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fdap's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Fun, light read but I wish the mystery was less obvious
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse and Homophobia
piperclover's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
This had so much potential and I spent the first 5 or so chapters thinking it would be pretty good but it was all wasted. In the hands of a better author or with way way more editorial oversight, it could've been good.
The biggest problem is that this author relies on numerous, sometiemes just annoying and other times harmful, stereotypes. The first being that one of Noah's friends is a lesbian and she plans on proposing to her gf on their six month anniversary and the author has Noah say something about how Ashley is constantly ready to marry any woman who likes her. Not only is this just a stupid thing to read over and over, it also paints lesbians as frivolous and idealistic which feels like another iteration of women shouldn't be taken seriously.
The next is that Noah is a good looking man with a tight, runners body despite, as Jake puts it, "never watching what he eats" or working out regularly. I don't think I need to explain why this is so frustrating. Why can't any author ever wrote a standard romance book with a regularly built mc?
The last big stereotype made me genuinely angry. The big climax is that trauma made someone unhinged. Robbie is the stalker after all which makes sense and I'm glad it wasn't Freddie's wife bc that is a trope I want to die out. The thing is that Robbie is apparently this way bc he was an abused child and so I guess that makes him a stalker, animal killer, peeping tom, kidnapper, and attempted killer?? I'm beyond sick of this stupid trope. Yeah this happens in real life but dear god be a better writer.
The writing itself isn't very good either. Every sentence related to the romance is dramatic to the point of cringe. They're in lust but the writing talks about soulmates, forever love, and never loving anyone else. In the very first sex scene, the author says that the sex sounds like stirring a pot of mac and cheese??! Great, so sexy. It even made the narrator break character and laugh.
In regards to the mystery, I was actually interested in it but the characters were so illogical and lackadaisical about it all. Noah got upset but never did the group of friends or just Noah and Jake sit down and lay out all the facts and possibilities. They kept saying we'll figure it out but never did much. They didn't even call the police sometimes.
At the end, the climax wasn't even over yet and Noah was already talking about moving on with his forever love. Basically, nothing held weight and it all felt meaningless. Plus Jake's last name Perez was weirdly pronounced halfway between the Spanish pronunciation Pérez and the English pronunciation Per-ez.
The biggest problem is that this author relies on numerous, sometiemes just annoying and other times harmful, stereotypes. The first being that one of Noah's friends is a lesbian and she plans on proposing to her gf on their six month anniversary and the author has Noah say something about how Ashley is constantly ready to marry any woman who likes her. Not only is this just a stupid thing to read over and over, it also paints lesbians as frivolous and idealistic which feels like another iteration of women shouldn't be taken seriously.
The next is that Noah is a good looking man with a tight, runners body despite, as Jake puts it, "never watching what he eats" or working out regularly. I don't think I need to explain why this is so frustrating. Why can't any author ever wrote a standard romance book with a regularly built mc?
The last big stereotype made me genuinely angry. The big climax is that trauma made someone unhinged.
The writing itself isn't very good either. Every sentence related to the romance is dramatic to the point of cringe. They're in lust but the writing talks about soulmates, forever love, and never loving anyone else. In the very first sex scene, the author says that the sex sounds like stirring a pot of mac and cheese??! Great, so sexy. It even made the narrator break character and laugh.
In regards to the mystery, I was actually interested in it but the characters were so illogical and lackadaisical about it all. Noah got upset but never did the group of friends or just Noah and Jake sit down and lay out all the facts and possibilities. They kept saying we'll figure it out but never did much. They didn't even call the police sometimes.
At the end, the climax wasn't even over yet and Noah was already talking about moving on with his forever love. Basically, nothing held weight and it all felt meaningless. Plus Jake's last name Perez was weirdly pronounced halfway between the Spanish pronunciation Pérez and the English pronunciation Per-ez.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Animal death, Stalking, and Gun violence
Minor: Child abuse
20sidedbi's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Don't be fooled. No matter what. Booktok tells you, this is not a spooky monster story. The monsters are people.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Violence, Stalking, Animal death, and Sexual content
Moderate: Homophobia, Dementia, and Child abuse
Minor: Murder
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