the characters felt realistic beyond walking and talking plot devices which was a huge shame.
The biggest let down for me was the turn the book took about mid-way. It felt a bit like a cop-out and invalidated all that had happened up to that point. And everything that happened from the point onward didn't seem to have much substance or point - June, and the reader, were essentially just waiting around for the climax to happen and in the meantime all the characters had time to do was to indulge in some petty avoidable drama. Even still, I could've forgiven these issues if the twist wasn't so guessable early on. It all got a little too far-fetched for me, and not enough was done by Weingarten to convince me to suspend my disbelief.
I had high hopes for Suicide Notes from Beautiful Girls but I was left feeling underwhelmed and a little frustrated because it had potential. The plot took some pretty huge liberties at the expense of being "twisted" and "unpredictable" and, because I couldn't connect to the characters beyond a superficial level, it fell flat for me. Still I've given the book 2/5 because I did want to finish the book and because the first half wasn't terrible.
If you're looking for a satisfying thriller/murder mystery which deals which weaves in unreliable narrators and toxic friendships, I suggest you look no further than Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas - one of my absolute all time favourite YA murder mystery thrillers.
Originally posted on my blog: bookishatheart.com
Up until a year ago, June and Delia were best friends. Whilst Delia was the more daring, experienced and also slightly unstable of the two, theirs was an unwavering friendship despite their differences, one bonded by the ties of secrets. However, when one night's antics go too far, their friendship is tested and in the aftermath, June distances herself from Delia. That is until she hears news that Delia has died in a suspected suicide. For June, the incident dredges up the past and not-so-old feelings and she finds herself obsessing over what exactly happened that night when Delia went up in flames, and what drove her to take such drastic action? After Delia's ex-boyfriend suggests foul play, June begins to dig deeper into her old friend's suicide and is confronted with the fact that some details about the incident just do not add up...
Suicide Notes from Beautiful Girls started well. When the idea that Delia's death might not have been suicide, but something more sinister, was introduced it held promise. It was endearing at the beginning to see June so doggedly follow the few clues she had and put herself in uncomfortable positions because she was desperate to do right by her friend. The story was setup using flashbacks showing their friendship before they became estranged. It was these glimpses into the past that allowed the reader to get a better understanding of Delia and June and their friendship since details were scarce in the present. Their inseparability and reliance on each other was clear and it made the reader want to find out what exactly happened that changed things so drastically between them. These flashbacks though were not in chronological order and so the narrative did often feel rather disjointed.
As I read on, I also started to find the characterisation quite flimsy. I did not care one iota for Delia, and considering the whole point of this book was finding out the truth behind her alleged suicide, it didn't help me feel any sympathy for the character or cheer on June to solve the mystery. I also couldn't get fully behind the whole friendship either - it seemed toxic and didn't seem to be balanced for the two of them. June seemed much more reliant on Delia, crediting her with giving her confidence, whilst Delia came across as rather possessive. Although close and almost obsessive friendships between girls aren't all that uncommon when growing up, this friendship did leave a bit of a bad taste in my mouth.
In terms of the other characters, June's boyfriend wasn't well-developed enough for me to take his plot arc seriously. The characters introduced later on were also rather two-dimensional, their only purpose was to serve as plot devices and they all appeared to have just one or two basic characteristics - jealous, broody, pining etc etc. Although this could be explained by their background, which I won't go into in detail because spoilers, I still didn't feel like it was a good enough reason to not develop them a bit further especially as they're pretty crucial to the climax. Save for Jeremiah, Delia's ex-boyfriend, who seems to be the only character to show any genuine emotion, none of the characters felt realistic beyond walking and talking plot devices which was a huge shame.
The biggest let down for me was the turn the book took about mid-way. It felt a bit like a cop-out and invalidated all that had happened up to that point. And everything that happened from the point onward didn't seem to have much substance or point - June, and the reader, were essentially just waiting around for the climax to happen and in the meantime all the characters had time to do was to indulge in some petty avoidable drama. Even still, I could've forgiven these issues if the twist wasn't so guessable early on. It all got a little too far-fetched for me, and not enough was done by Weingarten to convince me to suspend my disbelief.
I had high hopes for Suicide Notes from Beautiful Girls but I was left feeling underwhelmed and a little frustrated because it had potential. The plot took some pretty huge liberties at the expense of being "twisted" and "unpredictable" and, because I couldn't connect to the characters beyond a superficial level, it fell flat for me. Still I've given the book 2/5 because I did want to finish the book and because the first half wasn't terrible.
If you're looking for a satisfying thriller/murder mystery which deals which weaves in unreliable narrators and toxic friendships, I suggest you look no further than Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas - one of my absolute all time favourite YA murder mystery thrillers.
Originally posted on my blog: bookishatheart.com
gabbyscarlet's review against another edition
3.0
"In Suicide Notes from Beautiful Girls by Lynn Weingarton, June, a high school junior, investigates the mysterious "suicide" of her ex-best friend, Delia. Throughout the book she discovers new mysteries and experiences betrayal and numbness. Her character develops quickly to adapt to what events occur."
A 3.5, rounded down...
I was really vibing with this at first because I had never read anything with this concept. Actually, I don't think I've ever read a story revolving around suicide in general. Later on, Junie found Delia alive and well, and things started to go to shit from there. Like actually.... I didn't really understand what was happening in the last fifty pages, and I feel like a lot of questions went unanswered, so as the reader, I didn't get the satisfying closure that I hoped for. I didn't like the other characters that resided with Delia, but maybe that was the point? Delia killing William, her stepfather, was really unnecessary, in my opinion, but it also assisted in portraying the truth about Delia's character (so I guess you could say I'm a little conflicted). This had a lot more than I was anticipating, both bad and good.
A 3.5, rounded down...
I was really vibing with this at first because I had never read anything with this concept. Actually, I don't think I've ever read a story revolving around suicide in general. Later on, Junie found Delia alive and well, and things started to go to shit from there. Like actually.... I didn't really understand what was happening in the last fifty pages, and I feel like a lot of questions went unanswered, so as the reader, I didn't get the satisfying closure that I hoped for. I didn't like the other characters that resided with Delia, but maybe that was the point? Delia killing William, her stepfather, was really unnecessary, in my opinion, but it also assisted in portraying the truth about Delia's character (so I guess you could say I'm a little conflicted). This had a lot more than I was anticipating, both bad and good.
abbyl819's review against another edition
2.0
The synopsis of this book was really intriguing, but after I finished I was pretty disappointed. June does so many things that just don't make sense, and Delia's motives were unclear through the whole book. Once we find out the truth about Delia, a lot of questions were created and nothing was wrapped up. The ending was the absolute worst part. So many different ideas and plot lines were opened up, but none were ever resolved. It ended abruptly with absolutely no resolution, and it left me frustrated and unclear as to what really happened. Overall, a was disappointed by this book.
dunder_mifflin's review against another edition
3.0
the book was quite short (only 334 pages) and yet so much was crammed in. it sort of felt like the author was just cramming in as much drama as she could - suicide, drugs, pregnancy, rape, murder, etc. the result of this was that it felt sort of rushed, just going from one drama to another.
it was okay, i enjoyed it, but it was nothing special.
it was okay, i enjoyed it, but it was nothing special.
torturedpoetlakes's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide and Sexual assault
Minor: Abortion
kanderson49's review against another edition
I was only going to read this for book club but I truly have no interest in it right now