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katielikestoread's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
If you're looking for a lighter, more digestible book with a bit of mystery thrown in, this is the book for you. Some parts of it were entertaining but it doesn't completely check out as a murder mystery to me. I do have a tendre for Molly but the rest of the book is a bit rote. Some of the topics surrounding certain characters were handled clumsily, to say the least, and it's my opinion that a book published in this day and age should be more sensitive. It felt like everything but the kitchen sink was thrown in to make this a mystery, and there were a lot of instances in which the protagonist straddled the line between oblivious and sly, despite the book claiming the very opposite. I get that the protagonist isn't supposed to be a sophisticated, seasoned murderer, but it's a different thing entirely to have her be written in an oblivious light and not address why. One strength of the book is that it's not bogged down by red herrings but in my opinion, the simplicity of the plot doesn't read well and the third act comes together all too conveniently for my taste.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug use and Murder
sarahflanders's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug use, Bullying, Death, Gaslighting, Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, Grief, Terminal illness, Murder, and Toxic relationship
literarylatte's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- 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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Murder, Drug use, Domestic abuse, Ableism, Infidelity, and Death
honestrabbit's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Bullying, Cursing, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Murder, Racism, and Toxic friendship
lyshbish's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
A soft-hearted murder mystery that's perfect for anyone who loves Amelia Bedelia and unlimited soup, salad, and breadsticks!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Bullying
Moderate: Death, Cancer, and Murder
Minor: Alcohol, Deportation, Infidelity, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse
ember13's review against another edition
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Minor: Drug use
abbeyroad1410's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- 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
4.75
This book is giving Amelia Bedelia meets Agatha Christie novel, and I was living for it the entire time.
I do have to say, if you get secondhand embarrassment very easily, this book may not be for you. Molly, the main character of this fast-paced mystery, is clearly neurodivergent in some way. This makes her perspective very interesting; however, the first person point of view forces readers to experience her social ineptitude as if they were her. When I read the novel, I could feel when other characters were taking advantage of her and wanted to warn her; however, you can't jump through book pages.
This is a Rodney hate group. Rodney is literally the worst, and I have never read a more disturbing scene than him at the Olive Garden. Juan Manuel has my whole heart.
The twists were unpredictable, but they made a lot of sense after you had gone through the majority of the novel, so they stayed believable. That is such a difficult line to toe, so I applaud Nita Prose's ability to strike that balance.
Overall, I cannot recommend this book more. My stress level was at a ten because of the high stakes and other characters' mistreatment of Molly, but it was so worth it in the end. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.
I do have to say, if you get secondhand embarrassment very easily, this book may not be for you. Molly, the main character of this fast-paced mystery, is clearly neurodivergent in some way. This makes her perspective very interesting; however, the first person point of view forces readers to experience her social ineptitude as if they were her. When I read the novel, I could feel when other characters were taking advantage of her and wanted to warn her; however, you can't jump through book pages.
The twists were unpredictable, but they made a lot of sense after you had gone through the majority of the novel, so they stayed believable. That is such a difficult line to toe, so I applaud Nita Prose's ability to strike that balance.
Overall, I cannot recommend this book more. My stress level was at a ten because of the high stakes and other characters' mistreatment of Molly, but it was so worth it in the end. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Suicide
Moderate: Ableism, Cancer, and Death
kaiyakaiyo's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
okay so that ending was NOT what i expected lol. haven’t read a murder mystery in a while (by choice) so maybe my whodunit skills were rusty but my goodness!
this was really sweet towards the end, but frankly the amount of secondhand embarrassment and “duh” moments we are meant to feel was overwhelming. constantly seeing molly be the butt of jokes or straight up used because she didn’t understand was honestly painful. I will not be reading the next book for that reason but I liked the resolution of this book
this book felt like Monk except there’s no actual diagnosis and people just keep calling her vague things like “different” or “odd”. not sure how i feel about that tbh but the found family bits are really nice.
as an aside I have to say that the grandma was INCREDIBLY fucked up for a lot of reasons but especially how she died???? why would you make your child promise something like that
this was really sweet towards the end, but frankly the amount of secondhand embarrassment and “duh” moments we are meant to feel was overwhelming. constantly seeing molly be the butt of jokes or straight up used because she didn’t understand was honestly painful. I will not be reading the next book for that reason but I liked the resolution of this book
this book felt like Monk except there’s no actual diagnosis and people just keep calling her vague things like “different” or “odd”. not sure how i feel about that tbh but the found family bits are really nice.
as an aside I have to say that the grandma was INCREDIBLY fucked up for a lot of reasons but especially how she died???? why would you make your child promise something like that
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder and Deportation
muzik_izak1's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- 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
5.0
I honestly can say this book surprised me in many ways. The way the author is able to write this main character, and how much mystery is in the book even to the very end. Amazing book.
Content Warnings
Minor: Violence, Death, Murder, and Drug use
vireogirl's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- 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
Read it in one evening. Several chuckles. Nice to see a neurodiverse character. A bit cheesy at times but there were some twists I didn’t expect and a lovely message of embracing who you are.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Torture, Abandonment, Addiction, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Drug use, and Physical abuse
Minor: Bullying, Gun violence, Infidelity, Alcohol, Police brutality, and Injury/Injury detail