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ppppaula's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I struggled to get into this but at about the halfway mark, couldn’t put it down. The story follows Evie, a teen who is being held captive by a man she refers to as her uncle. We’re never sure which one of them is telling the truth - did she really do something terrible, or is he lying to her? The story covers 2 timelines - the ‘before’ when Evie was a teenager living in Melbourne, and ‘now’ where she is held captive in small town NZ.
jodimiller37's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
4.0
Keep reading, perspective is everything
ellsbells63's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
threeracoonsinatrenchcoat's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
pixiepages's review against another edition
4.0
I need to process all that I just read. Who was lying? Who was telling the truth? Kate aka Evie wakes up not knowing where she is or how she got there. She wakes up with a man, Jim, in a cabin in the middle of nowhere. All she knows is she is not in Australia anymore. Jim tells her he is protecting her from what she did back home. As days goes by she starts to remember bits and pieces of her life and nothing makes sense. This thriller was definitely a page turner.
darkpsychereads's review against another edition
3.0
Atmospheric, claustrophobic coming of age debut thriller.
This was compelling enough to finish in practically one sitting. Clever, deceptive and eerie. It forces you to contemplate many of it's themes and motivations post-reflection. But the theme/plot was ordinary enough to take away a lot of the thrills. Most of the time I felt uncomfortable and captive, uncertain and waiting, as I experienced Evie's own captivity in the remote countryside of New Zealand. I'm sure that was intentional as the plot covers trauma, gaslighting and abuse. It also covers a lot of those awkward young love moments, difficult friendships, drunken parties, sexual consent, sexual victimizing of young women and online privacy. These things are meant to be uncomfortable. I think I struggle with reading YA perspectives in general, I don't enjoy the chronic awkwardness of teen nostalgia, I wanna be as far away from it as possible, so I didn't know I was getting into that with this book. Consent, heh.
Despite the intentionality of exploring abuse, I think I would have enjoyed this more if I was a teen, and if this was marketed as a YA thriller. I just couldn't connect with the main characters, I went in expecting more thrills less slow drama. There was a never ending tug of war with her captor and with her memories. And so the story slugged along with me captive to being indifferent. The ending was somewhat rewarding, at least alleviating my confusions.
Another minor reason I couldn't enjoy the book as much (at no fault to the author) was that I think part of my discomfort was reading fiction too close to home when there were descriptions/memories of Melbourne. It broke the fiction fantasy a little and that's just my preference for reading about some other place I can use my imagination, instead of actually knowing the details and having personal memories of my own attached. I think I may just prefer to read foreign material.
It's an alright read, and honestly a great debut and great for post-discussion. I could see this used in high school reading curriculums, with potent and relatable content for teens to contemplate, moving into adulthood as well as a digital age. I'd recommend if you're looking for a psychological, deceptive and claustrophobic read with not much action.
(Irrelevant side note- It was funny/weird knowing many of the Melbourne attractions and suburbs mentioned. Oh I'd been there. Oh I know what that place looks like. Even down to St Kilda police station
This was compelling enough to finish in practically one sitting. Clever, deceptive and eerie. It forces you to contemplate many of it's themes and motivations post-reflection. But the theme/plot was ordinary enough to take away a lot of the thrills. Most of the time I felt uncomfortable and captive, uncertain and waiting, as I experienced Evie's own captivity in the remote countryside of New Zealand. I'm sure that was intentional as the plot covers trauma, gaslighting and abuse. It also covers a lot of those awkward young love moments, difficult friendships, drunken parties, sexual consent, sexual victimizing of young women and online privacy. These things are meant to be uncomfortable. I think I struggle with reading YA perspectives in general, I don't enjoy the chronic awkwardness of teen nostalgia, I wanna be as far away from it as possible, so I didn't know I was getting into that with this book. Consent, heh.
Despite the intentionality of exploring abuse, I think I would have enjoyed this more if I was a teen, and if this was marketed as a YA thriller. I just couldn't connect with the main characters, I went in expecting more thrills less slow drama. There was a never ending tug of war with her captor and with her memories. And so the story slugged along with me captive to being indifferent. The ending was somewhat rewarding, at least alleviating my confusions.
Another minor reason I couldn't enjoy the book as much (at no fault to the author) was that I think part of my discomfort was reading fiction too close to home when there were descriptions/memories of Melbourne. It broke the fiction fantasy a little and that's just my preference for reading about some other place I can use my imagination, instead of actually knowing the details and having personal memories of my own attached. I think I may just prefer to read foreign material.
It's an alright read, and honestly a great debut and great for post-discussion. I could see this used in high school reading curriculums, with potent and relatable content for teens to contemplate, moving into adulthood as well as a digital age. I'd recommend if you're looking for a psychological, deceptive and claustrophobic read with not much action.
(Irrelevant side note- It was funny/weird knowing many of the Melbourne attractions and suburbs mentioned. Oh I'd been there. Oh I know what that place looks like. Even down to St Kilda police station
kikaa's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't mind this book, the twist definitely got me.
It wasn't the greatest book, but I just couldn't stop reading it, I needed to know what was gonna happen.
It wasn't the greatest book, but I just couldn't stop reading it, I needed to know what was gonna happen.
thelibraryofklee's review against another edition
5.0
What a sensational debut domestic psychological thriller set between the beauty that is Maketu, New Zealand, and in a Melbourne surburb, Australia.
17 year old Kate / Evie finds herself in Maketu with her Uncle Jim. Jim tells her he is hiding her to protect her... she can't quite figure out from what. Kate goes by the pseudonym Evie as the locals become more inquisitive. Her memories are fragile, fragmented and disjointed. As the novel progresses we slip back to Australia where dark events have unfolded. Kate / Evie can't remember most of the details and grapples with the "truth" and whether Uncle Jim can be trusted.
Let me tell you ... this would be an amazing senior English text for mature students. It delves into the dark depths of teenagerhood - toxic relationships (them red flags are like WOAH), suicide, substance abuse, domestic abuse. At about halfway, some things started to fall into place, and by the end I was enthralled by how well it was all tied up. Call Me Evie has an amazing depth to it, which I will be reflecting on for some time.
17 year old Kate / Evie finds herself in Maketu with her Uncle Jim. Jim tells her he is hiding her to protect her... she can't quite figure out from what. Kate goes by the pseudonym Evie as the locals become more inquisitive. Her memories are fragile, fragmented and disjointed. As the novel progresses we slip back to Australia where dark events have unfolded. Kate / Evie can't remember most of the details and grapples with the "truth" and whether Uncle Jim can be trusted.
Let me tell you ... this would be an amazing senior English text for mature students. It delves into the dark depths of teenagerhood - toxic relationships (them red flags are like WOAH), suicide, substance abuse, domestic abuse. At about halfway, some things started to fall into place, and by the end I was enthralled by how well it was all tied up. Call Me Evie has an amazing depth to it, which I will be reflecting on for some time.