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abbyl819's review against another edition
3.0
I loved E. Lockhart’s other book, We Were Liars, so I was very excited to read this book. Sadly, the two cannot be compared. I found the way the story was told in this book to be a bit confusing at times, since the first chapter was the end, and each chapter following went further and further back in time at sporadic intervals, ranging from a few hours to several months. While it was interesting to read a book told like this, I felt like it didn’t help at all for me to like the main character. It kept you from getting attached to any other characters as well. I also found that there were hardly any reveals in this book, as I was able to work out what had happened since we already knew the ending.
kkoerth613's review against another edition
3.0
Damn. This book got me. Like an onion-so many layers. You think you understand the story but then you read another chapter and there’s so much to understand. I like Lockhart’s novel style but I wish it were more picked up. Maybe mystery isn’t my favourite genre.
novelopinions's review against another edition
3.0
The book is good but predictable. You can assume from the description on the back cover what Jule did-the real question is why did she do it. However, the “why” is predictable as well. The whole story was told backwards, so you already know how it’s going to end. The relationships between the characters never developed as deeply as I would have thought they would. I believe this would have helped the story a little bit more. Scattered details here and there about friendships and secrets don’t provide enough to the reader. Overall, it was a decent book.
mbr_mck_'s review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
reangelic's review against another edition
3.0
This is one of the oddest books I’ve read. It took my a while to get used to the way it’s written backward and in the beginning I was really confused. I was on the verge of dropping this book many times but looking back at it. It wasn’t bad. If someone would hastily ask me about it, I would say it is a good book. Not a bad one or an amazing one. The writing style gets you engaged and is spontaneous. I found the way the characters speak in random ideas and ways is funny for some reason
sam_hartwig's review against another edition
3.0
It's hard to rate a book like this. I was hooked from the beginning because of the backwards writing style and how we (the reader) are slowly given facts this way. But then as the book goes along you're not sure what to believe as truth or fact because Jule is a master liar and is extremely unreliable. I also had so many questions that I felt didn't get answered, or maybe they did but I can't remember everything because of the way the book was written. I feel like I have to read it again and take notes just to get a timeline of what happened to who and what was "real".
It was also clear to me from fairly early on in the book what happened to Imogen, but the actual scene was absolutely brutal! I knew it had to be because of what happened to Brooke. Jule is a psycho!!
The ending was the big let down. It felt very rushed and I was left slightly deflated. I'm not entirely sure if I was happy or annoyed that Jule got away with everything.
One thing I know for sure is that I'm glad my book club is reading this book because it's going to have a great discussion, and maybe someone can shed some light on the many questions I have.
It was also clear to me from fairly early on in the book what happened to Imogen, but the actual scene was absolutely brutal! I knew it had to be because of what happened to Brooke. Jule is a psycho!!
The ending was the big let down. It felt very rushed and I was left slightly deflated. I'm not entirely sure if I was happy or annoyed that Jule got away with everything.
One thing I know for sure is that I'm glad my book club is reading this book because it's going to have a great discussion, and maybe someone can shed some light on the many questions I have.
fantasynovel's review against another edition
5.0
brb, I'm dying!! Goddamn, my new aesthetic is a girl switching wigs and wiping off her makeup in an elevator. yes, there were some plot points that didn't make so much sense, like why the detectives would think Jule was Imogen. Jule absconding with the money makes so much more sense than Imogen! But honestly, those little things don't compare to how amazing over all this story was. And the whole "telling the story backwards" thing was genius. I know it's been done before, but it was super chilling anyway to see Jule work backwards. Her methods, her cold-bloodedness, her affinity for being anyone completely won me over. Jule could stab a grandma and I'd be like, "You're doing great, sweetie!" honestly, she's much more likable than male characters who treat their girlfriends terribly and are redeemed by the storyline. long story short, E. Lockhart has the juice.
sophiesmith's review against another edition
2.0
I had high hopes for this book since I devoured and loved ‘we were liars’ however this unfortunately didn’t come close.
I suppose the two shouldn’t be compared because the plots aren’t anywhere near the same, but I figured the author was good at writing mystery and suspense so hence I was excited.
This book is written in reverse chronological order which was an interesting concept, I’ve never read a book like that before and I think it was done fairly well, however this made it easier to predict the plot.
As I was reading this, I was predicting the plot and I was right with every guess I made which killed the suspense. I do like to guess what happens with mystery/suspense books, sometimes I’m right but I’ve never been right with the whole entirety of the book before so that meant that when everything was revealed, it wasn’t very exciting and it was an anticlimax every time.
Regarding the plot without spoilers, it was very basic and probably done many times before, probably another reason as to why it was easy to predict what was happening because I’m sure I’ve read something with this exact plot before.
it wasn’t a completely awful read and I did manage to finish it quickly and I never had the desire to DNF it, but I won’t be re-reading it nor would I really recommend it, however it was a wild ride to say the least.
I suppose the two shouldn’t be compared because the plots aren’t anywhere near the same, but I figured the author was good at writing mystery and suspense so hence I was excited.
This book is written in reverse chronological order which was an interesting concept, I’ve never read a book like that before and I think it was done fairly well, however this made it easier to predict the plot.
As I was reading this, I was predicting the plot and I was right with every guess I made which killed the suspense. I do like to guess what happens with mystery/suspense books, sometimes I’m right but I’ve never been right with the whole entirety of the book before so that meant that when everything was revealed, it wasn’t very exciting and it was an anticlimax every time.
Regarding the plot without spoilers, it was very basic and probably done many times before, probably another reason as to why it was easy to predict what was happening because I’m sure I’ve read something with this exact plot before.
it wasn’t a completely awful read and I did manage to finish it quickly and I never had the desire to DNF it, but I won’t be re-reading it nor would I really recommend it, however it was a wild ride to say the least.
jhartford's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
4.25
Loved that the story was presented in reverse!