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dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Since this is such a strong "go in blind book" that you shouldn't even know anything before reading the first page, time to spoiler tag my entire review.
first off, I really liked the writing style. I like quick reads and the fact there were less words per line made me finish this book in a day. It was easy for me to read, as well, even though some of the metaphors seemed more literal than figurative (I've seen other reviews wonder if Cady explaining her blood wrists were just a metaphor, and honestly, I dont know either).
Other than that, I actually found myself relating to the main character. I'm poor as fuck, never committed a crime, and dont have migraines - but I do have memory loss due to neurological issues that wiped most of my teenage memories completely and made my mother constantly worried about me. I understood when she said she didn't want to be pitied, and then Gat said well why the fuck you saying all this shit about your migraines then. Like, dude, just because she doesn't want to be pitied doesn't mean her migraines poof! become less of her life.
And same with the romance. Sadly I still remember some of my pathetic flings, how as a youngster you think the first love is real and forever and the best thing since Betty White. The romance was a damn mess but didn't we all make bad, cringey, makes us look back and think "oh no girl what are you doing" type relationship choices as teens.
And.. the twist. Goddamnit I picked it up right away.. when Cady realized no one was responding to her emails. Yeah the first thought should be "they're too rich to care about their email account", but with how absent they were my mind went straight to "they're dead aren't they. Oh no you better not". And they were. Even worse, why not throw them in as ghosts and badly explain the whole entire last part of the book. And the whole reveal be a fire. All died in a fire. And became ghosts. What a twist. Yaaaawn. When it comes to rich people drama, The Cousins by Karen McManus came out on top. That's the type of twist I was looking for, not something on the same level as "it was all just a dream!" (But instead, replace dream with ghosts).
Other than that, I actually found myself relating to the main character. I'm poor as fuck, never committed a crime, and dont have migraines - but I do have memory loss due to neurological issues that wiped most of my teenage memories completely and made my mother constantly worried about me. I understood when she said she didn't want to be pitied, and then Gat said well why the fuck you saying all this shit about your migraines then. Like, dude, just because she doesn't want to be pitied doesn't mean her migraines poof! become less of her life.
And same with the romance. Sadly I still remember some of my pathetic flings, how as a youngster you think the first love is real and forever and the best thing since Betty White. The romance was a damn mess but didn't we all make bad, cringey, makes us look back and think "oh no girl what are you doing" type relationship choices as teens.
And.. the twist. Goddamnit I picked it up right away.. when Cady realized no one was responding to her emails. Yeah the first thought should be "they're too rich to care about their email account", but with how absent they were my mind went straight to "they're dead aren't they. Oh no you better not". And they were. Even worse, why not throw them in as ghosts and badly explain the whole entire last part of the book. And the whole reveal be a fire. All died in a fire. And became ghosts. What a twist. Yaaaawn. When it comes to rich people drama, The Cousins by Karen McManus came out on top. That's the type of twist I was looking for, not something on the same level as "it was all just a dream!" (But instead, replace dream with ghosts).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Medical trauma
Moderate: Blood, Dementia, Grief
Minor: Infidelity, Death of parent
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I had heard a lot about this book on TikTok and YouTube, so I wanted to read it but I didn't know what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised by the writing style, and the structure of the book as a whole. I love a good unreliable narrator and Cady absolutely embodies that. It shapes the whole narrative and is such a cool storytelling device. I was hooked from the start and was shocked by the twist at the end. Really enjoyed this one!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Mental illness, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Medical trauma
Moderate: Addiction, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
read it in a few hours
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal death, Chronic illness, Mental illness, Racism, Dementia, Medical trauma
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
i love the various metaphors throughout the story. the word choice was fitting to the mood and setting. a lot of the sentences really got to the point as well. very beautiful writing in terms of describing pain and grief.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Death
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Blood, Dementia, Medical trauma
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Chronic illness, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Dementia, Grief, Medical trauma
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Um I'm crying wtf I didn't think this book would make me cry. Which honestly it's not hard for me to cry, but I just didn't think this book would because it is like a thriller mystery.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Child death, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Racism, Blood, Dementia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Drug use, Medical trauma
Moderate: Child death, Death, Dementia
Minor: Animal death, Murder
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a LOT and I’m very happy it wasn’t spoiled for me. I will be following the directions and lie about the ending if I’m ever asked. Thought I saw the twist coming but I wasn’t ✨quite✨ right. This book made me emotional in a lot of different ways. I loved it and think it was a very well crafted amnesia mystery, and pretty sophisticatedly executed.... except for the
early 2010s
tumblr
free form poetry
writing style.
