Reviews

I’m debating between 4 and 4.5. I LOVE the premise and the suspense is built up well in my opinion, even if the pacing is a bit odd and there was one twist in particular that doesn’t make much sense/isn’t really foreshadowed as well as it was meant to be. I also wasn’t a big fan of the romance aspect, BUT i’m not a big romance person in general so I don’t wanna count off the book for my personal taste.

I’m often wary of books with switching POVs, but it’s done pretty well in this case, although I wish each lead’s voice was a bit more distinctive. Other than those few downsides though, this book was thrilling. The characters were well-developed; the setting and community aspect was really, really strong. I love when authors draw horror from real-world fear, and Cole does a great job of doing that without the outcome being outlandish at all — the levels of realism made the whole novel that much more thrilling. The story picks up on really topical and important discussions regarding race, too. Sometimes it feels like things are being over explained to the reader, but I could see that being a pro for some people. Overall, I really enjoyed this book regardless of its minor flaws, and if the premise interests you it explores some really interesting things!

kalynabridged's review

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

briannagenovieve's review

Go to review page

5.0

5⭐️ this book was AMAZING. Absolutely loved it!! Reminded my of one of my favorite movies “Get Out” and while it was thrilling, humorous at times, and fast-paced, it was also real. The way this author merged a real life issue centered around racism and gentrification and put a thriller spin on it was so well done and definitely one to remember. The audio was amazing and really helped me connect with Sydney and Theo almost as if they were real people and I would definitely recommend this book!

curiousphy's review

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

janagaton's review

Go to review page

4.0

Oh my God I could NOT stand Kim at all. I understood her purpose though. This book has such crucial information and social commentary on racism, gentrification, stereotypes, being Black in a predominantly White community, etc. Though I've heard many people saying this is less of a thriller and more of a romance/horror, I myself would classify it as a thriller, despite its slower pace in comparison to most thrillers I've read. This book gave me so much anxiety, but in the best way.

shae_bentley's review

Go to review page

dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

sfdogmom's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark funny informative mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

More...