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bearystarry's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Overall this was Fine for me. The characters are very trope-y and the plot is pretty typical.
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Gun violence, Alcoholism, Animal death, Confinement, Grief, Car accident, Death, Drug abuse, Suicide, Vomit, Murder, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Ableism, Addiction, Alcohol, and Cursing
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Cancer, and Sexual content
Minor: Domestic abuse and Abandonment
lavenderbtcpodcast's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Confinement, Gun violence, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Vomit, Murder, Terminal illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Suicide, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Animal cruelty, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Gore, Sexual content, Grief, Alcoholism, Blood, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Addiction, Animal death, Drug use, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Stalking, Torture, and Toxic relationship
skillyillian's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
The plot isn't bad, the writing is fine, but some stuff was oddly specific while other things were extremely vague. Every time music was playing, it was listed by specific songs, albums, and artists. Which is fine, other than it being the same 5-10 artists no matter who was playing music or where. But there were almost no actual character descriptions? Like we know Tom has a beard, but not his hair color? The best description we got of the murder victim was when her mother saw a missing persons poster at a liquor store, and it just said "hair: brown" etc and that was it. We know almost nothing about what these people look like.
It became clear pretty early on where the story was going and what had happened to Megan, but I don't think the author was going for some big, surprise plot twist anyway.
One thing I found odd was the way the POVs switched. Another reviewer said it would've been easier to divide the POVs into their own chapters, and I agree. Having eight long chapters feels unnecessary when you're switching characters every few pages. Another thing I found odd was that it was almost impossible at times to tell how much time had passed, or what day it was. For example:
Early on, Tom thinks Kevin Strand killed Megan, and after we hear about Kevin, it cuts to a summary of Kevin's career as a serial killer? And says something like "he would be executed x amount of time later" but why tell us Kevin's future? It would make more sense to let the reader wonder if it was Kevin, without us knowing what happens to him until later. Even then, I don't think Kevin's fate is relevant. We learn later when Tom interviews him that he's on death row and set to die, so why specify earlier? I feel like that could've been cut. But anyway, after that, we go back to another pov, and then back to Kevin, but it's Kevin's past, where he was burning a purse. Like, I guess, but?? Why in the past? And why not clarify that was in the past? We just had to use context clues to realize it was before Kevin was caught.
Anyway, overall this is fine? Not my favorite, the story didn't feel like it flowed super well. Minor details were very specific while important things were left too vague. Some things could've been taken out but they didn't necessarily ruin the story? But yeah, not my favorite.
Graphic: Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Addiction, Alcohol, Cursing, Violence, Self harm, Blood, Gun violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual violence
Minor: Animal cruelty, Infidelity, Sexual content, and Animal death