Scan barcode
cammieo's review against another edition
3.0
I really don't expect much out of the ghost writer but for some reason I cannot stop reading all of the books that come out in VC Andrews' name. Honestly my biggest complaint with this book (given that I did not expect much) was the reuse of the name Clara Sue. It's not too much to ask for original names for the main characters.
hisghoulfriday's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.25
I'm going to save you 9 hours and 46 minutes of your time by summing this up in one sentence:
Not-so-secret brother gets taken in by a wealthy family, and continues to stare ominously at whiny teenage girl.
That's it, that's the entire book. All. 9. Hours. Of course, other things happen in the book. The whiny teenage girl goes on dates and whatnot but it's not relevant to the Dollanganger series. At all. It's been the most pointless book of the series so far. The last three books I've read have been so boring that I've started to actually miss V.C. Andrews' soap opera style of writing.
The story would have been so much more interesting if it was written from not-so-secret brother's POV instead of whiny teenager. We could've gotten a better insight into what's going on inside his head instead of just being told that he's staring at whiny teenager.
The narrator at least did a decent job of telling the story, and I'm extremely grateful that the library had a copy of this readily available.
Not-so-secret brother gets taken in by a wealthy family, and continues to stare ominously at whiny teenage girl.
That's it, that's the entire book. All. 9. Hours. Of course, other things happen in the book. The whiny teenage girl goes on dates and whatnot but it's not relevant to the Dollanganger series. At all. It's been the most pointless book of the series so far. The last three books I've read have been so boring that I've started to actually miss V.C. Andrews' soap opera style of writing.
The story would have been so much more interesting if it was written from not-so-secret brother's POV instead of whiny teenager. We could've gotten a better insight into what's going on inside his head instead of just being told that he's staring at whiny teenager.
The narrator at least did a decent job of telling the story, and I'm extremely grateful that the library had a copy of this readily available.
ckreads28's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I did like the plot twist that this book took as to what happened to Mickey. I also loved seeing a family coming together after loss especially the holiday scene.
shannon_booklady77's review against another edition
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
1.75
Similar to previous reviews. Clara Sue is whiney, I mean, I get it. But this should have been told from Cory's perspective. Or at least every other chapter.
mokey81's review against another edition
1.0
I don't typically give 1 star. Especially since the writing in this book was at least passable. But I felt duped, and I'm annoyed, so I'm lashing out with a 1 star rating.
This book served NO purpose. The entirety of the book, I was asking myself where it was going. What was going to happen. It just didn't go ANYwhere. If indeed this book needed to exist, it could have been a novella wrapped up in less than 100 pages. The plot of this book was completely covered in the previous book.
At the end of book two, they discover who was buying the Foxworth property and restoring it. This book was theoretically doing to be about that person. Nope. I just...I'm sorry if this review isn't making any sense. It is hard to talk about a book that had absolutely NO substance to the overall story.
I'm annoyed that I wasted so much time on it, but I kept telling myself surely something relevant would happen. Ha!
Do NOT waste your time on this terrible book. IF you are looking for a story to grow and develop, you will be deeply disappointed. It adds nothing to the universe most of us love. Waste of a book, and I don't believe I will be picking up another V.C. Andrews book even if it alludes to my favorite Doll family.
This book served NO purpose. The entirety of the book, I was asking myself where it was going. What was going to happen. It just didn't go ANYwhere. If indeed this book needed to exist, it could have been a novella wrapped up in less than 100 pages. The plot of this book was completely covered in the previous book.
At the end of book two, they discover who was buying the Foxworth property and restoring it. This book was theoretically doing to be about that person. Nope. I just...I'm sorry if this review isn't making any sense. It is hard to talk about a book that had absolutely NO substance to the overall story.
I'm annoyed that I wasted so much time on it, but I kept telling myself surely something relevant would happen. Ha!
Do NOT waste your time on this terrible book. IF you are looking for a story to grow and develop, you will be deeply disappointed. It adds nothing to the universe most of us love. Waste of a book, and I don't believe I will be picking up another V.C. Andrews book even if it alludes to my favorite Doll family.
shalanna's review against another edition
1.0
Horribly written. Didn't have hardly anything to do with Cory. Several storyline mistakes too. On one page Clara Sue says she's in 10 grade, yet a few chapters later it says she's in 11th grade.
frankiehw's review against another edition
dark
emotional
slow-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? No
2.0
kellytopia1013's review against another edition
2.0
This book was incredibly frustrating.
I love the Dollanghanger series and I was excited to see how Cory's story might continue. But since this book is 369 pages of Clara Sue bitching and repeatedly thinking the same thoughts time and again, I feel cheated. This didn't have to be part of the series at all, it could have been any child they happened upon in the hospital and it wouldn't have changed this story at all.
The story I was promised didn't happen. It wasn't badly written, it just wasn't about Cory. I was hoping at least in the epilogue they'd tell us how he grew or if he ever saw his siblings again. Or how Corrine's therapist knew where he was for Kristin and Kane I bring him the diary. Something. But sadly it didn't deliver even that.
Aside from that disappointment, there's Clara Sue's relationship with Aaron. She pushed him away and then acted like they broke up because all he wanted was sex. While that probably would have happened, the guy was there for her when she needed him so I feel like that could have ended more naturally not just abruptly like it did.
I'm just really disappointed.
I love the Dollanghanger series and I was excited to see how Cory's story might continue. But since this book is 369 pages of Clara Sue bitching and repeatedly thinking the same thoughts time and again, I feel cheated. This didn't have to be part of the series at all, it could have been any child they happened upon in the hospital and it wouldn't have changed this story at all.
The story I was promised didn't happen. It wasn't badly written, it just wasn't about Cory. I was hoping at least in the epilogue they'd tell us how he grew or if he ever saw his siblings again. Or how Corrine's therapist knew where he was for Kristin and Kane I bring him the diary. Something. But sadly it didn't deliver even that.
Aside from that disappointment, there's Clara Sue's relationship with Aaron. She pushed him away and then acted like they broke up because all he wanted was sex. While that probably would have happened, the guy was there for her when she needed him so I feel like that could have ended more naturally not just abruptly like it did.
I'm just really disappointed.