Scan barcode
jbrownleo's review against another edition
4.0
Such a strange book. I knew something was off a majority of the time but I think I expected something different from the ending. I don’t understand the ending 100% but maybe that was intentionally done by the author. It was a quick easy read and I didn’t hate it, but it was a bit weird.
happycrafter207's review against another edition
4.0
Wow!! What a creepy novel! I haven’t been creeped out like this in a long time. I’m grateful that it’s a short novel.
The novel opens with the line “I’m thinking of ending things”. The reader learns that these are the thoughts of Jake’s girlfriend. Almost the entire novel is the girlfriend’s (she unnamed throughout the novel) musings on her relationship with Jake. Between weird dialogues that suggest that something horrible has happened. The girlfriend’s thoughts and her conversations with Jake leave the reader unsettled. The deeper the reader gets into the novel creates the deeper feelings of unnerving. Author Iain Reid does a fantastic job of pulling the reader into the story, and making the reader feel worried and disturbed. This is full of twists and creepy details. This is a psychological suspense novel worth its salt!
The novel opens with the line “I’m thinking of ending things”. The reader learns that these are the thoughts of Jake’s girlfriend. Almost the entire novel is the girlfriend’s (she unnamed throughout the novel) musings on her relationship with Jake. Between weird dialogues that suggest that something horrible has happened. The girlfriend’s thoughts and her conversations with Jake leave the reader unsettled. The deeper the reader gets into the novel creates the deeper feelings of unnerving. Author Iain Reid does a fantastic job of pulling the reader into the story, and making the reader feel worried and disturbed. This is full of twists and creepy details. This is a psychological suspense novel worth its salt!
ouireads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
laurenczora's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars, rounded down.
I went into this book not knowing anything about it and was very surprised by the ending. I’m definitely going to need a minute to digest and think about what I just read.
I went into this book not knowing anything about it and was very surprised by the ending. I’m definitely going to need a minute to digest and think about what I just read.
candacenw's review against another edition
4.0
❄️ Unreliable narrator
❄️ Super strange and unsettling
❄️ There are discussions surrounding loneliness, relationships, and intelligence that get pretty philosophical
❄️ This is probably not for everyone but I enjoyed it, including the twist that I would normally despise in a story—and I’ll probably be thinking about it for a while
❄️ Super strange and unsettling
❄️ There are discussions surrounding loneliness, relationships, and intelligence that get pretty philosophical
❄️ This is probably not for everyone but I enjoyed it, including the twist that I would normally despise in a story—and I’ll probably be thinking about it for a while
liamccormack's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
spookypasta's review against another edition
3.0
If I'm being totally honest, I'm not even sure I fully understand the ending. That said, the book was different and there were a lot of passages I really enjoyed so I give it 3.5 stars.
etinney's review against another edition
3.0
3 out of 5 stars
I think the set-up and the allegory the story told was interesting, and I understand what it was trying to do. I think Reid has a great grasp on creepy storytelling. I was genuinely creeped out particularly at the parents’ house. However, I think Reid’s style of mansplaining philosophy got old quickly and took me out of the story too much. I lost sight of the allegory and merely became irritated with the characters.
I’ll watch the Netflix adaptation because I think this story is actually well suited for a film, but I don’t think I’ll pick anything else up from Reid.
Edit: Just watched the Netflix adaption. I was wrong, the movie was somehow worse.
I know the relationship isn’t the point of the book (nor is it it really even real) but the heterosexual nonsense in this book just reminds me of this TikTok.
https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMeSXrVrW/
I think the set-up and the allegory the story told was interesting, and I understand what it was trying to do. I think Reid has a great grasp on creepy storytelling. I was genuinely creeped out particularly at the parents’ house. However, I think Reid’s style of mansplaining philosophy got old quickly and took me out of the story too much. I lost sight of the allegory and merely became irritated with the characters.
I’ll watch the Netflix adaptation because I think this story is actually well suited for a film, but I don’t think I’ll pick anything else up from Reid.
Edit: Just watched the Netflix adaption. I was wrong, the movie was somehow worse.
I know the relationship isn’t the point of the book (nor is it it really even real) but the heterosexual nonsense in this book just reminds me of this TikTok.
https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMeSXrVrW/
serenierosie's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-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? Yes
4.5