micahjulius's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
osmxn's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-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
2.5
Rating:⭐⭐✨/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Characters:1.75/5
Plot:2/5
Prose:2/5
Storytelling:1/5
Overall:2.5/5 Stars.
That was something 🥱. I think contemporary is not my jam at this point. They tend to disappoint a lot. I was expecting a serial killer/supernatural/dark/horror story. And that was just by looking at the cover. Instead, all I got was one of the run-of-the-mill edgy mystery novels.
Despite, the synopsis I tried to give it the benefit of the doubt but man this story was too simplistic for my liking. I didn't get the vibe that this was as dark and tense as it was supposed to be. Just a little bit of mystery.
I think the plot twists were generic AF and the characters were flat. I didn't expect anything groundbreaking but seeing how well it is received I had some little bit of hope. Like strong 3 stars.
The biggest issue I had with this book was how it employed its twists at the end. It felt undeserved and typical. To deserve this kind of plot twists you need to land your characters well. All the time Mallory was in a bad situation I couldn't care less. She is dumb and has high expectations of people, considering she's a recovering drug addict. Who tf plays all their cards at once for the suspected bad guys 🤦. Don't get me started on the other characters. They were 2 Dimensional to the point of making the story feel like the compositions I used to write in primary. To top that off, the prologue sealed it for me.
Characters:1.75/5
Plot:2/5
Prose:2/5
Storytelling:1/5
Overall:2.5/5 Stars.
That was something 🥱. I think contemporary is not my jam at this point. They tend to disappoint a lot. I was expecting a serial killer/supernatural/dark/horror story. And that was just by looking at the cover. Instead, all I got was one of the run-of-the-mill edgy mystery novels.
Despite, the synopsis I tried to give it the benefit of the doubt but man this story was too simplistic for my liking. I didn't get the vibe that this was as dark and tense as it was supposed to be. Just a little bit of mystery.
I think the plot twists were generic AF and the characters were flat. I didn't expect anything groundbreaking but seeing how well it is received I had some little bit of hope. Like strong 3 stars.
The biggest issue I had with this book was how it employed its twists at the end. It felt undeserved and typical. To deserve this kind of plot twists you need to land your characters well. All the time Mallory was in a bad situation I couldn't care less. She is dumb and has high expectations of people, considering she's a recovering drug addict. Who tf plays all their cards at once for the suspected bad guys 🤦. Don't get me started on the other characters. They were 2 Dimensional to the point of making the story feel like the compositions I used to write in primary. To top that off, the prologue sealed it for me.
filemanager's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars
I love how everything was explained and made sense - but the picture(s) of the woman being strangled was never explained! It said she was hit with a stungun, and went down and never got up. That's it. So what's up with the strangling?!
I love how everything was explained and made sense - but the picture(s) of the woman being strangled was never explained! It said she was hit with a stungun, and went down and never got up. That's it. So what's up with the strangling?!
smisaacs's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.75
Why are the endings of every book so disappointing lately? Another great concept. I loved the author's writing style. The inclusion of the pictures was fantastic. I loved the characters and Mallory's story. But the end just kind of came out of nowhere for me. It didn't line up with anything we knew throughout the rest of the book. I guess I understand that it was supposed to be a twist we never saw coming, but I don't know. It didn't totally land for me. Especially the monologue at the end by Mallory. That was just kind of weird and didn't need to be included. I wanted to get into the spooky season, and this helped, just wish it had finished stronger.
bailee_m98's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
lemonyv's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
jodielynn1's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.5
dolphingirl6's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
baileewyatt's review against another edition
dark
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
5.0
I joined a new book club and this was a great book to join in on. This one kept me hooked from the beginning to the very end. I loved the characters (or, respectfully, hated them as anyone would) and their relationships with one another. Some were a little predictable but it didn’t even bother me because the story as a whole was so unpredictable. The author really took the time to not fall into some storylines that would have been too obvious especially with Mallory’s personal journey and I really appreciated that. I’m normally one that will figure out a twist before it comes, whether I like to or not, BUT this one shook me for real.
If you’re looking for a good thriller to kick off spooky season, this is a great one. It’s got heart and it’s got suspense, if you’re a thriller girly like me you will absolutely love it. If there are any good book club thoughts I want to come back to I’ll do a second post or maybe some story updates but for now just go read this book!
If you’re looking for a good thriller to kick off spooky season, this is a great one. It’s got heart and it’s got suspense, if you’re a thriller girly like me you will absolutely love it. If there are any good book club thoughts I want to come back to I’ll do a second post or maybe some story updates but for now just go read this book!