jilljemmett's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Amelia Ashley is an influencer who has just gone on a trip to Rome with her boyfriend, Josh Reuter. However, before they board the plane to come home to San Diego, Amelia abandons him, leaving Josh to fly home alone. He assumes that she will make her way home by herself, but when she doesn’t make any contact with him, he starts to worry. It doesn’t help that her blood was found in his suitcase. Since Amelia was an influencer, her fans start the hashtag #WhereIsAmeliaAshley, spreading the word that she has gone missing. Harper Delgado is a hacker who joins in on the search, by digging into Amelia’s and Josh’s pasts. Josh struggles to maintain his innocence, while everyone else wants to find Amelia.
This was such a wild and intense thriller! I was on the edge of my seat the entire time I was reading. Though the story appears to be like another famous story of a girl not returning from a trip with her boyfriend, something else is actually going on. This story explored the idea of what missing girls and women are actually covered in the media. Amelia was a beautiful, white, blonde influencer, so her disappearance was taken seriously, while there was another girl who was Asian, who didn’t garner the same interest. I find it so disturbing that this happens. A girl or woman’s appearance shouldn’t determine if their life is worth saving or if she is worth finding. This story didn’t end the way I expected, but I really loved it. I would love to hear what happens next!
Going Dark is a suspenseful thriller!
Thank you Union Square and Co. for sending me a copy!
Content warnings: domestic violence (suggested), run away child, bipolar disorder
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Domestic abuse
effy's review
2.25
I enjoyed this book enough to continue reading and see where the story would take me but overall it just seemed to miss the mark.
Unfortunately I think chekhov's gun was just way too obvious to me. The moment that it was mentioned that I felt as though I knew what had happened. When it was revealed I felt as though my suspicions were just confirmed.
I essentially felt as though I went though the whole of this book hoping that the story wasn't going to be ascenario and doing mental gymnastics for other scenarios. I somewhat appreciated that the book recognised what it was doing to the extent that one of the chapters / parts was called but it just left me feeling unsatisfied.
I am unsure if the intention was for the reader to understand what had happened with Amelia throughout and were just looking and waiting for the motivation to be revealed. I think it would be the generous position to take and would help to explain why it seemed so transparent. If that was the case, I think the book could have been structured better with Harper, Amelia, and Mignon's chapters interspersed earlier and evenly so that hints and misdirects could have been introduced earlier.
I think there was a little logic absent in the story, especially surrounding
I also didn't like that the ending seemed to have some teeth then changed its mind at the last minute.
I suspect the flaws that I found with this book are because I am not the intended readership of this book. This may be a disservice to young adult readers to say that they may not have picked up on the breadcrumbs that were more like loaves of bread. And maybe they wouldn't be as familiar with But that is really the only way I can see this book having been so well-received initially.
Favourite quotes:
Unfortunately I think chekhov's gun was just way too obvious to me. The moment that it was mentioned that
Spoiler
Josh didn't pack his own suitcase,Spoiler
that the police had found blood in Josh's suitcase, knowing that he hadn't packed his own suitcase,I essentially felt as though I went though the whole of this book hoping that the story wasn't going to be a
Spoiler
Gone GirlSpoiler
"Girl, gone"I am unsure if the intention was for the reader to understand what had happened with Amelia throughout and were just looking and waiting for the motivation to be revealed. I think it would be the generous position to take and would help to explain why it seemed so transparent. If that was the case, I think the book could have been structured better with Harper, Amelia, and Mignon's chapters interspersed earlier and evenly so that hints and misdirects could have been introduced earlier.
I think there was a little logic absent in the story, especially surrounding
Spoiler
Harper's role in the plan as it simultaneously seemed like Amelia needed Harper to reveal the information to the police but it also wasn't part of the plan? If Amelia was relying on the police to connect the dots between Josh and Bennet, that didn't fit her character as she seemed to have lost faith in their ability? Also, Wendy Darling? Really?I also didn't like that the ending seemed to have some teeth then changed its mind at the last minute.
I suspect the flaws that I found with this book are because I am not the intended readership of this book. This may be a disservice to young adult readers to say that they may not have picked up on the breadcrumbs that were more like loaves of bread. And maybe they wouldn't be as familiar with
Spoiler
the twist of Gone Girl?Favourite quotes:
Spoiler
Dying now wouldn't be the worst thing that could happen to her. The worst had already happened.
Spoiler
When I die, hopefully sometime far in the future, I wouldn't mind being buried here among the watchers of Club Nightmare. Place my skeletal remains among the masses, let me become the six million and one. Scatter my bones to lead the way for future travellers, roaming the path between life and death, let my hands hold a candelabra, let my spine support the chandelier, let my skull smile at those who smile back.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Grief, Stalking, Murder, and Racism
evieheartsbooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Mental illness, and Kidnapping
elisabeth_li's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Murder, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Blood, Death, Violence, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Drug use, Kidnapping, Abandonment, Panic attacks/disorders, and Cursing
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