Scan barcode
readsalattethrillers73's review against another edition
4.0
I’m a sucker for a story set in the 80’s and this book definitely gave me the atmospheric vibes I love. Framed around the true story of two missing newspaper delivery boys in Ohio, this story is about Sammy and Crystal, who live with their single mom, Trish. You know from the beginning that Sammy knows more about the latest missing persons case, but is too afraid to come forward. In a parallel story, is officer who was unable to solve the first two missing boys cases and is now faced with yet another unsolved case. I thought this was a good story, yet a bit predictable. It was also a fast read, which got me out of my latest reading slump.
unchainedreader's review against another edition
3.0
This is a work of fiction based on the disappearance of Des Moines paper boys. The work primarily focuses on the Cox family. Crystal desperately wants to go to journalism school and uses the city's current situation as a source of motivation. Her brother Sammy is a quiet boy who delivers papers on Sunday mornings. Their mother Tina works as a hairdresser and a waitress in order to make end's meet. Although something sinister is definitely uncovered in this novel, readers do not learn the mysterious outcome of the paperboys - which is fitting considering this is still a mystery in the real world.
I wasn't sure if I was going to finish this book. It was had to get attached to any of the characters - they could have used some more development. I think the subject matter is what kept me reading and what will draw other readers in. Overall, it was a very fast read. It was enjoyable to read about a town that I frequent quite often even though the subject matter was disturbing.
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.
I wasn't sure if I was going to finish this book. It was had to get attached to any of the characters - they could have used some more development. I think the subject matter is what kept me reading and what will draw other readers in. Overall, it was a very fast read. It was enjoyable to read about a town that I frequent quite often even though the subject matter was disturbing.
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.
elisuzanne's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
tobyyy's review against another edition
4.0
Story rating: 4/5 stars.
Narrator rating: 5/5 stars.
This was an audiobook narrated by Mia Barron, but more accurately, it was voice-acted by Mia Barron. She did a PHENOMENAL job of using different voices for each character and for acting out the different emotions displayed throughout the book. I was in awe.
This book was (kind of) split into three different narratives told by different characters: Sammy (12 years old), Crystal (Sammy’s sister, 18 years old), and Dale (police officer with severe PTSD). I enjoyed Crystal’s narrative the most and Dale’s the least. Honestly, Dale was a hot mess and shouldn’t have been allowed to be on the police force, TBH.
The ending (for our main characters) was good but the very last part of the book was sad and very creepy. I loved Crystal’s article too.
Narrator rating: 5/5 stars.
This was an audiobook narrated by Mia Barron, but more accurately, it was voice-acted by Mia Barron. She did a PHENOMENAL job of using different voices for each character and for acting out the different emotions displayed throughout the book. I was in awe.
This book was (kind of) split into three different narratives told by different characters: Sammy (12 years old), Crystal (Sammy’s sister, 18 years old), and Dale (police officer with severe PTSD). I enjoyed Crystal’s narrative the most and Dale’s the least. Honestly, Dale was a hot mess and shouldn’t have been allowed to be on the police force, TBH.
The ending (for our main characters) was good but the very last part of the book was sad and very creepy. I loved Crystal’s article too.
mckensi's review against another edition
Incredibly slow-paced and boring. If I wasn’t from Des Moines, I wouldn’t have even made it this far. Kids don’t do or think what kids do and think in this book.
abbeyreads13's review against another edition
2.0
This book reallllllly dragged for me. If you’re into slow, somewhat predictable stories based on true crime with an 80s neighborhood type setting, this is for you. But not for me! Character development fell flat and I didn’t really like any of them anyway. Actually got frustrated towards the end.
fictionalnicole's review against another edition
4.0
The Monsters We Make is a gripping slow burn. The characters and plot are laced with self-reflection and heart-breaking realism that it is difficult not to empathize with.
Crooked Lane Books advertises that if you like Shari Lapena family dramas you’ll like The Monster We Make. Yes, this is true, but Kali White’s book is so much more. The characters are relatable, and you’ll recognize your own coming of age in her words. We all have a moment in our childhood when we realized we are not safe, that there are monsters in friends, and family… That monsters live among us.
This novel is based on a true story of paperboys who went missing in Des Moines, Iowa in the 80’s. Though fictionalized, the story sends ice through your veins because it feels real. Like you’re hearing the story from a family member who lived in Des Moines during this time.
You feel like you know these characters intimately. The single mother trying to stay afloat financially and relying on her teenage daughter to watch her son - a fellow paperboy. A teenager who desperately wants to go to college for journalism but fails to see the story and troubles lurking in her own home. A son who doesn’t know how to ask for the help he needs and harbors his anger. The cop whose good heart drives him to solve horrible crimes but also burdens him when the cases run cold.
Kali White shines a light on cases and topics that were readily dismissed in the 80’s and even today. The story is difficult to read a times as there are tough topics broached. Missing children and child abuse are trigger topics for many but White takes the time to discuss these topics with respect that sparks acknowledgement and is not an “in your face” description.
I believe The Monsters We Make will be an instant hit with Book Clubs. There are so many topics of discuss in this family drama it will make for a dynamic read and discussion. Just be prepared for some nostalgia about the 80’s, along side remorse for the latchkey mindset- the idea that Monsters are “others” and they certainly aren’t your neighbors.
