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kimveach'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
4.5
Graphic: Medical trauma, Misogyny, Adult/minor relationship, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Bullying, Forced institutionalization, Alcohol, Blood, Child death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Pandemic/Epidemic, Sexual content, Classism, Death, Infidelity, Medical content, Self harm, Drug use, Eating disorder, Police brutality, Racism, Sexual harassment, Toxic friendship, Terminal illness, Pedophilia, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Confinement, Cursing, Violence, Cancer, and Domestic abuse
mads_jpg's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I'm also really skeptical about the true crime entertainment industry, so this book's take on the genre was incredibly refreshing. The author's frequent references to real life cases, and her deliberate choice to not name perpetrators and instead center the experiences of both victims and survivors was fantastic. This book left me angry at the injustice of the justice system and the microagressions that eventually lead to violence against women and people of colour.
Overall, it was an insightful take on true crime as a form of entertainment, and my only real critique was that the ending left me somewhat wanting.
Graphic: Murder, Pedophilia, Cancer, Toxic relationship, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Drug use, Misogyny, Pandemic/Epidemic, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Alcohol, Bullying, Classism, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Racism, and Sexism
deetabz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Pedophilia, Murder, Blood, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual harassment, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Abandonment, Sexual content, Racism, Self harm, Alcohol, Gaslighting, Grief, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Cancer, Classism, Eating disorder, Rape, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Death of parent, Body shaming, Drug use, Drug abuse, and Stalking
wynnebirchmaple's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Alcohol, Confinement, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Racism, Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, Adult/minor relationship, Dysphoria, Death, Deadnaming, Drug use, Sexual assault, Mental illness, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Police brutality, Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Stalking, Toxic relationship, and Violence
I don’t know why people like this kind of stuff. I’m really annoyed that this was so long and not because there was no payoff, it was just crap—like a compilation of Kepnes’ adapted work, “You” Emma Cline’s “The Girls” Kukafka “Girl In Snow” and Sebold’s “The Lovely Bones” I didn’t like any of them and this one is now on the virtual shelf of harmful books to women that hijack political themes to make them sell or have obscene page count. Sheesh…basicbookstagrammer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Misogyny, Murder, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Body shaming, Rape, Sexism, Racism, Sexual violence, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Classism, Eating disorder, and Death of parent
goldenbeebookshop's review against another edition
3.0
All evidence thus far does paint a bleak picture for women in America- and there's value to that being explored, I just don't know how I feel about it being hung on this mystery scaffolding. The main character's actions do prompt some questions about whether or not there's nuance when it comes to believing women, to penalizing men for the actions of the past and assessing whether there's a spectrum of behaviors that might warrant different actions, and what kind of justice or truth can be found in the court of public opinion in a time when anyone can have a podcast or YouTube channel.
There is some great writing here- little concise sentences here are there that completely capture the feeling of being young, or being lost, or a person struggling in the world.
The pacing is a little slow in the beginning, and Bode felt a little incomplete as a character. There are little pieces of things dropped in and abandoned that I was uncertain as to whether they were meant to serve as mini red herrings or if they were underdeveloped plot additions. The last quarter of the book did move a lot faster and I find myself eager to sit down and read for an hour straight, which I hadn't been as eager to do before.
I think it might be helpful for people to know going into this that this is a story that feels true in that justice is rarely found in white patriarchal contexts, vigilante justice while potentially satisfying isn't always accurate or successful, and there are ripples of grief and shame that impact family and friends because of the choices of one person that are inescapable. There's no real high note to end on here, which is real, but rare in a fictional mystery.
Graphic: Sexual violence, Bullying, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Sexism, Death of parent, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Grief, Sexual violence, Stalking, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Classism, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Abandonment, Cancer, Murder, Alcohol, Body shaming, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Child death, Medical trauma, Misogyny, and Racism
liblibby's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Classism, Murder, Adult/minor relationship, and Death
Moderate: Bullying, Death of parent, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Cancer and Eating disorder
hellocath's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Sexual assault, Death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Blood, Murder, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Adult/minor relationship, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Bullying, Alcohol, Infidelity, Classism, Racism, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, and Violence
Minor: Self harm, Cancer, Body shaming, Death of parent, and Suicide
internationalreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Adult/minor relationship, Sexism, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Body shaming, Classism, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Self harm, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
becca_thegrimreader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Bodie is not always terribly likeable. There are moments where you feel for her such as when she recounts the horrific bullying she suffered at school or her family’s tragic history. Then there are moments where I got incredibly angry with her as dismisses the accusations against her estranged husband, her response jarring with how she’s previously spoken about famous actresses treatment by Hollywood on her podcast. However this helps to make Bodie feel like a real person to me, though the book doesn’t delve into her hypocrisy.
Makkai focuses on many themes and issues throughout the book. We see how racial discrimination and classism played a role in the murder investigation the first time around. A prestigious school, Granby fights to protect its image as well as its staff and students leading the police to focus on a young black man. While rumours spread like wildfire through the school about Thalia sleeping with an older man, doing drugs, etc. these rumours are believed as facts. When Omar, a twenty three year old black man, is arrested and makes a confession which he later recants, no one questions it. But Bodie wonders if the real person Thalia was seeing was the music teacher Dennis Bloch. We don’t learn much about either Omar or Thalia, with the story more focused on Bodie’s experiences of everything. We don’t read of Omar’s experience in prison or the failed justice system, with very little filtered through Bodie’s voice. We also don’t learn anything of Thalia, the actual murder victim. It almost feels like a portrayal of the True Crime genre where the victims are often lost and forgotten in the noise around their cases.
I adored the writing throughout, highlighting many passages I read. I thought one of the interesting elements of this book was Makkai’s effective use of repetition. Throughout Makkai details different sexual assault/domestic abuse/murder cases all in one paragraph showing how often this happens, that it feels common place. This was a captivating read which I did enjoy, but left me questioning elements of it.
Thank you to Netgalley and Little Brown Book Group UK for the copy of this book. My review is honest and unbiased.
Graphic: Murder, Racism, Sexual content, and Classism
Moderate: Sexual harassment