Reviews

I couldn’t put this down! I finished it easily in two days. I enjoyed the structure and the way the story unfolded. I did guess who the murderer was pretty quickly, and I’m not sure if that was supposed to be a bigger reveal, but I did like that it’s revealed halfway through the book instead of at the end. I did feel like some aspects needed further development, especially regarding Jackie’s and Douglas’ characters, and I think seeing Theresa more through the other characters could have made her fate more significant.

Jackie’s need for control over Douglas never quite clicked for me - I think showing her jealousy for what Theresa had or a need to just destroy another family would have made more sense, and what about Douglas “going on errands” with her? What about the box under his bed? I also thought the Jayson and Cece thing ended abruptly - then we find out he heard what his mom said? Was the implication that he wasn’t that great, and that he was ultimately getting Cece out of his system by going to see her, and now they were over? I really enjoyed reading this, but I feel like now that I’ve finished it, I don’t want to scrutinize it too much for fear of finding too much fault.

Content Warnings

pattireadsalot's review

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4.0

This is a deep character study into the unraveling of two families. It's not a mystery or fast paced narrative, it addresses the murder right from the start and it's fairly obvious who committed the crime. The strength of this story is in examining the conditions before the incident, and the splintering afterwards. The four boys and Cece have center stage for most of the book in their observations of parents and their interactions with each other. I appreciated that the author didn't always give us apologies or empathy from certain characters, because they were incapable. This anguish of the innocent kids who were swept up in adult decisions was heartbreaking. I didn't love the focus on body image obsession. The dialogue around this was overwrought and went in circles, but I suppose it could have been intentional with the spiraling character. This novel would make a great book club pick!

tinyviolet's review against another edition

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dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

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