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3.29 AVERAGE
3.29 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
⌜★★★★★⌟
๑ How we fall apart #1
✼ ----------- ✼
Llevo años buscando este tipo de thrillers y finalmente me lo traen. Aparte, lo mucho que me sentí identificada con todo el libro, debe ser un red flag seguro.
Es como ver Mean Girls y Élite convertidos en un libro; con unos toques de Carrie y algún thriller adolescente que ya hemos visto alguna vez. Si no te he convencido de leer el libro hasta ahora, algo estoy haciendo mal.
Anyway, la autora empieza fuerte creando interés en nosotros por saber quién es Jamie Ruan y por qué nuestra protagonista está tan preocupada por ella. Para finalizar el capítulo con un mensaje anónimo que deja con los pelos de punta a todos en el auditorio.
Fue imposible dejar de leer la historia de cada personaje, junto a la cuenta regresiva de nuestro anonimo que amenaza con destapar los secretos de los mejores amigos de Jamie. Es una carrera contra el tiempo, donde no todos podrán llegar a la meta.
Los secretos que se iban develando a cada paso me tenian de los nervios. Pero, ¿cómo es posible que todo esto pase en una secundaria? En la mía, el mayor escándalo era que un profesor faltara. Como sea, el ambiente escolar solo lo hace más interesante, más aun si tienen una app de chismorreo para ellos. Esas cosas son re peligrosas para cualquier adolescente, ok? ok.
Además, como el libro intercala capitulos actuales con los recuerdos de cada cosa que pasó en la escuela; nos echa pistas que, como la despistada que soy, no pude ni recolectar.
Y sí, Jamie parece ser la villana, pero tbh aquí todos podrían pasar por villanos, porque ninguno es inocente del todo. Y eso lo hace más realista, sabes. Pude sentir simpatía con Jamie, Kiara, Alex o Akil; pero al mismo tiempo cuestionar todas las decisiones que tomaron.
Del final, no te quiero contar nada, porque quiero que lo disfrutes (o lo sufras). Anyway, next.
Más allá de la trama que, para mí, fue maravillosa con todas sus letras; hablemos de la diversidad y de la inclusión. Creo que es la primera vez que leo un ya que no tiene a sus típicos protagonistas, and I love it. Nos dan guiños a sus culturas (especialmente a la asiática, que está muy presente). Tiene un poco de problemas de carácter social, dándonos la historia de una familia inmigrante y todo lo que tienen que pasar con el proposito de conseguir el sueño americano.
Es una novela que funciona muy bien con adolescentes (eso sí, deberíamos considerar todos los tw que nos dan al principio, que son bastante) porque encuentras muchos puntos en común y situaciones donde sientes que tú eres la protagonista. El tener esa presión de cumplir expectativas, de devolver todo lo que tus padres hicieron por ti, de saber que si no eres inteligente o rica o millonaria, no eres nada. No sé, creo que fue donde hice conexión.
Ya para terminar: Las vibras que me da este libro son muy hermosa. El inglés no es tan complicaddo así que pueden leerlo con un nivel básico, no se me hizo tan dificil.
Gracias por venir a mi TED Talk.
๑ How we fall apart #1
✼ ----------- ✼
"A kid at ur school died, and my parents' biggest concern is my calc grade"
Llevo años buscando este tipo de thrillers y finalmente me lo traen. Aparte, lo mucho que me sentí identificada con todo el libro, debe ser un red flag seguro.
Es como ver Mean Girls y Élite convertidos en un libro; con unos toques de Carrie y algún thriller adolescente que ya hemos visto alguna vez. Si no te he convencido de leer el libro hasta ahora, algo estoy haciendo mal.
Anyway, la autora empieza fuerte creando interés en nosotros por saber quién es Jamie Ruan y por qué nuestra protagonista está tan preocupada por ella. Para finalizar el capítulo con un mensaje anónimo que deja con los pelos de punta a todos en el auditorio.
"The whispers quieted but didn't stop. Here at Sinclair Prep, the whispers never stopped"
Fue imposible dejar de leer la historia de cada personaje, junto a la cuenta regresiva de nuestro anonimo que amenaza con destapar los secretos de los mejores amigos de Jamie. Es una carrera contra el tiempo, donde no todos podrán llegar a la meta.
Los secretos que se iban develando a cada paso me tenian de los nervios. Pero, ¿cómo es posible que todo esto pase en una secundaria? En la mía, el mayor escándalo era que un profesor faltara. Como sea, el ambiente escolar solo lo hace más interesante, más aun si tienen una app de chismorreo para ellos. Esas cosas son re peligrosas para cualquier adolescente, ok? ok.
"Honestly who needs to watch Asian dramas when you go to Sinclair prep?"
