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beckyymachin's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
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? Yes
4.0
alex2009's review
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
tatbookshelf's review against another edition
5.0
LYING ABOUT LAST SUMMER by Sue Wallman
Review:
4.5⭐
I liked the idea behind this book: a camp for grieving teens+the messages from Skyes sister+new conflict at the end. LYING ABOIT LAST SUMMER was a quick read. The story itself was well-written, and their were suspenseful scenes that kept me intrigued. And I'm so glad there was a happy ending even though at times it didn't seem like there'd be.
What I Liked About It:
*the idea
*the suspense
Review:
4.5⭐
I liked the idea behind this book: a camp for grieving teens+the messages from Skyes sister+new conflict at the end. LYING ABOIT LAST SUMMER was a quick read. The story itself was well-written, and their were suspenseful scenes that kept me intrigued. And I'm so glad there was a happy ending even though at times it didn't seem like there'd be.
What I Liked About It:
*the idea
*the suspense
kayleem93's review against another edition
2.0
It was just kind of 'meh'. Left me feeling quite blank really. It was written in an easy to read manner, read very quickly.
-I didn't connect to anyone too well and the one I liked best was like on drugs so i don't know what thats says about the book or me to be honest :/
-Lots of name to remember but didn't turn out to be neccesary.
-Got REALLY frustrated at people not noticing/being bothered by Joe's behaviour except the MC.
-The ending was a bit ... rushed maybe ? I just felt like this was two books that got smushed together, having the rather bad outcome of making me be less invested in both. (Like the Joe story ending seemed just tacked on and not really explained? Maybe it was just me)
Though it was a fairly nice way to pass a few hours and the MC did react the way I image I would have at 15/16(?) to the thing that happened that I won't spoil.
This is just my opnion please respect it and I will respect yours :)
-I didn't connect to anyone too well and the one I liked best was like on drugs so i don't know what thats says about the book or me to be honest :/
-Lots of name to remember but didn't turn out to be neccesary.
-Got REALLY frustrated at people not noticing/being bothered by Joe's behaviour except the MC.
-The ending was a bit ... rushed maybe ? I just felt like this was two books that got smushed together, having the rather bad outcome of making me be less invested in both. (Like the Joe story ending seemed just tacked on and not really explained? Maybe it was just me)
Though it was a fairly nice way to pass a few hours and the MC did react the way I image I would have at 15/16(?) to the thing that happened that I won't spoil.
This is just my opnion please respect it and I will respect yours :)
patchworkbunny's review against another edition
3.0
I picked this up because as a kid I loved reading about other kids being sent off to pony camp for the summer. That seemed like the perfect summer to me. Getting back on point, there's no ponies here and it's probably more similar to an American summer camp. Plus, this camp turns out to be far from the perfect summer.
However, the more I read it, the more I wondered about the wisdom of sticking a bunch of bereaved teenagers in one place and then forcing them to take part in team activities. A nightmare for any introverts among them. Do these places actually exist? Skye is a bit detached through the whole thing, explainable by her grief and guilt, but Fay is so out of place. My heart went out to her.
Skye isn’t the easiest character to like and she’s also not designed to be someone to hate. She doesn’t seem too keen on the camp, probably just doing it to appease her parents, although the location is also near where they used to live. Despite her apathy, she is a good person, but spends a lot of time thinking about her own problems, understandable in her situation.
The story does lead you astray and it’s not too predictable. It is a pretty quick book to read, I shy away from calling it light due to the issues involved, but it's definitely one you could read over an afternoon without straining your brain.
However, the more I read it, the more I wondered about the wisdom of sticking a bunch of bereaved teenagers in one place and then forcing them to take part in team activities. A nightmare for any introverts among them. Do these places actually exist? Skye is a bit detached through the whole thing, explainable by her grief and guilt, but Fay is so out of place. My heart went out to her.
Skye isn’t the easiest character to like and she’s also not designed to be someone to hate. She doesn’t seem too keen on the camp, probably just doing it to appease her parents, although the location is also near where they used to live. Despite her apathy, she is a good person, but spends a lot of time thinking about her own problems, understandable in her situation.
