Reviews

The Wrong Number by R.L. Stine

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jrodkenny's review against another edition

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lighthearted mysterious tense fast-paced

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

tablife's review against another edition

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"It began as a prank...and ended in murder!" - the opening line of the first Fear Street movie features this book. It also mentions Simon Fear, so it's interesting to finally see some tie-in to the movie trilogy.

A prank call attempt inadvertently connects three teenagers to a murder in progress, and suddenly they find themselves as suspects.

vicreads2022's review against another edition

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4.0

This book had me hooked!
I couldn’t stop reading it. I absolutely loved the writing and the characters. It is a very short book so the story went quick at some points but I loved it nonetheless. I will definitely at some point be picking up the rest of the books in the Fear Street saga. I highly recommend!

ppark77's review against another edition

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mysterious tense

4.0

nadiahzkr's review against another edition

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3.0

very fast paced and straightforward. it lacks the depth to the character developments though, which left me questioning things, especially with chuck. it’s also not as gory or spooky as i thought it would be.

but it’s a really fun read, which made me devour it in one sitting.

allmadhere106's review against another edition

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3.0

I have taken the wonderful plunge back into Fear Street and I am so happy. I absolutely adored these books as a youth--I got cards from 4 different libraries to be able to check as many of them out as I could. I decided that what I really want in 2020 is to take this wonderful nostalgic journey (more reviews pending!)

This was such fun! The writing felt a little choppy at times, but it's a book from 1990 that is about 150 pages, so that's to be expected. The plot was fast paced and the writing was very compelling. What caught me off guard the most was the severity of the situation that the characters find themselves in. They make a bomb threat! They get wrapped up in a murder! They can't go to the police because of the previously mentioned bomb threat! There is jail time--and they are being tried as an adult! It was INTENSE! I didn't expect it to feel so suspenseful after all this time, but this stands up. Excellent.

The book is deliciously dated with it's colorful jumpsuits, frizz hair, and the excitement of a phone in one's bedroom. However, that didn't really bother me. I'm not sure how teens today would feel about it, but it works as a time capsule of sorts which is fascinating. I found the family dynamics to be the most confusing part. (Chuck is a senior and Deena's year is never stated, but they both go to high school. They have different mothers, Chuck has been living in the city, and Deena hasn't seen him since he was about 10. That's 8 years! Plus that shows that their father left Chuck and his mother to start a new family when Chuck was either very young or not yet born. Escandelo!)

This was fun, exciting, and my kind of nostalgic. I'm going to love this revisiting.

For: horror/murder mystery fans; R.L. Stine/Fear Street fans; readers looking for a quick thriller with '90s aesthetics.

Possible red flags: prank calls; murder; jail time; bomb threat (fake); dead animal; high levels of suspense; characters in peril; domestic violence; mentions of an affair; odd family dynamics--estranged brother; being followed and threatened.