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legallyhot's review against another edition
2.75
The mystery was good but none of the characters were remotely likeable :/
The main character would go on and on about all the awful things her bestfriend did when she was alive and then immediately act like the townspeople were evil for hating her?!?!?! The commentary on the sexist double standard was accurate but that doesn’t absolve her bestie of being a garbage person 😭😭 like girl, bffr
The main character would go on and on about all the awful things her bestfriend did when she was alive and then immediately act like the townspeople were evil for hating her?!?!?! The commentary on the sexist double standard was accurate but that doesn’t absolve her bestie of being a garbage person 😭😭 like girl, bffr
fantasynovel's review against another edition
4.0
Idk why it was so much fun to read bc the plot wasn't so good
Edit: half a month later, this book is still with me, and I really think it's the atmosphere. The melancholy Maine town, the teenage angst, the drug use all combine to give a very specific feel. I feel like I really spent some time lying on rocks at a cold New England beach thinking about revenge.
Edit: half a month later, this book is still with me, and I really think it's the atmosphere. The melancholy Maine town, the teenage angst, the drug use all combine to give a very specific feel. I feel like I really spent some time lying on rocks at a cold New England beach thinking about revenge.
librarydosebykristy's review against another edition
3.0
Phew. This was an intense listen. The female narrator's voice was raspy and deep and sounded like a person who has been on a week long bender. It was hard to get used to at first, but it actually complemented the main character, who was rough around the edges. A dark teen noir story that takes place in depressed, small town Maine. Veronica Mars meets Gillian Flynn. Not many likable characters here, but I was still into it.
avid_read's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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
krislynn09's review against another edition
2.0
i’m sure my 14 year old self would have eaten this up but reading this now was a waste of time
punyorin's review against another edition
2.0
dnf at 66%. i just don’t care abt any of the characters in a very character driven novel. they’re all very one note. the only personality traits they seem to have is being bad people and doing drugs. if i wanted to see that i’d spend the day with my dad. 2 stars because the writing is decently pretty and the plot is interesting, but it’s hard to want to read a plot like this when you just don’t care abt the characters.
cosmicpanda's review against another edition
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Self harm, Death, Mental illness, Toxic friendship, Car accident, Addiction, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide attempt, Racism, Confinement, Vomit, Drug abuse, Suicide, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Drug use, Alcohol, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, and Violence
lauravernon's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-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
3.25
trisha_thomas's review against another edition
4.0
"Not everybody can be a fighter."
Hmmm...this one is tough to rate. On one hand, it was dark and twisted and I love those kinds of stories. I was never really sure what the real story was and I turned pages, holding my breath, as Finley stumbled around the town shoving everyone and lighting fires. I loved how utterly devastated she was - torn down to her very core - it gave her personality real fire and grit and made her feel very flawed and very real. She was angry and ready for revenge and she hated that her best friend was gone.
I did like how flawed Finley was, although it almost made her too hard to like. Owen and Serena - I like how the story gave us enough interaction to get to know them but not too much that we were buried in their personalities. I also loved the glimpses of her father. You could almost feel his grief and fear for what Finley was going through. You just knew it was tearing him apart too, but that he was giving her space to make her way in the world - all the while calling frantically trying to find where she was each night.
But was it too dark? Maybe. a little dark for a YA title. I hate knowing this book can be checked out easily by my 12 year old. And when we're talking about dark themes in YA, I always think the publisher and/or author should include help hotlines at the end. You never know who you could help just be including that.
Hmmm...this one is tough to rate. On one hand, it was dark and twisted and I love those kinds of stories. I was never really sure what the real story was and I turned pages, holding my breath, as Finley stumbled around the town shoving everyone and lighting fires. I loved how utterly devastated she was - torn down to her very core - it gave her personality real fire and grit and made her feel very flawed and very real. She was angry and ready for revenge and she hated that her best friend was gone.
I did like how flawed Finley was, although it almost made her too hard to like. Owen and Serena - I like how the story gave us enough interaction to get to know them but not too much that we were buried in their personalities. I also loved the glimpses of her father. You could almost feel his grief and fear for what Finley was going through. You just knew it was tearing him apart too, but that he was giving her space to make her way in the world - all the while calling frantically trying to find where she was each night.
But was it too dark? Maybe. a little dark for a YA title. I hate knowing this book can be checked out easily by my 12 year old. And when we're talking about dark themes in YA, I always think the publisher and/or author should include help hotlines at the end. You never know who you could help just be including that.