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sheriffrockyraccoon's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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
2.0
SPOILERS AHEAD
I don’t even know where to start. Maybe the good stuff?
I loved Verona’s writing. She absolutely has a strong voice and creates a compelling world to write in. I loved how she described everyday suburbia and created unnerving visuals through the mundane. While I am so-so on putting lots of nostalgic references in books, it is still fun to read about a kid enjoying a Fruit Roll-up!
That being said, this book was frustrating. It was absolutely a mistake to make this story non-linear. It absolutely ruined the pacing and, in my opinion, made the twists and reveals obvious instead of exciting. Honestly, there were multiple points I was rooting for Amy to die just because I couldn’t stand her. Her character was very contradictory- she’s “shy and non-confrontational” according to her own narration and yet she takes every opportunity to cuss out her boyfriend and his brother. It makes her final scenes of actually doing something to stand up for herself and the kids become less poignant. Side note: it also drove me crazy that they didn’t get the hell out of that house when THE MAN WITH A RESTRAINING ORDER SHOWED UP? Maybe this is playing into how slashers always have dumb characters but honestly, it was ridiculous.
I should also add that Verona repeatedly goes over the same irrelevant information every 4 chapters. In case you forgot who Amy’s cousins were or that Amy has panic attacks. It almost felt like no one had read the novel before it was published or were trying to keep it at a certain word count. It was odd.
I will end on another good note I remembered about this book: Ben is absolutely adorable and I wish he had narrated the entire story. If this was a slasher story told from a child’s POV, it would have been much more interesting.
I don’t even know where to start. Maybe the good stuff?
I loved Verona’s writing. She absolutely has a strong voice and creates a compelling world to write in. I loved how she described everyday suburbia and created unnerving visuals through the mundane. While I am so-so on putting lots of nostalgic references in books, it is still fun to read about a kid enjoying a Fruit Roll-up!
That being said, this book was frustrating. It was absolutely a mistake to make this story non-linear. It absolutely ruined the pacing and, in my opinion, made the twists and reveals obvious instead of exciting. Honestly, there were multiple points I was rooting for Amy to die just because I couldn’t stand her. Her character was very contradictory- she’s “shy and non-confrontational” according to her own narration and yet she takes every opportunity to cuss out her boyfriend and his brother. It makes her final scenes of actually doing something to stand up for herself and the kids become less poignant. Side note: it also drove me crazy that they didn’t get the hell out of that house when THE MAN WITH A RESTRAINING ORDER SHOWED UP? Maybe this is playing into how slashers always have dumb characters but honestly, it was ridiculous.
I should also add that Verona repeatedly goes over the same irrelevant information every 4 chapters. In case you forgot who Amy’s cousins were or that Amy has panic attacks. It almost felt like no one had read the novel before it was published or were trying to keep it at a certain word count. It was odd.
I will end on another good note I remembered about this book: Ben is absolutely adorable and I wish he had narrated the entire story. If this was a slasher story told from a child’s POV, it would have been much more interesting.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body shaming, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, and Stalking
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Cursing, Child abuse, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Homophobia
maryhungerford's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Domestic abuse
bookishchaos's review
dark
mysterious
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
2.5
I was expecting some kind of crazy plot twist but no, the story ends with zero explaintion as to what happened. The time jumps were confusing at first but I got used to it. This book is full of plot holes, like why does our 17-18 year old main character think like a 30 year old? And wtf was that ending? What was the purpose of Sadie trying to unalive Amy? None of the flashblacks implied that she was unstable, just lively and a bit reckless. It would've been a really cool twist if Sadie was just a figment of Amy's imagination.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Blood, and Violence
Moderate: Child abuse
Minor: Bullying and Domestic abuse
nicolesbookreviews's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Gore, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, and Murder
acetheticallyy's review
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
def a love letter to the babysitter horror trope and I adore it for its reverence. the characters had so much life and intrigue packed into such a short page count, you have no choice but to root for them from the beginning
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Blood
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