Reviews with content warning for Physical abuse - Final Girls

After waiting months to be able to read this book, I have to say I am thoroughly disappointed in it. The book was too slow for my liking, but I was willing to push past that. I ignored the tropes and stereotypical characters. While the slasher theme was fun, there were too many red herrings in this book to count! I have to admit I was surprised at the ending, and then I was left crestfallen with the climax and villain’s monologue.
Beyond all of that, after taking over a month to read (which by my standards is too long for a book this size and genre), I find out the author is a man. I am tired of men writing about women in these stereotypical slasher stories and making them out to be these shallow, judgmental, final girls who have a “dark side” to them. It’s exhausting and disgusting. While I would agree with the argument that real slasher stories are born out of crimes of passion, I find it revolting that the story ends with

the most incel-coded character being bummed he didn’t get the girl. grow up.

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tini_turtle's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

Kept me so hooked for hours!! Felt it sagging a bit in the middle but the ending saved it. So so good and well written!

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killmoore_'s review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Had me going there for a minute, bud. The twist got me.

Truly despicable characters, all of them, and a unreliable narrator trope that isn't exactly what it seems. This was fun, and while I don't normally like books that end all wrapped up with a bow, this one felt complete.

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jstew89's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious 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

4.25

I'll admit, most of the main characters really annoyed me for the first half of the book; I think I just have a low tolerance for most protagonists these days. That being said, by the second half of the book I was very into Quincy's story, and while I wasn't rooting for her necessarily, I was hooked on just what happened that fateful night in Pine Cottage. The other characters really grew on me throughout the novel, although I do think that

Jeff got the short end of the stick in the end. I'm also REALLY glad that Sam/Tina didn't die.</i>

One thing I liked is that I didn't figure out who was the murderer until the reveal, although some of the leaps in logic the characters took were... questionable. There were times where Quincy had a realization by looking at new information and would say something like "It was so obvious now" and then make a WILD leap in rationalization. Those don't generally bother me (especially as an escape room enthusiast) but some of these felt egregious. Overall I enjoyed the book and it had me up until 2 AM one night where I couldn't put it down, so it was definitely engaging. It has some issues but overall, super enjoyable.

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mnc84's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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rachaelbunny's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

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alisonfaith426's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I have thought of Riley Sager as a favorite author for a long time now, but kept putting of his debut, until now. I was very pleased with how much I ended up enjoying this novel! This story follows Quincy, who ten years ago, became a final girl. On that terrible night, her and her friends went to a cabin in the woods to celebrate, but only Quincy, with no memory of what happened, made it back home. Now, she is trying to move on and live her life without constantly being reminded of the night that changed everything. She receives news that another final girl was found dead, under suspicious circumstances. Is Quincy safe, and can she finally remember what happened to her friends?
This book had some twists and turns that I did not see coming, but everything felt in the realm of reality, which I always appreciate in a thriller. It was not my favorite Riley Sager novel, but I still very much enjoyed it!

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