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3.06 AVERAGE
3.06 AVERAGE
challenging
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I received this book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Going into this book, it sounded right up my alley! Suspense! A desolate summer camp, full of secrets and intrigue! Murder! Four girls with complicated pasts! Lesbians! I was down.
Unfortunately, The Girls from Hush Cabin didn't deliver for me, and I think it was mainly because of the way the story is structured. Most of the book takes place over the span of a couple of days, with four former cabin-mates reconvening after the death of their camp counsellor Violet. They all have differing feelings about Violet but one thing is clear - she had a lot of power over them. They immediately suspect that she was murdered and decide - for no reason, really - to try and solve the case.
Cue them royally screwing everything up. All the time. Although they have very distinct personalities, none of the girls really rang true for me. I didn't get the sense that real people would ever act the way they did. I get that this is YA and maybe I'm just too far from that age to really understand what they're going through or what their motivations would be...
The real issue though, imo, is that the story is based around "the girls from hush cabin" but we rarely, if ever, get to ... go to Hush Cabin and Camp Bellwood. Summer camps are inherently creepy. Just ask the horror genre. Flashback chapters would have GREATLY improved this book. Not only would it have given us a window into Violet's behaviour, but we could have seen how much the girls have "changed", since we keep getting told they've changed. The juxtaposition between four innocent girls and the damaged almost-women they become would have been jarring and lovely, and I think upped the stakes and tension.
In the end, I just didn't care about the mystery and thought the ending was rushed and haphazard. I couldn't tell any of the dudes apart. Mostly, I felt this book could use a careful and thorough edit to assist with structure and pacing. With that help, I think it could make a decent Pretty Little Liars young adult series.
Thanks again to NetGalley and the Publisher!
Going into this book, it sounded right up my alley! Suspense! A desolate summer camp, full of secrets and intrigue! Murder! Four girls with complicated pasts! Lesbians! I was down.
Unfortunately, The Girls from Hush Cabin didn't deliver for me, and I think it was mainly because of the way the story is structured. Most of the book takes place over the span of a couple of days, with four former cabin-mates reconvening after the death of their camp counsellor Violet. They all have differing feelings about Violet but one thing is clear - she had a lot of power over them. They immediately suspect that she was murdered and decide - for no reason, really - to try and solve the case.
Cue them royally screwing everything up. All the time. Although they have very distinct personalities, none of the girls really rang true for me. I didn't get the sense that real people would ever act the way they did.
Spoiler
They were also very abusive toward Holly and this was completely excused and swept under the rug. Denise was on the verge of a breakdown for 99% of the book and none of them seem to actually pick up on it. Just... odd. You know?The real issue though, imo, is that the story is based around "the girls from hush cabin" but we rarely, if ever, get to ... go to Hush Cabin and Camp Bellwood. Summer camps are inherently creepy. Just ask the horror genre. Flashback chapters would have GREATLY improved this book. Not only would it have given us a window into Violet's behaviour, but we could have seen how much the girls have "changed", since we keep getting told they've changed. The juxtaposition between four innocent girls and the damaged almost-women they become would have been jarring and lovely, and I think upped the stakes and tension.
In the end, I just didn't care about the mystery and thought the ending was rushed and haphazard. I couldn't tell any of the dudes apart. Mostly, I felt this book could use a careful and thorough edit to assist with structure and pacing. With that help, I think it could make a decent Pretty Little Liars young adult series.
Thanks again to NetGalley and the Publisher!
This book is obviously made for a younger audience. For me, it was overly clichéd and cringey at times. I can see that it's a good YA book, just for the low-medium side of YA.
I also don't see why any of the girls idolized and loved Violet. I could find no explanation other than she's pretty and confident. To me, she just seems manipulative, cruel, and driven by grief. I just wonder why any of the girls would attend her funeral, especially after four years.
I also don't see why any of the girls idolized and loved Violet. I could find no explanation other than she's pretty and confident. To me, she just seems manipulative, cruel, and driven by grief. I just wonder why any of the girls would attend her funeral, especially after four years.
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I found this to be a great-paced mystery YA novel. While I thought this book to be more of a personal 3-star book I would more appropriately rate this as 4 stars or more when taking into account the content as well as the age this book is targeted for. I liked the use of multiple perspectives to spread out information but I will say at times I was lost at whose point of view I was reading. Overall I think this book is worth the buy, especially for a slightly younger audience who likes novels with more modern-day slang used.