Además, como el libro intercala capitulos actuales con los recuerdos de cada cosa que pasó en la escuela; nos echa pistas que, como la despistada que soy, no pude ni recolectar.
Y sí, Jamie parece ser la villana, pero tbh aquí todos podrían pasar por villanos, porque ninguno es inocente del todo. Y eso lo hace más realista, sabes. Pude sentir simpatía con Jamie, Kiara, Alex o Akil; pero al mismo tiempo cuestionar todas las decisiones que tomaron.
Del final, no te quiero contar nada, porque quiero que lo disfrutes (o lo sufras). Anyway, next.
Más allá de la trama que, para mí, fue maravillosa con todas sus letras; hablemos de la diversidad y de la inclusión. Creo que es la primera vez que leo un ya que no tiene a sus típicos protagonistas, and I love it. Nos dan guiños a sus culturas (especialmente a la asiática, que está muy presente). Tiene un poco de problemas de carácter social, dándonos la historia de una familia inmigrante y todo lo que tienen que pasar con el proposito de conseguir el sueño americano.
Es una novela que funciona muy bien con adolescentes (eso sí, deberíamos considerar todos los tw que nos dan al principio, que son bastante) porque encuentras muchos puntos en común y situaciones donde sientes que tú eres la protagonista. El tener esa presión de cumplir expectativas, de devolver todo lo que tus padres hicieron por ti, de saber que si no eres inteligente o rica o millonaria, no eres nada. No sé, creo que fue donde hice conexión.
"There was so much I could have said in that moment
I'm sorry you gave up everything.
I'm sorry I couldn't give you the world in return"
Ya para terminar: Las vibras que me da este libro son muy hermosa. El inglés no es tan complicaddo así que pueden leerlo con un nivel básico, no se me hizo tan dificil.
Gracias por venir a mi TED Talk.
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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
BIG YIKES. These kids fucked up and now it's come back to bite them in the ASSSSS. I listened to the audiobook in one sitting, and was really frustrated with every character. However, I obviously was entertained enough to finish this in one workday, so there's that!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Fatphobia, Suicide, Stalking, Toxic friendship
trigger warnings: abuse, self-harm, violence, parental neglect, panic attacks, drug use, mental illness, a student/teacher relationship, racism, suicidal thoughts, murder, blackmail, fire, suicide, death of a friend
I had the highest of hopes for How We Fall Apart. After all, a dark academia book with a primarily Asian cast that addressed hyper-competitive school environments, strict upbringings, racial identity, the model minority myth, and immigrant success? Those were things I knew all too well. I so badly wanted to like this book, but it just fell so flat for me. I’m not sure if my expectations were simply too high, or if I simply couldn’t connect with How We Fall Apart.
Pitched as One of Us is Lying meets Crazy Rich Asians, and for fans of Gossip Girl, How We Fall Apart follows Nancy Luo, Akil, Alexander, and Krystal shortly after the disappearance — and murder — of their former best friend, Jamie Ruan. When someone named “The Proctor” starts threatening them and leaking their secrets on the school’s social media app, Tip Tap, the four band together once again to uncover who The Proctor truly is, and before all their secrets are revealed.
Prior to her death, Jamie Ruan was the girl everybody wanted to be. Top of her class, and with enough money that nothing could ever touch her — or at least, that’s how it appeared to be. She’s mean, classist, and just straight up cruel, in a way that had me questioning why and how she even had friends. It seemed like everyone was just scared of being on her bad side, but I really was just so confused. In fact, I wrote “how are they best friends when they all hate her?!?!?!” in my notes while reading it. Unfortunately, a lot of Jamie’s behavior seemed to retroactively be addressed by saying she had her own issues, and challenges with her mental health. Which isn’t an excuse — you can have things going on, you can have bad mental health days, but that doesn’t give you an excuse to take it out on the people around you, nor does it give you an excuse to be classist and just awful. I also wasn’t entirely sure how the quintet all became friends in the first place, and would’ve liked more backstory.
In all honesty, I found the characters pretty unlikable. I wanted more depth from them, more character development, and we didn’t get any of that. It felt like these life-changing secrets were being dropped, and instead of feeling guilty or any sort of remorse about what had happened, they were more concerned about how this would affect their reputation and the way they were perceived. These secrets also just didn’t really make sense? I was surprised at how quickly these bombshells were dropped, and then everyone just moved on past it, despite the gravity of these secrets. I really had to suspend a lot of disbelief to keep reading.
Speaking of things I had to suspend disbelief for, I was really shocked that all four characters, who weren’t really friends anymore, could rejoin and reunite so quickly. But even more so, I was shocked that all four characters, who came from varying classes and cultures, would all respond to being accused of murder in the same way. How We Fall Apart fell flat for me in many ways, but the most disappointing one was the lack of nuance. Everything felt very superficial, particularly the topics I looked forward to the most: the discussions of the model minority myth, the myth of the American dream, the discussions of mental health… everything.
