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uranaishi's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Police brutality, Murder, Violence, Death, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cursing, Excrement, Sexual harassment, Confinement, Alcohol, Bullying, Medical content, Classism, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Car accident, Grief, Kidnapping, Abandonment, Drug use, Gun violence, Toxic friendship, and Vomit
readingundertheradar's review against another edition
4.0
Really great mystery novel with a main character who was flawed, a bit self-centered, and trying to find meaning in her life, which I greatly appreciated. She had privilege and recognized it at times while forgetting it others, making her a very realistic protagonist. Excited to read more of her adventures. (Bonus: a detective character that didn't romanticize police officers and had many characters skeptical of organized security.)
Content Warnings
CWs: death of child by car accident (off page, minor story told once); description of dead body in detail; endangerment of young autistic person (19-20 year old, put in dangerous situation and used as collateral by antagonist)
alternate_endings's review
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
melissa_who_reads's review
5.0
Very much enjoyed this book - though the narrator kept getting herself into situations that you could see coming a mile away were a bad idea (you felt like you were in a movie theater yelling at the screen "don't split up! don't go into that basement!") which was weirdly tense and would make me put down the book only to pick it up again and find the tenseness a) isn't dragged out unbearably and b) doesn't lead to anything truly awful until the climatic scene .... Katie loses a friend, gains another, and maybe gains another. Loved her neurodivergent family, especially her brother. Something was very true about their sibling interactions, and that was lovely.
hannavos18's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
atgerstner's review
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
It’s a fun mystery and I’m excited to read the next one.
harborwriter's review
4.0
A mystery with Tarot influences sounded exactly like my thing, and Play the Fool did not disappoint. Katie True, our protagonist, is a walking ball of chaos on a path to solve the mystery of how the best friend she didn't actually know that well died. I wasn't sure whether to scream at her for her recklessness or to cheer for her bad decisions, knowing they would end up pushing the mystery along.
This ended up being a lot lighter in tone than I expected from a murder mystery--at times veering towards slapstick. The Tarot influences were both more and less prevalent than I expected. Tarot was a large part of Katie's personality and how she processes the world, but it didn't play much role in the actual mystery. I appreciated that the author is clearly familiar with Tarot and didn't just throw in a few references for the vibe.
I'm not sure how to feel about Katie's brother, Owen. I believe he was coded as autistic, and at times his character felt a bit like a caricature. I hope that this particular character had a sensitivity reader.
This ended up being a lot lighter in tone than I expected from a murder mystery--at times veering towards slapstick. The Tarot influences were both more and less prevalent than I expected. Tarot was a large part of Katie's personality and how she processes the world, but it didn't play much role in the actual mystery. I appreciated that the author is clearly familiar with Tarot and didn't just throw in a few references for the vibe.
I'm not sure how to feel about Katie's brother, Owen. I believe he was coded as autistic, and at times his character felt a bit like a caricature. I hope that this particular character had a sensitivity reader.
kelseylian's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Enjoyed this one a lot, nothing super memorable but an extremely fun fun read