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avidreaderandgeekgirl's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This book was pretty depressing I'll be honest, but at least with a semi-hopeful ending. I didn't see the murder coming. It was a good book overall. Just very dark.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Mental illness, Blood, Death, Murder, Medical content, Alcohol, and Self harm
Moderate: Lesbophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Car accident, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Addiction and Vomit
debussy's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
This was a mostly solid mystery until that unacceptable resolution. It makes sense from a standpoint that the MC and most of the rest of the characters are selfish and entitled rich people, but from a story standpoint it’s unsatisfying and feels like the author and book simply gave up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Alcohol, Blood, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, and Murder
Minor: Car accident and Drug use
bookish_paws's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
A dark YA thriller by Rebecca Barrow that follows the story of Luca Laine Thomas as she investigates the murder of her sister, Whitney.
A playground for the rich, wealthy and elite, Parris Island is an idyllic paradise, until you dig away at its history and find a string of unsolved murders - all involving young women. Luca believes that the island is cursed, and that if she doesn't solve her sister's murder, then she will be next.
If you're looking for a book to get you out of a reading slump over summer, then Bad Things Happen Here is the perfect read for you. With short, snappy chapters, you'll find yourself hooked in no time as you join Luca in her investigation. An incredibly addictive read, this book will leave you trying to connect the dots and you won't want to stop reading until you find out who the real murderer is.
My favourite thing about the book? The portrayal of mental health themes. Barrow doesn't hide Luca's mental health, with each chapter revealing just a little bit more about her depression and intrusive thoughts as she tries to process her grief. There's no sugar-coating here; it's all incredibly realistic and honest, and as someone who struggles with my own mental health, I found it refreshing to read a book that is so truthful in its portrayal of mental health themes.
A playground for the rich, wealthy and elite, Parris Island is an idyllic paradise, until you dig away at its history and find a string of unsolved murders - all involving young women. Luca believes that the island is cursed, and that if she doesn't solve her sister's murder, then she will be next.
If you're looking for a book to get you out of a reading slump over summer, then Bad Things Happen Here is the perfect read for you. With short, snappy chapters, you'll find yourself hooked in no time as you join Luca in her investigation. An incredibly addictive read, this book will leave you trying to connect the dots and you won't want to stop reading until you find out who the real murderer is.
My favourite thing about the book? The portrayal of mental health themes. Barrow doesn't hide Luca's mental health, with each chapter revealing just a little bit more about her depression and intrusive thoughts as she tries to process her grief. There's no sugar-coating here; it's all incredibly realistic and honest, and as someone who struggles with my own mental health, I found it refreshing to read a book that is so truthful in its portrayal of mental health themes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Death, Murder, Grief, Mental illness, and Sexual content
Moderate: Alcohol, Blood, Drug use, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Classism
sadiefc's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Blood, Cursing, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Mental illness
Moderate: Fatphobia, Alcohol, Car accident, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Sexual content
snowwhitehatesapples's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Review can also be found at Snow White Hates Apples.
Bad Things Happen Here is set in Parris, an island where the people living on it are well off and everything appears idyllic and perfect. However, the island is also ‘cursed’ as now and then, young women would die and the truth of their deaths never discovered. We follow Luca who is trying her best to heal from the mysterious death of her best friend, Polly, only for the ‘curse’ to suddenly claim her sister. Unwilling to let the police mark another beloved’s death as unsolved, Luca takes things into her own hands and does her best to solve her sister’s murder.
The main thing I liked about this book is the great representation. Luca is BIPOC, plus-sized and queer while Naomi, her love interest, is Asian. I also really liked the way some stereotypes were subverted. It made the characters more compelling and gave them depth that was crucial in making them more than just archetypes.
Unfortunately, despite the solid characters and the good twists, the final quarter of the book was a major let down. Though I liked that the story came to a full-circle at the end, the parts leading up to the ending lacked common sense to me. Sure, I get that Luca needed to get away from the place and that it would be pointless trying to reveal the truths, but to just up and leave without telling her parents? Her parents—both whom not long ago just buried their eldest child who was murdered, and then, witnessed the aftermath of their other child surviving another murder, only for said kid to vanish? That’s disgusting, unnecessary, selfish behavior that causes endless worry and panic to others.