The story does lead you astray and it’s not too predictable. It is a pretty quick book to read, I shy away from calling it light due to the issues involved, but it's definitely one you could read over an afternoon without straining your brain.
ironqueenbex's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
erinb_'s review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed the book and it was not what I typically read at that time but would read something along the same lines again. It was short and suspenseful and didn’t confuse me with the mystery which I liked a lot.
pewterwolf's review against another edition
4.0
Review Taken from The Pewter Wolf as part of Murder Month 2016
Last summer, Skye's sister died. Her parents think sending Skye to a holiday camp for beggared teens will help her move on with her life. Move forward.
And, at first, the camp's not the bad. Yes, there are some people there that Skye dislikes and some of the activities remind Skye too much of her sister. But then the text messages start. The texts that can't be possible. As they sent on an messaging app, in a private group. And only two people know the passcode for the app. One is Skye and the other is her sister...
Is her sister talking to her? Is she really dead? Or is someone at the camp playing a cruel and sick game with Skye?
As you guys are aware, this is my Murder Month where I read books that have a crime/thriller/mystery element to them. And while this book does have a thriller/mystery element to it, what this book does really well is explore grief. Grief is a subject that some books, I have found, tackle very badly. Not all, but some. And as someone who has gone through grief/is going through grief (depending on how you look at me/it), it's refreshing to see a book that looks at grief and shows that every person goes through this very differently. We have several characters who are going through this and each character is going through it or is coping with it differently. This is refreshing to see.
The book itself is very interesting. There's something addicted about this book, and I can't put my finger on what it was that made me speed through. The writing was strong and the mystery over the mystery texter made me suspect every person about the camp. No one was safe from the "Who Doing This?". When the truth came out, I was surprised over it. I didn't see it coming.
This book, while keeping me on the edge of my seat, did have one or two problems. There was one storyline that I saw coming, and was surprised over how the characters missed it. Yes, I get they (and us) are caught up with the mystery texter, but I couldn't help getting annoyed over how not aware they were. Because of this, I wasn't the biggest fan of the final few pages. It could have been a little bit more meatier, I feel. Either more in depth or just an extra few pages.
I did find this an addictive read, and I can't wait to see what Sue writes next.
Last summer, Skye's sister died. Her parents think sending Skye to a holiday camp for beggared teens will help her move on with her life. Move forward.
And, at first, the camp's not the bad. Yes, there are some people there that Skye dislikes and some of the activities remind Skye too much of her sister. But then the text messages start. The texts that can't be possible. As they sent on an messaging app, in a private group. And only two people know the passcode for the app. One is Skye and the other is her sister...
Is her sister talking to her? Is she really dead? Or is someone at the camp playing a cruel and sick game with Skye?
As you guys are aware, this is my Murder Month where I read books that have a crime/thriller/mystery element to them. And while this book does have a thriller/mystery element to it, what this book does really well is explore grief. Grief is a subject that some books, I have found, tackle very badly. Not all, but some. And as someone who has gone through grief/is going through grief (depending on how you look at me/it), it's refreshing to see a book that looks at grief and shows that every person goes through this very differently. We have several characters who are going through this and each character is going through it or is coping with it differently. This is refreshing to see.
The book itself is very interesting. There's something addicted about this book, and I can't put my finger on what it was that made me speed through. The writing was strong and the mystery over the mystery texter made me suspect every person about the camp. No one was safe from the "Who Doing This?". When the truth came out, I was surprised over it. I didn't see it coming.
This book, while keeping me on the edge of my seat, did have one or two problems. There was one storyline that I saw coming, and was surprised over how the characters missed it. Yes, I get they (and us) are caught up with the mystery texter, but I couldn't help getting annoyed over how not aware they were. Because of this, I wasn't the biggest fan of the final few pages. It could have been a little bit more meatier, I feel. Either more in depth or just an extra few pages.
I did find this an addictive read, and I can't wait to see what Sue writes next.
sienna727's review
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0