As someone who also went to an incredibly competitive high school, I’m all too familiar with how that affects your mental health, and how that intersects within Asian immigrant culture. Had the characters (particularly the adults) in How We Fall Apart acknowledged their role in this, or even the school, I might’ve enjoyed this book more.
I think the best mystery-thrillers are ones that drop little clues here and there along the way, and then when the big reveal is done, you go: “why didn’t I see that all along?” or the ones that you figure out just before the characters do. Sadly, I found How We Fall Apart a little too predictable in that aspect, so I wasn’t shocked when the big reveal happened. Although, I do question if How We Fall Apart is supposed to be marketed as a dark academia mystery-thriller, or something else altogether.
For what it’s worth, How We Fall Apart is a fast-paced and short read, and I did resonate with some of the quotes. I was pretty disappointed with the ending, until the very last page, when it does leave on a cliffhanger, and makes room for a potential sequel — which alone, gives it an extra ½ star.
find the full review & others on my blog
I had the highest of hopes for How We Fall Apart. After all, a dark academia book with a primarily Asian cast that addressed hyper-competitive school environments, strict upbringings, racial identity, the model minority myth, and immigrant success? Those were things I knew all too well. I so badly wanted to like this book, but it just fell so flat for me. I’m not sure if my expectations were simply too high, or if I simply couldn’t connect with How We Fall Apart.
Pitched as One of Us is Lying meets Crazy Rich Asians, and for fans of Gossip Girl, How We Fall Apart follows Nancy Luo, Akil, Alexander, and Krystal shortly after the disappearance — and murder — of their former best friend, Jamie Ruan. When someone named “The Proctor” starts threatening them and leaking their secrets on the school’s social media app, Tip Tap, the four band together once again to uncover who The Proctor truly is, and before all their secrets are revealed.
Prior to her death, Jamie Ruan was the girl everybody wanted to be. Top of her class, and with enough money that nothing could ever touch her — or at least, that’s how it appeared to be. She’s mean, classist, and just straight up cruel, in a way that had me questioning why and how she even had friends. It seemed like everyone was just scared of being on her bad side, but I really was just so confused. In fact, I wrote “how are they best friends when they all hate her?!?!?!” in my notes while reading it. Unfortunately, a lot of Jamie’s behavior seemed to retroactively be addressed by saying she had her own issues, and challenges with her mental health. Which isn’t an excuse — you can have things going on, you can have bad mental health days, but that doesn’t give you an excuse to take it out on the people around you, nor does it give you an excuse to be classist and just awful. I also wasn’t entirely sure how the quintet all became friends in the first place, and would’ve liked more backstory.
In all honesty, I found the characters pretty unlikable. I wanted more depth from them, more character development, and we didn’t get any of that. It felt like these life-changing secrets were being dropped, and instead of feeling guilty or any sort of remorse about what had happened, they were more concerned about how this would affect their reputation and the way they were perceived. These secrets also just didn’t really make sense? I was surprised at how quickly these bombshells were dropped, and then everyone just moved on past it, despite the gravity of these secrets. I really had to suspend a lot of disbelief to keep reading.
Speaking of things I had to suspend disbelief for, I was really shocked that all four characters, who weren’t really friends anymore, could rejoin and reunite so quickly. But even more so, I was shocked that all four characters, who came from varying classes and cultures, would all respond to being accused of murder in the same way. How We Fall Apart fell flat for me in many ways, but the most disappointing one was the lack of nuance. Everything felt very superficial, particularly the topics I looked forward to the most: the discussions of the model minority myth, the myth of the American dream, the discussions of mental health… everything.
As someone who also went to an incredibly competitive high school, I’m all too familiar with how that affects your mental health, and how that intersects within Asian immigrant culture. Had the characters (particularly the adults) in How We Fall Apart acknowledged their role in this, or even the school, I might’ve enjoyed this book more.
I think the best mystery-thrillers are ones that drop little clues here and there along the way, and then when the big reveal is done, you go: “why didn’t I see that all along?” or the ones that you figure out just before the characters do. Sadly, I found How We Fall Apart a little too predictable in that aspect, so I wasn’t shocked when the big reveal happened. Although, I do question if How We Fall Apart is supposed to be marketed as a dark academia mystery-thriller, or something else altogether.
For what it’s worth, How We Fall Apart is a fast-paced and short read, and I did resonate with some of the quotes. I was pretty disappointed with the ending, until the very last page, when it does leave on a cliffhanger, and makes room for a potential sequel — which alone, gives it an extra ½ star.
find the full review & others on my blog
I was very enthralled with the mystery throughout the book, it reminded me of Pretty Little Liars and Gossip Girl. I think the book captured some themes really well while other ones fell flat unfortunately. The reveal at the end was surprising but I feel like the book left a lot of things unresolved and left me dissatisfied. I was going to rate a 4 until the end.