Crooked Lane Books advertises that if you like Shari Lapena family dramas you’ll like The Monster We Make. Yes, this is true, but Kali White’s book is so much more. The characters are relatable, and you’ll recognize your own coming of age in her words. We all have a moment in our childhood when we realized we are not safe, that there are monsters in friends, and family… That monsters live among us.
This novel is based on a true story of paperboys who went missing in Des Moines, Iowa in the 80’s. Though fictionalized, the story sends ice through your veins because it feels real. Like you’re hearing the story from a family member who lived in Des Moines during this time.
You feel like you know these characters intimately. The single mother trying to stay afloat financially and relying on her teenage daughter to watch her son - a fellow paperboy. A teenager who desperately wants to go to college for journalism but fails to see the story and troubles lurking in her own home. A son who doesn’t know how to ask for the help he needs and harbors his anger. The cop whose good heart drives him to solve horrible crimes but also burdens him when the cases run cold.
Kali White shines a light on cases and topics that were readily dismissed in the 80’s and even today. The story is difficult to read a times as there are tough topics broached. Missing children and child abuse are trigger topics for many but White takes the time to discuss these topics with respect that sparks acknowledgement and is not an “in your face” description.
I believe The Monsters We Make will be an instant hit with Book Clubs. There are so many topics of discuss in this family drama it will make for a dynamic read and discussion. Just be prepared for some nostalgia about the 80’s, along side remorse for the latchkey mindset- the idea that Monsters are “others” and they certainly aren’t your neighbors.
richardrbecker's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
As a fictional crime book focused on real-life events, The Monsters We Make provides plenty to consider — especially its premise: you don't really know the person or people next store. They might look like fine folks on the outside, but they're up to no good on the inside.
Inspired by the disappearances of two paperboys from a small midwestern town, White sets up a sinister story around 12-year-old Sammy Cox and his seventeen-year-old sister Crystal. Crystal fancies herself as a future journalist, and Sammy is an overweight outcast with a secret.
Given his state of mind when he hurries home from his own paper route, red-faced and out of breath, one rightly assumes it's a horrible one. It is a horrible one, but also one overshadowed by an entire cast of sadsack people. None of them are confident, root-worthy, or even likable — not even the cop on the case.
Officer Dale Goodkind is a haunted man in a spoiled marriage. He didn't solve the last disappearance of a paperboy and doesn't seem all that equipped to solve this one. Mostly, his head is stuck in the past, re-living a childhood trauma that remains mostly murky. Still, he is a step up from Sammy and Crystal's mom. She's a whiny single mom (single because she was bored being with a good husband) who works as a hairdresser and is dead set on preventing her daughter from going to college because she never got a break. And that pretty much leaves Crystal to root for. She's a snoop with an underdeveloped moral compass.
Overall, the writing is fine, even if the pace is slow. But the characters did become a spoiler for me. There are also several instances where people just do or don't do things that seem realistic or make any sense. Gooodkind's fellow officers are "joking" that maybe he can't solve the case because he's also the abductor. I'm more inclined to think he can't solve the case because he's inept, losing his cool on several occasions with near-deadly and disastrous results. It's possible, but improbable given that the criminal-apparent is right out in the open.
For fans of slow-burn based on true crime stories, The Monsters We Make will give them just enough. But for people who enjoy a thriller, it tends to fall into the middle range with relatively few thrilling moments.
Inspired by the disappearances of two paperboys from a small midwestern town, White sets up a sinister story around 12-year-old Sammy Cox and his seventeen-year-old sister Crystal. Crystal fancies herself as a future journalist, and Sammy is an overweight outcast with a secret.
Given his state of mind when he hurries home from his own paper route, red-faced and out of breath, one rightly assumes it's a horrible one. It is a horrible one, but also one overshadowed by an entire cast of sadsack people. None of them are confident, root-worthy, or even likable — not even the cop on the case.
Officer Dale Goodkind is a haunted man in a spoiled marriage. He didn't solve the last disappearance of a paperboy and doesn't seem all that equipped to solve this one. Mostly, his head is stuck in the past, re-living a childhood trauma that remains mostly murky. Still, he is a step up from Sammy and Crystal's mom. She's a whiny single mom (single because she was bored being with a good husband) who works as a hairdresser and is dead set on preventing her daughter from going to college because she never got a break. And that pretty much leaves Crystal to root for. She's a snoop with an underdeveloped moral compass.
Overall, the writing is fine, even if the pace is slow. But the characters did become a spoiler for me. There are also several instances where people just do or don't do things that seem realistic or make any sense. Gooodkind's fellow officers are "joking" that maybe he can't solve the case because he's also the abductor. I'm more inclined to think he can't solve the case because he's inept, losing his cool on several occasions with near-deadly and disastrous results. It's possible, but improbable given that the criminal-apparent is right out in the open.
For fans of slow-burn based on true crime stories, The Monsters We Make will give them just enough. But for people who enjoy a thriller, it tends to fall into the middle range with relatively few thrilling moments.
mooturtle's review against another edition
5.0
TW: sexual abuse among other things. It's a bit like We Need to Talk About Kevin in the "signs to look out for" kind of way.