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horizonous's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Misogyny
Moderate: Alcohol, Fire/Fire injury, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, and Murder
Minor: Cancer, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Suicide, Domestic abuse, Alcoholism, Blood, Death of parent, and Self harm
◦ Alcohol = Underage drinking◦ Death = Sibling
◦ Mental illness = Depression, PTSD
nrogers_1030's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Death of parent, Cancer, Rape, Sexual assault, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Suicide, Alcohol, Bullying, Terminal illness, Child death, Violence, Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Grief, and Death
Moderate: Cursing, Classism, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Pedophilia, Domestic abuse, and Stalking
foldingthepage_kayleigh's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Death of parent, Child death, Car accident, Sexual harassment, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Rape, Grief, Cancer, Murder, Blood, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, and Alcohol
jaylee_books's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Murder, Torture, Rape, Death, Grief, Suicide, Violence, Sexual violence, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Death of parent and Cancer
smdamm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
Graphic: Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Child abuse, Car accident, Rape, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Death, Murder, Cancer, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Fire/Fire injury, Domestic abuse, and Chronic illness
marieeh's review against another edition
1.0
Of course, the content itself makes the book very depressing and difficult to read. But aside from that, I felt like the writing was not very good, the characters very surface level, and the format difficult to follow. I understand that during some of Hannah's chapters the author had to be intentionally vague in order for the twist/reveal to be shocking at the end, but it just made things confusing when characters were being mentioned but not by name. Rachel's chapters were better but still felt like we were meeting too many characters and it felt difficult to keep everything straight. It also felt extremely unrealistic that just about everyone Rachel wanted to talk to or interview agreed and just gave her that information, no (or very few) questions asked. This is supposed to be a pretty small, insulated town. Those kinds of places are usually not so open to outsiders poking around and asking questions.
The podcast chapters were the worst, in my opinion. For the most part I felt like very little new information came from them (since Rachel was gathering this information during her POV chapters and we had already heard a lot of it). It seemed like they were there as a way to pad the length. It is also very obvious that the author has listened to the Serial podcast - it seemed like she was trying to imitate the voice of that podcaster, and she really did a good job, however that voice is quite grating to me so it made those chapters annoying to read. It felt like she was trying too hard to be someone else.
Overall it was quite a sad read with no one really receiving great closure or justice.
Graphic: Rape and Sexual assault
Moderate: Cancer
kelley_beth's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Cancer
forthelove'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? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Bullying, Murder, Rape, and Cancer
sarah2438's review against another edition
4.0
Despite that, I have to admit that the atmosphere and pacing was well done. We could've gotten bogged down with boring trial details and that didn't happen. As someone that works in these settings, I appreciated the accuracy of the trial details. (I'll even forgive the author for not including a victim witness coordinator.) The novel contained important social critique and questions about how we treat victims, without ever placing that blame on prosecutors or law enforcement. Don't get me wrong, no one is perfect-- but far too often those two parties are taking the bulk of the blame.
The main critique I have is how underdeveloped Rachel was. She seemed to really only exist as a storytelling mechanism and didn't have any personality or motivations beyond what she said on her podcast. I also thought the big reveal of Jenny's offender was a bit of a disappointing and random choice. I think my guess was better...
Did I enjoy it? No. Do I recommend it? Yes, with a long list of conditions. But it's well written and makes you think.
Graphic: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Rape
Minor: Cancer
katyannreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Cancer and Death of parent