Not bad, but a little disappointing overall.
The blurb described this as ‘One of Us is Lying meets Crazy Rich Asians’, but to me it felt more Gossip Girl meets Pretty Little Liars.
The central premise was good, but it never felt like it quite came together. The characters keep talking about ‘The Incident’, and although it IS significant, the reveal feels kind of underwhelming. I was expecting something much worse.
The ‘secrets’ of each of the four main characters are largely underwhelming too. (Bar one, who was one of the most interesting characters imo, and deserved more page time.) Then again, I’m reading this as a 30-something adult. If you were reading this as a teen, maybe it would seem more dramatic.
I enjoyed the writing itself, and it was an easy read, but not one I’d go back to. I just didn’t care enough about the characters at the end of the day.
The blurb described this as ‘One of Us is Lying meets Crazy Rich Asians’, but to me it felt more Gossip Girl meets Pretty Little Liars.
The central premise was good, but it never felt like it quite came together. The characters keep talking about ‘The Incident’, and although it IS significant, the reveal feels kind of underwhelming. I was expecting something much worse.
The ‘secrets’ of each of the four main characters are largely underwhelming too. (Bar one, who was one of the most interesting characters imo, and deserved more page time.) Then again, I’m reading this as a 30-something adult. If you were reading this as a teen, maybe it would seem more dramatic.
I enjoyed the writing itself, and it was an easy read, but not one I’d go back to. I just didn’t care enough about the characters at the end of the day.
WHAT A GREAT BOOK!!!!!
book includes some sensitive topics which include:
- abuse
- self-harm
- violence
- parental neglect
- panic attacks
- drug use
- mental illness
- student/teacher relationships
- racism
- suicidal thoughts
Now onto the review.
If I ever told myself that One Of Us is Lying was good, then consider that a lie, because this book completely crushed my expectations of what a good mystery novel should be like.
Our story follows the elite students of Sinclair Preparatory School, where all the most powerful and rich families send their kids to become their powerful heirs. Our story focuses on a Scholarship girl, Nancy Luo, who has fought her whole life to stay in the ranks of the most powerful without her having any sort of power. Her best friend, Jamie Ruan, creates a spectacle when one day she's announced dead. This brings her former friends into a messed up game of rumors and finding out about each others well-hidden secrets. With a mixture of gossip girl and crazy rich asians, we follow this group of kids to see what a beautiful life they claim to have.
In all honesty, I ate this book up. There is no doubt that this story has a good plot, nice characters, drama, and a lot of Asian inclusion. I loved how the whole mystery has very easy to follow, while you also knowing that it was a complex situation that couldn't be fixed from one day to another. The only thing that sort of bothered me, was how the author would fix the problems with money. I know it's a real thing that happens in the world, but couldn't she at least add one more conflict towards the story? It would add so much more dimension to any of the bland characters that she has in the book. But moving on, the whole 'prestigious school' idea is a huge plus for me. So right there, extra points towards my rating.
The ending wasn't that great but I know that the next book will clear some more things up.
book includes some sensitive topics which include:
- abuse
- self-harm
- violence
- parental neglect
- panic attacks
- drug use
- mental illness
- student/teacher relationships
- racism
- suicidal thoughts
Now onto the review.
If I ever told myself that One Of Us is Lying was good, then consider that a lie, because this book completely crushed my expectations of what a good mystery novel should be like.
Our story follows the elite students of Sinclair Preparatory School, where all the most powerful and rich families send their kids to become their powerful heirs. Our story focuses on a Scholarship girl, Nancy Luo, who has fought her whole life to stay in the ranks of the most powerful without her having any sort of power. Her best friend, Jamie Ruan, creates a spectacle when one day she's announced dead. This brings her former friends into a messed up game of rumors and finding out about each others well-hidden secrets. With a mixture of gossip girl and crazy rich asians, we follow this group of kids to see what a beautiful life they claim to have.
In all honesty, I ate this book up. There is no doubt that this story has a good plot, nice characters, drama, and a lot of Asian inclusion. I loved how the whole mystery has very easy to follow, while you also knowing that it was a complex situation that couldn't be fixed from one day to another. The only thing that sort of bothered me, was how the author would fix the problems with money. I know it's a real thing that happens in the world, but couldn't she at least add one more conflict towards the story? It would add so much more dimension to any of the bland characters that she has in the book. But moving on, the whole 'prestigious school' idea is a huge plus for me. So right there, extra points towards my rating.
The ending wasn't that great but I know that the next book will clear some more things up.
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
