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writingbookscoffee's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Incest, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Suicidal thoughts
rbookish's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
this was honestly good but it was kind of a mess towards the end
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Car accident, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Medical content, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Toxic relationship
thesaltiestlibrarian's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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? Yes
4.0
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. The opinions expressed herein are mine alone and may not reflect the views of the author, publisher, or distributor.
So, here's a fun little story. I read Kara Thomas' THE CHEERLEADERS back when it came out, and I wasn't taken with it at all. Hence my hesitation to really dig into this despite the great blurb. But man, am I glad I gave her another chance, because THAT WEEKEND was fantastic.
Claire and her best friends Kat and Jesse go to stay at Kat's family's lake house in upstate New York instead of going to prom. They arrive Friday, planning to spend Saturday hiking up the mountain, but something goes horribly wrong. Claire comes to in the forest, her hands covered in blood, and with no memory of what happened. Now Kat and Jesse are missing, and the only person who could give the authorities information has amnesia. How long before any clues turn up, or worse, the bodies?
I'm trying my darndest to find a critique that doesn't sound nitpicky, but that's all I can summon. Nitpicks. And any reader or writer can tell you that that's pretty impressive. The one thing I can bring to mind immediately treads deep into spoiler territory, so I'll let you figure out what this means, dear reader: some of the characterization lacked depth. I really liked Claire and her parents, though.
The pacing is probably the thing I appreciated most about this book. Point A to Point B takes some heavy backroads, a few U-turns, and when the Big Reveal comes about, you feel satisfied, but expectant. Clearly not everything has unraveled, and then that unexpected...thing...comes out and makes your eyebrows hit the roof. Usually I'm spot-on with forecasting the Twist, and with this one, I was right. But there was more that I didn't anticipate and could have had I been watching closely. Made me sit back and say, "Kara Thomas, you clever bastard."
I blew through this once I got over my hang-ups, and I'm really glad that I did. This book is definitely worth the investment.
Content Warning:
Domestic abuse, blood, kidnapping, alcohol abuse, incest
So, here's a fun little story. I read Kara Thomas' THE CHEERLEADERS back when it came out, and I wasn't taken with it at all. Hence my hesitation to really dig into this despite the great blurb. But man, am I glad I gave her another chance, because THAT WEEKEND was fantastic.
Claire and her best friends Kat and Jesse go to stay at Kat's family's lake house in upstate New York instead of going to prom. They arrive Friday, planning to spend Saturday hiking up the mountain, but something goes horribly wrong. Claire comes to in the forest, her hands covered in blood, and with no memory of what happened. Now Kat and Jesse are missing, and the only person who could give the authorities information has amnesia. How long before any clues turn up, or worse, the bodies?
I'm trying my darndest to find a critique that doesn't sound nitpicky, but that's all I can summon. Nitpicks. And any reader or writer can tell you that that's pretty impressive. The one thing I can bring to mind immediately treads deep into spoiler territory, so I'll let you figure out what this means, dear reader: some of the characterization lacked depth. I really liked Claire and her parents, though.
The pacing is probably the thing I appreciated most about this book. Point A to Point B takes some heavy backroads, a few U-turns, and when the Big Reveal comes about, you feel satisfied, but expectant. Clearly not everything has unraveled, and then that unexpected...thing...comes out and makes your eyebrows hit the roof. Usually I'm spot-on with forecasting the Twist, and with this one, I was right. But there was more that I didn't anticipate and could have had I been watching closely. Made me sit back and say, "Kara Thomas, you clever bastard."
I blew through this once I got over my hang-ups, and I'm really glad that I did. This book is definitely worth the investment.
Content Warning:
Domestic abuse, blood, kidnapping, alcohol abuse, incest
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Cursing
Moderate: Infidelity, Kidnapping, Alcoholism, Drug use, Violence, and Car accident
Minor: Cancer and Incest
faithfullymoonstruck's review
adventurous
challenging
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
3.5
I was a bit disappointed with the ending. I was really hooked for the first half of the book. 70% of the way through I figured it out, and then the entire rest of the book was practically explaining what happened, and what came after. Which, I am glad to know...but like, I knew exactly how it went down. But for one little surprising tidbit. But it wasn’t enough to seal a great ending. Over all, still an okay to good book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Grief
Moderate: Alcoholism, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Child abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Kidnapping
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