But then again, it’s pretty on-brand for Luca because she is selfish. Despite her self-awareness regarding how privileged she is and the discrimination she has faced, Luca remains the same as her fellow privileged peers. Meaning: what she wants, she gets. If she wants to be bitchy, she can. Do your feelings matter to her? No, not really most of the time, because she comes first for herself. On one hand, I love that part of her. I like that she knows herself well and that she stands firmly with her own beliefs, opinions, etc. On the other hand, when it comes to situations like the one with her parents, that ‘putting herself first’ aspect just dives right into selfish category. It put a shine on Luca’s immaturity, which I guess, fits her character.
Anyway, everything considered, Bad Things Happen Here is an alright book that could’ve been better had it not been for the way it ended. If you’re a fan of We Were Liarsby E. Lockhart or The Great Goddenby Meg Rosoff, you might love this one too.
Bad Things Happen Here is set in Parris, an island where the people living on it are well off and everything appears idyllic and perfect. However, the island is also ‘cursed’ as now and then, young women would die and the truth of their deaths never discovered. We follow Luca who is trying her best to heal from the mysterious death of her best friend, Polly, only for the ‘curse’ to suddenly claim her sister. Unwilling to let the police mark another beloved’s death as unsolved, Luca takes things into her own hands and does her best to solve her sister’s murder.
The main thing I liked about this book is the great representation. Luca is BIPOC, plus-sized and queer while Naomi, her love interest, is Asian. I also really liked the way some stereotypes were subverted. It made the characters more compelling and gave them depth that was crucial in making them more than just archetypes.
Unfortunately, despite the solid characters and the good twists, the final quarter of the book was a major let down. Though I liked that the story came to a full-circle at the end, the parts leading up to the ending lacked common sense to me. Sure, I get that Luca needed to get away from the place and that it would be pointless trying to reveal the truths, but to just up and leave without telling her parents? Her parents—both whom not long ago just buried their eldest child who was murdered, and then, witnessed the aftermath of their other child surviving another murder, only for said kid to vanish? That’s disgusting, unnecessary, selfish behavior that causes endless worry and panic to others.
But then again, it’s pretty on-brand for Luca because she is selfish. Despite her self-awareness regarding how privileged she is and the discrimination she has faced, Luca remains the same as her fellow privileged peers. Meaning: what she wants, she gets. If she wants to be bitchy, she can. Do your feelings matter to her? No, not really most of the time, because she comes first for herself. On one hand, I love that part of her. I like that she knows herself well and that she stands firmly with her own beliefs, opinions, etc. On the other hand, when it comes to situations like the one with her parents, that ‘putting herself first’ aspect just dives right into selfish category. It put a shine on Luca’s immaturity, which I guess, fits her character.
Anyway, everything considered, Bad Things Happen Here is an alright book that could’ve been better had it not been for the way it ended. If you’re a fan of We Were Liarsby E. Lockhart or The Great Goddenby Meg Rosoff, you might love this one too.
Thank you so much Pansing for sending me a copy of this in exchange for an honest review! Bad Things Happen Here by Rebecca Barrow will be available at all good bookstores.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Grief, Mental illness, and Murder
Minor: Drug use, Toxic friendship, Addiction, Alcohol, Blood, Classism, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship
hayleygray's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
[Thank you to Bonnier Books UK & NetGalley for sending me a digital proof of this book before the publication date!]
This book had intrigued me from the start: murder mystery, curses, female friendships, and diverse characters. Overall, I really enjoyed this story and the progression of investigating alongside Luca about what happened to the women of Parris. It was a fast read and I felt very engrossed in the majority of it. However, I think the plot twist wasn’t surprising enough – I had guessed what had happened pretty early-on in the story and I was hoping that I was wrong and would be shocked at a surprising reveal. But, it felt anti-climactic with quite a few plot twists that ultimately didn’t add up to anything super shocking.
However, the ending did help bring me back around to liking this book more as Luca finally feels free and powerful. But, I just think it needed a little bit more of something to make it a great read, instead of a good one.
This book had intrigued me from the start: murder mystery, curses, female friendships, and diverse characters. Overall, I really enjoyed this story and the progression of investigating alongside Luca about what happened to the women of Parris. It was a fast read and I felt very engrossed in the majority of it. However, I think the plot twist wasn’t surprising enough – I had guessed what had happened pretty early-on in the story and I was hoping that I was wrong and would be shocked at a surprising reveal. But, it felt anti-climactic with quite a few plot twists that ultimately didn’t add up to anything super shocking.
However, the ending did help bring me back around to liking this book more as Luca finally feels free and powerful. But, I just think it needed a little bit more of something to make it a great read, instead of a good one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Body horror, Murder, and Self harm
Moderate: Classism, Addiction, and Alcoholism
onceuponabookcase's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I was sent this proof for free by Hot Key Books for the purposes of providing an honest review.
Bad Things Happen Here by Rebecca Barrow was one of my most highly anticipated novels of 2022, and I've been so excited to read it! But while it was an interesting story, I found that I didn't really enjoy it overall.
Luca lives in Parris, a idyllic island, where the weather is always gorgeous, and the people wealthy. It should be a beautiful place to live, but Parris' has it's darkness. She has been haunted by the death of her best friend Polly four years ago. It was written off as an accident, but Luca knows there was more to it than that, and struggles with the fact that it wasn't properly investigated. Just like the deaths of other girls in Parris'. There has always been a morbid joke that the island is cursed, but Luca has always thought that it might be true. It hurts even more when, after four years, people move into Polly's house, but Luca is somewhat distracted by her pain by Naomi, the daughter of the family moving in. Luca can't stop thinking about her, but soon it's not quite distraction enough when her older sister Whitney is murdered. Weighed down by even more grief, Luca's belief in the curse is strengthened, and she's determined to figure out what happened to Whitney, not just for closure, but so she knows what not to do, to stop the curse coming from her.
I found it really interesting what Bad Things Happen Here has to say about the interest in true crime. It doesn't take long before Whitney's murder becomes the thing people gossip about. Luca and Whitney were extremely close, but as things are revealed that Whitney kept from her, and others hear about it, the gossip begins. There's a horrifying excitement as others talk about Whitney and her murder, and it's pretty disgusting. It becomes more obvious when Luca is briefly considered a suspect, and the talk switches to her. It's odd, because the island is relatively small, everyone knows everyone, but still there's this thrill from it all. It's just awful; I kept thinking, "This is someone you know! And she didn't just die, she was killed! How can you talk like this?!" It really made me uncomfortable.
Barrow also takes a look at privilege that was really fascinating. It looks at privilege in general, and how privilege breeds discrimination against those who don't tick the right boxes, even if they pretend like they're not prejudiced. Luca is Black, fat, and has a mental illness, and sees very clearly who she must be to avoid judgement. But it also looks at the privilege of those who have money, and the entitlement that comes with it. When you have the money to get anything you want, you start to believe that you deserve anything you want, and people should do - or not do - things you demand. It's all quite subtle, but it's really obvious, and it's actually quite shocking.
However, I just wasn't really a fan of the story as a whole. I didn't really understand Luca's fixation with the curse; this is a thriller, not a fantasy, so I didn't really understand the purpose of it. At first I thought it might be related to her mental health, but both seem to be almost separated as the story continues, and so I didn't really get it. There's also the fact that I thought Bad Things Happen Here was really slow. It's a very quick read, and you fly through it quite easily, but for all that, I expected more to happen. I just didn't feel there was the right vibe for a thriller, I was never on the edge of my seat, and I just honestly couldn't get behind Luca's theories. It didn't seem to take very much for Luca to suspect someone. Time moves quite quickly, weeks go by in a matter of pages, so it was also difficult to feel the romance, because Luca and Naomi seemed to get close very quickly, and we never really got to see their relationship develop. And I just didn't like Luca; she doesn't treat people very well, she's impulsive and makes silly decisions and mistakes, and I just didn't warm to her. But that in and of itself isn't a problem; I'm not someone who has a problem with unlikable characters. But with everything else, there wasn't much I liked about it.
I wasn't completely surprised by the reveal, but I was surprised by the ending. I didn't expect it at all. Initially, I was really annoyed by it; it's not the conclusion I wanted. But it's actually quite a clever ending, and makes sense alongside what Bad Things Happen Here has to say. It's a little look at fiction versus real life; what you, as a reader, want, and what is actually realistic. It's a fascinating and thoughtprovoking ending, as is the story as a whole. But I can't say it was a book I enjoyed reading.
Thank you to Hot Key Books for the proof.
Luca lives in Parris, a idyllic island, where the weather is always gorgeous, and the people wealthy. It should be a beautiful place to live, but Parris' has it's darkness. She has been haunted by the death of her best friend Polly four years ago. It was written off as an accident, but Luca knows there was more to it than that, and struggles with the fact that it wasn't properly investigated. Just like the deaths of other girls in Parris'. There has always been a morbid joke that the island is cursed, but Luca has always thought that it might be true. It hurts even more when, after four years, people move into Polly's house, but Luca is somewhat distracted by her pain by Naomi, the daughter of the family moving in. Luca can't stop thinking about her, but soon it's not quite distraction enough when her older sister Whitney is murdered. Weighed down by even more grief, Luca's belief in the curse is strengthened, and she's determined to figure out what happened to Whitney, not just for closure, but so she knows what not to do, to stop the curse coming from her.
I found it really interesting what Bad Things Happen Here has to say about the interest in true crime. It doesn't take long before Whitney's murder becomes the thing people gossip about. Luca and Whitney were extremely close, but as things are revealed that Whitney kept from her, and others hear about it, the gossip begins. There's a horrifying excitement as others talk about Whitney and her murder, and it's pretty disgusting. It becomes more obvious when Luca is briefly considered a suspect, and the talk switches to her. It's odd, because the island is relatively small, everyone knows everyone, but still there's this thrill from it all. It's just awful; I kept thinking, "This is someone you know! And she didn't just die, she was killed! How can you talk like this?!" It really made me uncomfortable.
Barrow also takes a look at privilege that was really fascinating. It looks at privilege in general, and how privilege breeds discrimination against those who don't tick the right boxes, even if they pretend like they're not prejudiced. Luca is Black, fat, and has a mental illness, and sees very clearly who she must be to avoid judgement. But it also looks at the privilege of those who have money, and the entitlement that comes with it. When you have the money to get anything you want, you start to believe that you deserve anything you want, and people should do - or not do - things you demand. It's all quite subtle, but it's really obvious, and it's actually quite shocking.
However, I just wasn't really a fan of the story as a whole. I didn't really understand Luca's fixation with the curse; this is a thriller, not a fantasy, so I didn't really understand the purpose of it. At first I thought it might be related to her mental health, but both seem to be almost separated as the story continues, and so I didn't really get it. There's also the fact that I thought Bad Things Happen Here was really slow. It's a very quick read, and you fly through it quite easily, but for all that, I expected more to happen. I just didn't feel there was the right vibe for a thriller, I was never on the edge of my seat, and I just honestly couldn't get behind Luca's theories. It didn't seem to take very much for Luca to suspect someone. Time moves quite quickly, weeks go by in a matter of pages, so it was also difficult to feel the romance, because Luca and Naomi seemed to get close very quickly, and we never really got to see their relationship develop. And I just didn't like Luca; she doesn't treat people very well, she's impulsive and makes silly decisions and mistakes, and I just didn't warm to her. But that in and of itself isn't a problem; I'm not someone who has a problem with unlikable characters. But with everything else, there wasn't much I liked about it.
I wasn't completely surprised by the reveal, but I was surprised by the ending. I didn't expect it at all. Initially, I was really annoyed by it; it's not the conclusion I wanted. But it's actually quite a clever ending, and makes sense alongside what Bad Things Happen Here has to say. It's a little look at fiction versus real life; what you, as a reader, want, and what is actually realistic. It's a fascinating and thoughtprovoking ending, as is the story as a whole. But I can't say it was a book I enjoyed reading.
Thank you to Hot Key Books for the proof.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, and Self harm
Minor: Drug use, Fatphobia, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Vomit, and Rape
This book features depression, masturbation, reference to arson, reference to someone burning alive, a corpse, and reference to discrimination of those with mental illness.
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