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awoodenbird's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
5.0
trashkingmax's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-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
3.75
Beck (the main character) has a sister named Riley that she drags along to investigate a weird, small town in AZ in order to try to piece together the story their mother was trying to write before her death, mostly by trying to figure out why she was so obsessed with said town. Riley doesn't actually want to be there. Riley is the only character that I personally found likeable, and she spends most of the book in the camper that the sisters are renting, offscreen.
I think the pacing of the book is pretty decent, but Beck gets handed the idiot ball more often than not. I don't know if this is supposed to keep the audience from piecing the mystery together ourselves or to build tension or just to make us feel smarter than the teenage main character. What it did for me was act as an exercise in frustration.
The relationship between the sisters also doesn't feel organic at all. It definitely doesn't feel like it was written by someone who has siblings.
I think the pacing of the book is pretty decent, but Beck gets handed the idiot ball more often than not. I don't know if this is supposed to keep the audience from piecing the mystery together ourselves or to build tension or just to make us feel smarter than the teenage main character. What it did for me was act as an exercise in frustration.
The relationship between the sisters also doesn't feel organic at all. It definitely doesn't feel like it was written by someone who has siblings.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Animal death, Abandonment, Death of parent, and Mental illness
Moderate: Gaslighting, Cancer, and Confinement
zickcantkill's review
adventurous
reflective
sad
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
4.0
izzys_internet_bookshelf's review against another edition
3.0
3.5/5
Really enjoyed this book! Ugh man I loved the vibe it had and the mystery. For me it didn’t really seem like a thriller because I was so into it.
Really enjoyed this book! Ugh man I loved the vibe it had and the mystery. For me it didn’t really seem like a thriller because I was so into it.
marieintheraw's review against another edition
5.0
I legitimately cannot tell which of Courtney Gould's books that I like more at this point. A master of setting and making interesting characters already for sure!
I received an ecopy of this book through Netgalley; however, my opinions are my own
I received an ecopy of this book through Netgalley; however, my opinions are my own
ellehawk's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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? Yes
3.0
I had a hard time with this one. I really like Courtney Gould's style of writing and the way she creates characters, but this whole book had me confused. I understand that the author wanted us to be confused, to reflect the main character's confusion throughout the story, but I didn't really know what was going on throughout the whole thing and it made me care less about the characters than I should have. Even though this one was a bit of a dud in my opinion, I am looking forward to her next book!
morguebooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
scatteringashes's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.5
karleighreads's review against another edition
3.0
Thank you for netgalley for an arc of this story.
Courtney Gould does very well writing Sapphic characters and giving those subtle hints at interest or flirting and I love that about her books. I do find them confusing, this is the second book I've read of hers and the first one I was confused even after the ending. This one panned out with a bit more explanation but I know the twists before they happened. All in all this was a quick, good read and I did enjoy it even with the confusion.
Courtney Gould does very well writing Sapphic characters and giving those subtle hints at interest or flirting and I love that about her books. I do find them confusing, this is the second book I've read of hers and the first one I was confused even after the ending. This one panned out with a bit more explanation but I know the twists before they happened. All in all this was a quick, good read and I did enjoy it even with the confusion.