Scan barcode
its_erin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
The scariest things in this book are the main character's decisions.
I picked this up hoping for a chilling read, something unsettling. While this did not hit the mark for me, it may for others.
It's a slow build. And by slow I mean that halfway in I still struggled to stay invested and wanted to put it down. I feel that this disinterest comes down to a few factors:
1) I didn't find the main character compelling or, at times, likeable. She could be grating, and often times her thoughts and actions were scarier than any of the pictures.
2) The build to a climax was nonexistent for most of the book. It was hard to understand what was happening, where the plot was leading, or what was trying to be accomplished. And this wasn't in the fun "keep ya guessing" way, it was just in the poorly written way.
3) The writing style wasn't my favorite. Writing in first-person was a stylistic choice that I don't think paid off, and choosing to do "reveals" about the main character's background 75% of the way in was a disservice to the character.
I will say that the most compelling character was Caroline - who is not the main character - and that was only at the end. Otherwise, it's hard to say if this is a ghost story, a treatise on addiction, or a grimm's fairytale about liberals gone bad.
Graphic: Addiction, Violence, Kidnapping, and Murder
Moderate: Drug abuse, Toxic relationship, and Xenophobia
spooderman's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Confinement, Stalking, and Outing
Minor: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Chronic illness, Infertility, Infidelity, Racism, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Vomit, Medical content, Dementia, Medical trauma, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, and Classism
maggiefaerie's review against another edition
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Murder, Alcohol, and Classism
Moderate: Fatphobia, Racism, Transphobia, and Xenophobia
avidreaderandgeekgirl's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Addiction, Cursing, Death, Toxic relationship, Murder, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Xenophobia, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment
magellen's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
3.5
The book was also oddly dated - the first Harry Potter mention was surprising, but by the point the mc was praising its author's talent (😒) I thought I'd picked up a much older book but nope. 2022 publish date. Also the 'oh my god you like star warrrrs what a nerd!' bit was like...buddy, no one has thought that in decades.
Much of the book is a red herring - like literally the book takes some sharp turns in the back quarter that peel it entirely away from the first mystery. And like...yeah? I guess the bread crumbs are there, amongst the weird disdain lacing nearly every character.
Like...its not terrible? But it squicked me out more than once with author choices that like Mmmmm frankly, make me feel his bad vibes, much like a largely abandoned plot point from the beginning of the novel.
I wouldn't recommend it to a friend or read it again, but if you're shooting for a reading goal eh, it is a book.
Minor: Transphobia, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, Outing, Dysphoria, and Classism
tanyalazanya's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Death, Kidnapping, and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, and Alcohol
Minor: Racism, Transphobia, Xenophobia, and Sexual harassment
eleanormair's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Addiction
Moderate: Kidnapping
Minor: Gun violence, Racism, Xenophobia, and Sexual harassment
myriam_almonti's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Moderate: Xenophobia and Car accident
Minor: Miscarriage and Racism
toofondofbooks_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
First though, I do want to bring up its merits, because I think that it has some.
Things I liked: It's set in a small town based on a real town that not only is near to where I live but that I've been to several times and it mentions several landmarks that are familiar to me. I also liked the illustration elements and how they get spookier and spookier as the book goes on.
Things I didn't like: Pretty much everything else but especially the big plot twist at the end. Absolutely the stupidest thing in the world. Made half of the book absolutely pointless. This could've been edited down to just 200 pages and it would've been better and not as much of a waste of time.
I only add the half a star because I have a soft spot for the small town that the book is based on.
Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Racism, Transphobia, Xenophobia, Excrement, Kidnapping, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual content
Minor: Rape
livvmarks's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Transphobia, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism