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elizabeth12's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
2.0
I was very interested in this book before the plot twist. The plot twist ruined it for me and kind of felt like a cop-out. However, before that, I loved how creepy everything felt even when nothing else was going on. It was my first horror book, and I enjoyed the atmosphere and the characters, but not much else.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Suicide
bookburdy's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Animal death
Minor: Self harm, Gore, Stalking, Chronic illness, Death, Sexual content, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
mengzhenreads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Honestly it took me way too many braincells to comprehend what happened in this book but once I got it it totally fucked with my head. This is a thriller/horror that is purely psychological, and I loved how uneasy and tense the entire book was. Just a complete mind fuck.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Mental illness, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Stalking and Animal death
llcoffj's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
It was a solid meh and then the ending was terrible and retroactively made the rest even worse.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
Moderate: Animal death
americattt's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
“I’m glad we don’t know everything.”
“You’re glad?”
“That we don’t know all the answers, that we can’t explain it all, like space. Maybe we’re not supposed to know all the answers. Questions are good. They're better than answers. If you want to know more about life, how we work, how we progress, it’s questions that are important. That’s what pushes and stretches our intellect. I think questions make us feel less lonely and more connected. It’s not always about knowing.”
Will be thinking about this book for some time to come.
“You’re glad?”
“That we don’t know all the answers, that we can’t explain it all, like space. Maybe we’re not supposed to know all the answers. Questions are good. They're better than answers. If you want to know more about life, how we work, how we progress, it’s questions that are important. That’s what pushes and stretches our intellect. I think questions make us feel less lonely and more connected. It’s not always about knowing.”
Will be thinking about this book for some time to come.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Suicide
bennybooks's review against another edition
challenging
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
4.0
Damn
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Suicide, Animal death, and Blood
dementis93's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Mental illness, and Suicide
eucareads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
What did I just read?
The entire book is awkward and uncomfortable. Then it gets scary. Then the twist hits and it felt like a major mindf*ck.
Honestly, for a psychological thriller under 250 pages, this was worth the read. I’m curious to see how Netflix is going to make this to life.
The entire book is awkward and uncomfortable. Then it gets scary. Then the twist hits and it felt like a major mindf*ck.
Honestly, for a psychological thriller under 250 pages, this was worth the read. I’m curious to see how Netflix is going to make this to life.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm and Suicide
Moderate: Blood and Violence
Minor: Animal death
_fallinglight_'s review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
The twist is spelled out from the start (and I'm usually so bad at guessing twists lol) but it's a worthwhile read nonetheless, with interesting observations about relationships and the mind. However, (and I know that's the whole point and whatever) by the last pages I was over the choppy, disorienting, manic writing style.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Suicide, Ableism, Animal death, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Blood
allisonshewfelt's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I've been thinking about the ending of this book ever since I read it and that doesn't happen often. Even if I say in my reviews that "this'll stay with me for awhile", it usually doesn't but that's definitely not the case with this book.
This book is different than any other horror I've read in that it's not surface level scary. It's not going to have you spooked hiding under your covers. It's very psychological in that it reaches into your mind and unsettles you. I love in the beginning how deep and philosophical it is even though they're just going on a road trip to meet his parents. It is a pretty slow moving plot with lots of dialogue so be aware of that.
Iain Reid truly knows how to write the isolation trope. I was so scared when the unnamed girlfriend was in the school by herself hiding from the janitor. The part when she sees the janitor get on his stomach and slither down the hall, yeah, never getting that out of my head. Also the painting in Jake's basement with the person with long hair, slightly hunched over, with claw like nails, also scared the crap out of me.
I didn't understand the ending so I had to look it up and it's so much more devastating than I was aware of. I feel so bad for Jake and that's all I'm gonna say. The next time I reread it, I'll follow those reading instructions at the end: read it backwards.
This isn't a watch the movie or read the book. In order to understand the movie, you need to read the book and understand the ending. You're not gonna understand the movie at all if you don't read the book. If you were to watch the movie first, you'd probably get bored in the first 20-30 minutes, feel like you're slowly losing your mind halfway into it and then be incredibly confused on what's happening and why everyone's so old at the end.
I think the adaptation was beautiful but sad. I would have liked to see the creepy paintings and shown her fear of the janitor. The book was definitely scarier than the movie. The movie doesn't really come off as horror at all to someone who might not know the story. Jesse Plemons isn't who I had in mind for Jake but he did an amazing job. And Jessie Buckley fit the role so well. She knew what she was doing. Toni Collette was a great add on too.
This book is different than any other horror I've read in that it's not surface level scary. It's not going to have you spooked hiding under your covers. It's very psychological in that it reaches into your mind and unsettles you. I love in the beginning how deep and philosophical it is even though they're just going on a road trip to meet his parents. It is a pretty slow moving plot with lots of dialogue so be aware of that.
Iain Reid truly knows how to write the isolation trope. I was so scared when the unnamed girlfriend was in the school by herself hiding from the janitor. The part when she sees the janitor get on his stomach and slither down the hall, yeah, never getting that out of my head. Also the painting in Jake's basement with the person with long hair, slightly hunched over, with claw like nails, also scared the crap out of me.
I didn't understand the ending so I had to look it up and it's so much more devastating than I was aware of. I feel so bad for Jake and that's all I'm gonna say. The next time I reread it, I'll follow those reading instructions at the end: read it backwards.
This isn't a watch the movie or read the book. In order to understand the movie, you need to read the book and understand the ending. You're not gonna understand the movie at all if you don't read the book. If you were to watch the movie first, you'd probably get bored in the first 20-30 minutes, feel like you're slowly losing your mind halfway into it and then be incredibly confused on what's happening and why everyone's so old at the end.
I think the adaptation was beautiful but sad. I would have liked to see the creepy paintings and shown her fear of the janitor. The book was definitely scarier than the movie. The movie doesn't really come off as horror at all to someone who might not know the story. Jesse Plemons isn't who I had in mind for Jake but he did an amazing job. And Jessie Buckley fit the role so well. She knew what she was doing. Toni Collette was a great add on too.
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal death