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nrogers_1030's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
I’m pleasantly surprised by how many twists & turns are in this novel (after reading The Night Shift)— I literally gave up on trying to figure out the guilty party. I enjoyed this book much much more!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Cursing, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Violence, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, Death of parent, Grief, and Death
Moderate: Dementia and Infidelity
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Confinement, Pregnancy, Incest, Vomit, Bullying, Racial slurs, Kidnapping, Police brutality, and Gun violence
podanotherjessi's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
I don't read a lot of mystery, so my opinion here should be taken with a pinch of salt. But this book bored me. I felt like the whole thing could have been wrapped up in an hour long TV show instead of a full novel, and that's probably a good sign mysteries might not be for me.
Beyond that, I didn't care about the characters at all. The main characters were boring, and the background characters felt cartoonish. Every time someone new was introduced, we got a chunk of description about who they were - what they look like, what their personality is, how they're connected to the MC. It was very telling, not showing. And this happened for everyone, no matter how unimportant they are.
There were also a lot of extrenuous detail and flashbacks that felt pointless. Maybe they were meant to be red herrings or to distract the reader, but it all felt unneeded. Very mild spoilers, example:At one point the MC talks about not being able to stay with his aunt cause she has cats and he's allergic. Okay, small detail, not bad. But then the book flashes back to how he found out he was allergic, and there was no point to it.
Characters: 4
Plot: 7
Setting: 3
General appeal: 5
Writing style: 3
Originality 6
Ending: 7
Beyond that, I didn't care about the characters at all. The main characters were boring, and the background characters felt cartoonish. Every time someone new was introduced, we got a chunk of description about who they were - what they look like, what their personality is, how they're connected to the MC. It was very telling, not showing. And this happened for everyone, no matter how unimportant they are.
There were also a lot of extrenuous detail and flashbacks that felt pointless. Maybe they were meant to be red herrings or to distract the reader, but it all felt unneeded. Very mild spoilers, example:
Characters: 4
Plot: 7
Setting: 3
General appeal: 5
Writing style: 3
Originality 6
Ending: 7
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Bullying, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Grief, Murder, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Violence
Moderate: Car accident, Pregnancy, Adult/minor relationship, and Pedophilia
mydearwatsonbooks's review against another edition
3.0
(TW: sexual assault, pedophiles)
Matt Pine is a student at NYU. He’s playing chess outside when he hears the news: his entire family, save for his older brother, has died while on vacation in Mexico. It is first ruled as an accident…but was it really an accident? Or was it foul play? Could it have something to do with the father? Could it have something to do with the true crime documentary done of his older brother who is currently in prison? The story follows Matt and FBI agent Sarah Keller as they each try to find out what happened. It also uses flashbacks (and the eldest brother’s current point-of-view) to establish events.
A lot of this novel seems a tad…far-fetched, but I think that’s part of the fun of “regular” thrillers. It also tried to be part police procedural, which I liked. I would’ve liked more police procedural than Matt’s POV, but I did appreciate how Finlay showed the changing relationship between Matt and his hometown.
One thing I didn’t like about this book was that the writing felt really distant. I didn’t feel like I could connect with any of the present POVs at all; I connected more with the flashbacks and the brother’s POV. Also, side note: the documentary lady was awful (Finlay did a great job creating her personality).
I really wish I could give this book 3.5 stars. It was as psychologically thrilling as I wanted (my fault. This seems to be a common theme with me), but it kept me interested. If you like thrillers and/or true crime documentaries, you’ll probably like this novel.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Publishing date is March 2.
Matt Pine is a student at NYU. He’s playing chess outside when he hears the news: his entire family, save for his older brother, has died while on vacation in Mexico. It is first ruled as an accident…but was it really an accident? Or was it foul play? Could it have something to do with the father? Could it have something to do with the true crime documentary done of his older brother who is currently in prison? The story follows Matt and FBI agent Sarah Keller as they each try to find out what happened. It also uses flashbacks (and the eldest brother’s current point-of-view) to establish events.
A lot of this novel seems a tad…far-fetched, but I think that’s part of the fun of “regular” thrillers. It also tried to be part police procedural, which I liked. I would’ve liked more police procedural than Matt’s POV, but I did appreciate how Finlay showed the changing relationship between Matt and his hometown.
One thing I didn’t like about this book was that the writing felt really distant. I didn’t feel like I could connect with any of the present POVs at all; I connected more with the flashbacks and the brother’s POV. Also, side note: the documentary lady was awful (Finlay did a great job creating her personality).
I really wish I could give this book 3.5 stars. It was as psychologically thrilling as I wanted (my fault. This seems to be a common theme with me), but it kept me interested. If you like thrillers and/or true crime documentaries, you’ll probably like this novel.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Publishing date is March 2.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Pedophilia and Sexual assault
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