This is a great book to read side by side with someone to bounce predictions and rants off of
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Medical trauma
Moderate: Dementia
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Oh, this was a heartbreaker.
This is a great introduction into the world of mysteries with a good plot twist for YA readers new to the genre. For those who aren't new to it, it still made for a good twisty psychological thriller with YA-aged characters. The story is told from the perspective of Cady who is suffering from a traumatic injury from an event that happened a few summers previous on her family's private island. (Her family, the Sinclairs, are of that old, rich, white money and they give off a level of elitism that wants to make you vomit a bit. But the kids in the family are fairly turned off by it as well, so at least you're in good company.)
What I loved:
I loved the writing style, the short chapters, learning bits and pieces of information of what really happened that night a few summers ago as Cady starts to remember as well, the twist to the plot towards the end when the final truth is revealed, and the appeal of this narrative to YA readers.
What I didn't love:
The Sinclair family (but this was intentional -- they're just not lovable) and the classism and privilege we see in the family (again, intentional). I wish the wrongness of that had been more addressed than it was, but this story I think was more a story of a tragedy than anything else (the characters' inability to learn and change, to be better people than what they were).
What I had mixed feelings about:
The ending ... it's a heartbreaker and, while we know right off the bat that a tragedy has occurred, I didn't realize it would wrench my heart as much as it did, which in and of itself is entirely fine in an ending. I think I wanted a little bit more hope entwined in it as well. I wanted to see characters learn from their mistakes, to see a family working towards change to be better (when instead we saw fully the consequences of a terrible decision that led to families broken apart, lives ruined through substance abuse, and other things - entirely realistic, though, I guess, in that regard).
This is a great introduction into the world of mysteries with a good plot twist for YA readers new to the genre. For those who aren't new to it, it still made for a good twisty psychological thriller with YA-aged characters. The story is told from the perspective of Cady who is suffering from a traumatic injury from an event that happened a few summers previous on her family's private island. (Her family, the Sinclairs, are of that old, rich, white money and they give off a level of elitism that wants to make you vomit a bit. But the kids in the family are fairly turned off by it as well, so at least you're in good company.)
What I loved:
I loved the writing style, the short chapters, learning bits and pieces of information of what really happened that night a few summers ago as Cady starts to remember as well, the twist to the plot towards the end when the final truth is revealed, and the appeal of this narrative to YA readers.
What I didn't love:
The Sinclair family (but this was intentional -- they're just not lovable) and the classism and privilege we see in the family (again, intentional). I wish the wrongness of that had been more addressed than it was, but this story I think was more a story of a tragedy than anything else (the characters' inability to learn and change, to be better people than what they were).
What I had mixed feelings about:
The ending ... it's a heartbreaker and, while we know right off the bat that a tragedy has occurred, I didn't realize it would wrench my heart as much as it did, which in and of itself is entirely fine in an ending. I think I wanted a little bit more hope entwined in it as well. I wanted to see characters learn from their mistakes, to see a family working towards change to be better (when instead we saw fully the consequences of a terrible decision that led to families broken apart, lives ruined through substance abuse, and other things - entirely realistic, though, I guess, in that regard).
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Death, Grief
Minor: Addiction, Animal death, Cursing, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Dementia
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Honestly, I didn't see that ending coming. I had several predictions, but that wasn't one of them. It got a lot darker than I expected, but I also didn't have much expectations or predictions going into this. I didn't feel connected to any of the characters, and the whole 'perfect rich family' becoming destroyed doesn't appeal to me, especially with the setting of Nantucket island-ish. The ending felt like it came out of left field, but the writing was pretty good and kept me interested.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Blood
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Racism, Medical content
Minor: Dementia
A lot of the warnings come at the ending and are a bit of a surprise.
The self harm is more of a metaphor, while the suicidal thoughts are continuous throughout the books, but it's never attempted nor planned.