Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved the premise, the writing, and the OCD representation. The story felt rushed after the halfway point, however, and the ghost’s POV and fate didn’t quite fit. I’m not sure if the ending feels earned, either.
Calling this a horror feels like a bit of a stretch! Technically there is a haunting, I suppose, but just felt like literary fiction to me!
This was an interesting read and I enjoyed the writing, but I felt like the OCD plot line was totally forgotten about by the second half, and the ending left me completely unsatisfied. It was just so… random. Also the “twist” was very predictable. It gets a meh from me.
This was an interesting read and I enjoyed the writing, but I felt like the OCD plot line was totally forgotten about by the second half, and the ending left me completely unsatisfied. It was just so… random. Also the “twist” was very predictable. It gets a meh from me.
dark
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It has now been a couple days since I have finished this book and I am still not quite sure how I feel about it, I am not sure I ever will. In my opinion this book got worse as it went on, I think that is mostly due to my personal preferences in genre. I would have enjoyed seeing how Cassie's life would have turned out should she have stayed in New York. Although I was not particularly fond of the story choices the writing is undeniably wonderful, I especially loved the portrayal of Cassie's intrusive thoughts. I will not lie, the ending of this book thoroughly agitated me. There were parts of this book that I did not love, but I will definitely read other works by this author.
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for providing me with an advanced copy to read and give my honest thoughts on!
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for providing me with an advanced copy to read and give my honest thoughts on!
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
slow-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for access to an early release copy.
“Everytime I woke up, someone died.” In the point of view of Cassie an honest portrayal of self reflection opens up this story. Cassie is jaded, skeptical, with an almost given up on life attitude. Haven’t we all been there? Then Cassie reconnects with Eli, a childhood friendship flashback of her past. But he comes with kids in tow and her intrusive thoughts still remain.
“Everytime I woke up, someone died.” In the point of view of Cassie an honest portrayal of self reflection opens up this story. Cassie is jaded, skeptical, with an almost given up on life attitude. Haven’t we all been there? Then Cassie reconnects with Eli, a childhood friendship flashback of her past. But he comes with kids in tow and her intrusive thoughts still remain.
With flashbacks, a coming of age literary feel, and Cassie, it left me wondering what I picked up to read. As this mostly felt like a spiraling female MC in the first half, I reminded myself this was supposed to be a horror genre. Cassie’s character felt undecided- the first 20% almost felt like a different character direction than the direction once the plot started to progress without transitions I wanted to see. There was a darkness in Cassie early on that felt neglected that I was missing. And the Beth chapters- I liked the reflection but each one felt different in construction early on which would throw me off.
I generally love what feels like a genre combining novel- typically stories that integrate literary and either thriller or horror. There are just a couple of- like Shy Girl and You Know What You Did - I would recommend prioritizing first. This did feel like it had another round or two of edits, particularly with the characters- but mostly a clever and intriguing read. For the back half of the story, I was preferring the Beth chapters and the journey of motherhood and the effect that it can have felt personal and honest. However the story was trying to say too much so I stayed confused on what it was trying to tell. This needed to be more concise for me and ideas streamlined.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
The trigger can get graphic but it wasn’t consistent or pretty random and infrequent