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rubyrosereads_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Switching between past and present, we discover twelve year old Esther’s body has been found after she went missing. Her best friend Ronnie begins telling the story before we see the many happenings of Dirton, nicknamed Dirt Town, through the eyes of various locals.
The writing was really well done, with various styles for each of the characters. We see Ronnie’s childlike innocence which has her convinced that her best friend will definitely come back. We see the adults, who each have their own dark stories simmering below the surface, while the reader is left guessing at which of these stories lead to Esther’s murder.
Highly recommend if you’re looking for a gripping mystery set in country Australia.
Graphic: Child death
Moderate: Sexual assault and Domestic abuse
annamolpus's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Graphic: Domestic abuse
Moderate: Sexual assault, Child death, and Grief
serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Car accident, and Child death
Moderate: Homophobia and Rape
orinposner's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book made me cry and cry, and for many different reasons. I felt sad, scared, confused and frozen along with these characters. There are 5 different POVs: the detective, two (extremely loveable) children of the town, the mother of the missing girl, and a fascinatingly strange first-person plural (“we”). The writing is astoundingly good, and by that I mean not just beautiful prose, but the detailed language of people’s minds – how they think, what they pay attention to, what they remember.
I was also hooked on the mystery, anxious for the detective (another great character) to gather more information, and flipping back pages to re-read and re-consider earlier scenes once I figured something out.
Graphic: Domestic abuse
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Rape and Homophobia
shutupiamreading's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Graphic: Rape, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Child death, and Car accident
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Addiction, Homophobia, and Drug abuse
library_dreamer's review
4.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Homophobia, Child death, Rape, Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, and Ableism
booksbytheglass's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
there was a lot that I wanted to love about this one: the missing (kidnapped probably murdered) person, the small town suspicions, the sketchy family, I could go on and on
however, the writing of the plot was not it for me. the dialogue was few and far between, with the switching POVs telling their side of the story rather than in conversational writing.
I would have loved it more if the mystery held more of an impact and allowed the reader to figure it out for themselves. instead, the story was unfolded bit by bit and spoon fed to the readers 😅
not to mention the kids who were friends with missing child esther had the WORST memories and literally could not understand that withholding information was life or death for their “friend”
I WAS SO IRRITATED THE ENTIRE TIME 🥴
overall, it had great potential, but the writing wasn’t the correct style to fit the themes of the book, in my opinion.
thank you to netgalley and flatiron books for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!
rating: 2 stars
wine pairing: brazil sauvignon blanc
Graphic: Kidnapping and Child death
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Child abuse, and Physical abuse
gemmaanne's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Rape, and Domestic abuse