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classicpseudonym'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? Yes
3.75
i feel like i was more hooked than i'm willing to admit because this was a typical ya book about high school and murder (except by peanut oil i guess), but i still wanted to read on even though this doesn't exactly align with my book tastes. and the build-up of everything was pretty well executed, so props to mcmanus on a thrilling debut.
on the other hand, i'm looking back immediately after and i feel like i didn't really get anything out of it? if that makes sense. i wasn't a big fan of the hold that romance and relationships had on the plot and the book overall, but that's just how high school is portrayed in general, and i'm not a big romance person so i'm probably just biased. me saying "i didn't get anything out of it" isn't to say that the psychological themes and the perspectives/narration of each of the characters wasn't interesting, but i just feel like i wouldn't want to read this book again. like the case with two can keep a secret (which i don't remember anything about, then again its been years) i don't think i'd remember anything about the book besides the ending (which will haunt me even though i felt it coming) in a few months.
so if you want fast paced, thrilling, and haunting in a ya sort of way read, i'd recommend. there are a lot a lot of trigger warnings though, so i'd recommend that people keep that in mind if they read. if you tend to stay away from ya thriller/mystery books like i do, maybe still give it a read if you're bored because i feel like it's decently well done, but it wasn't my favorite book personally and it might not be yours either. then again, i think it's just because i think too much and i gravitate towards books that are really deep and get my mind all jumbled on the issues of society. but that's a me problem. pretty good book overall though.
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Suicide, and Self harm
Moderate: Mass/school shootings, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Outing, Alcoholism, Cursing, Gun violence, Infidelity, Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Sexual content, Addiction, and Alcohol
Minor: Death of parent
booksbyantheia'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? Yes
3.75
Y quizás hasta esos puntos favorables no son tan fuertes. Solo sentí que Bronwyn estaba desarrollada al máximo. Sus pequeñas luchas consigo misma, sus motivaciones, sus secretos. Siento que el menos desarrollado fue Cooper. Si bien su homosexualidad es algo muy importante para todo el "estereotipo" que construyó como máscara, eso no me hizo sentirlo un personaje más profundo que Bronwyn. Addy me parece la peor desarrollada en general.
La trama es predecible. Soy estúpida y conecté todo mal, pero acerté a cada suceso (atribuyéndolo erronéamente, pero aún así).
Es una buena lectura, recomendable para meterse en el género de misterio.
Graphic: Outing, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Abandonment, Addiction, Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Homophobia, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Mentions of divorce, body hatred, low self-esteem, non-explicit sexual content.abi_ineedtoreadmore'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
4.5
Graphic: Bullying, Drug use, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Medical content, Mental illness, Murder, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Self harm, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Medical trauma, Outing, Violence, Toxic friendship, and Pregnancy
mxdegroot's review against another edition
3.5
However, the story went a bit too slow for me to rate it any higher than I have. It was very good, but it took me about half the book to really get pulled into the mystery. Still very much a recommendation.
Graphic: Death, Murder, and Suicide
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Violence
Minor: Medical content
gailsage_thomps'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
4.0
Graphic: Outing, Suicide, Alcoholism, Infidelity, Mental illness, Bullying, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Grief, Homophobia, Mass/school shootings, Addiction, Alcoholism, Blood, Cancer, Gun violence, Sexual content, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Minor: Car accident, Medical content, Sexual harassment, Drug use, and Sexism
mllewellyn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Drug use, Murder, Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Bullying, Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Grief, and Homophobia
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Terminal illness, Violence, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Sexual content, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, and Medical content
miakeough's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Addiction, Cursing, Murder, Alcohol, and Drug use
Minor: Medical content, Cancer, Car accident, Homophobia, and Mass/school shootings
megan_j'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
4.0
Graphic: Medical content, Medical trauma, Bullying, Death, Murder, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Suicide, and Outing
Moderate: Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Mass/school shootings, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Addiction, Alcoholism, and Bullying
Minor: Sexual content
eleni1201's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Physical abuse
Moderate: Medical trauma, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Murder, Suicide, Alcoholism, Bullying, Car accident, Death, Drug abuse, Mass/school shootings, and Medical content
allyhoo811'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
3.0
Overall, I found this to an engaging YA mystery. The characters and their secrets/motives were pretty cliche and easily guessed, but the overall character development (especially with Addy) was wonderful and I would definitely recommend this one to most people. It gave me huge Breakfast Club vibes and I think fans of 80s/90s teen movies would especially enjoy the nostalgia factor even though it has a contemporary setting.
I did not love the ending/epilogue,
My 2 Big Issues (contain major spoilers):
1. Simon killing himself was a really interesting (if somewhat predictable) twist, but the portrayal of Simon as someone suffering from depression was unfortunate. Many people (teens included) suffer from depression, but they don't create elaborate, evil revenge plots to take out everyone who ever looked at them funny. Most people with depression have a hard time getting out of bed. And Simon had been destroying people's lives for years, portraying him as someone who was depressed and felt like an outsider when he was actually probably suffering from some severe personality disorders puts a bad light on depression, especially in a YA book.
2. Jake's character arc. This is a thriller trope I hate, and I hate it even more in a YA mystery. Jake the "perfect" boyfriend with some controlling tendances turns into a psycho killer at the end of the novel. This is just so overdone and not logical. Yes, people who attempt to control their partners are more likely to engage in emotional and physical abuse. But Jake had gone months without the slightest indication that he was escalating after he found out about the cheating (and kept it to himself). His mask didn't even slip once. And by the end we have a crazy action sequence where he is trying to kill two people without any hesitation. It felt forced, and I think Addy's character arc would have been better served without the killer boyfriend trope.
Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Grief, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Murder, Outing, Physical abuse, Suicide, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Classism, Child death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Violence, and Sexual content
Minor: Cancer, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Police brutality, Stalking, and Transphobia