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nilla_beanie19's review against another edition
3.0
This book was okay. For the most part I had figured out who the bomber was. There was times that I questioned my decision, the writer was good at making every character seem fishy. This book dealt with hard topics, important topics. I am not sure if it did them justice, it felt like they were acknowledged but maybe not fully handled as well as they could have been. I will say I appreciate the ending, it was very realistic, not just a tie it up with a bow happy ending like most books come with.
katykelly's review against another edition
4.0
The Breakfast Club with bombs...?
It really is a bit like that. A group of disparate high school students, each disgruntled in their own ways, are forced to bond in school in an unusual situation, revealing their secrets slowly until commonalities and comradeships are formed. Except it's not in detention (or with Simple Minds playing). A bomb has been detonated at their school. And most likely - by one of them.
Yes, this got my attention when I saw the synopsis. Of course it did. A mystery alongside adolescent angst. I quite liked NEED last year, a fantastic concept, and this also moves along between characters quickly giving you a feel for each potential 'assailant' (though on audiobook, this took a while to straighten out in my head) and gets to the meat of the plot quickly.
The bomb scene itself is well done, I thought this worked well on audiobook as the narration flits from one student to another through the course of the day.
Each character is given a roughly equal amount of time, they each air their problems and lives, stereotypes are dealt with (yes there's a Muslim student who is a possible bomber), and we are left to work out who the actual perpetrator is and why.
And it's a great ending! I liked the fact that it didn't conform to the usual, and did bring surprises. Some great character work here, with a variety of pertinent issues for readers to identify with.
Considering this is narrated by one female, the voices came across quite naturally as I think back, nothing forced about the males' voices. It flowed well and though it was hard to start with keeping account of each storyline/character, this eased up as the voices separated them out.
One for ages 13 and above, with warnings on the violent nature of the plot.
With thanks to Nudge Books for the sample copy through Audible, provided for an honest review.
It really is a bit like that. A group of disparate high school students, each disgruntled in their own ways, are forced to bond in school in an unusual situation, revealing their secrets slowly until commonalities and comradeships are formed. Except it's not in detention (or with Simple Minds playing). A bomb has been detonated at their school. And most likely - by one of them.
Yes, this got my attention when I saw the synopsis. Of course it did. A mystery alongside adolescent angst. I quite liked NEED last year, a fantastic concept, and this also moves along between characters quickly giving you a feel for each potential 'assailant' (though on audiobook, this took a while to straighten out in my head) and gets to the meat of the plot quickly.
The bomb scene itself is well done, I thought this worked well on audiobook as the narration flits from one student to another through the course of the day.
Each character is given a roughly equal amount of time, they each air their problems and lives, stereotypes are dealt with (yes there's a Muslim student who is a possible bomber), and we are left to work out who the actual perpetrator is and why.
And it's a great ending! I liked the fact that it didn't conform to the usual, and did bring surprises. Some great character work here, with a variety of pertinent issues for readers to identify with.
Considering this is narrated by one female, the voices came across quite naturally as I think back, nothing forced about the males' voices. It flowed well and though it was hard to start with keeping account of each storyline/character, this eased up as the voices separated them out.
One for ages 13 and above, with warnings on the violent nature of the plot.
With thanks to Nudge Books for the sample copy through Audible, provided for an honest review.
annettebooksofhopeanddreams's review against another edition
4.0
Ik had al van heel veel mensen gehoord dat dit een hele snelle read was, maar ik had niet verwacht dat het ZO'N snelle read was. Nu helpt de lay out van het boek daar wel mee. Er zijn relatief veel bladzijdes met relatief weinig tekst en er is een groot lettertype gebruikt, maar het is niet alleen dat. Het verhaal leest gewoon ook oprecht lekker weg en er zit ongelooflijk veel vaart in. Je stapt bij het lezen van de eerste bladzijde in een rijdende trein en die komt eigenlijk pas tot stilstand op een paar bladzijdes voor het einde.
Wat ik heel prettig vond, is dat aan het begin van het boek de personages worden neergezet. Je krijgt een indruk van hun thuissituatie, wie ze verwacht worden te zijn en waarom ze die dag, nog een week voor de school begint, naar school gaan. Allemaal hebben ze hun eigen redenen om de school te haten en met zichzelf in de knoop te zitten. En allemaal hebben ze een plan om alles die dag te veranderen. En vanaf dat moment kan het raden eigenlijk al beginnen.
Niet dat ik me daar tijdens het lezen veel mee bezig heb gehouden. Ik vond het vooral heel tof om te zien hoe alle karakters anders reageerden op wat er gebeurde en wat hen overkwam, hoe er ineens hele verrassende instincten bij iedereen boven kwamen en hoe de karakters anders uit de hoek kwamen dan je zou verwachten op basis van de vooroordelen die je ook als lezer onbewust hebt. Maar wat ik vooral mooi vond is hoe Charbonneau met die vooroordelen speelt en met de impact daarvan op ieder individueel karakter.
De uiteindelijke ontknoping was voor mij niet geheel onverwacht. Als ik na de eerste zes hoofdstukken geld in had moeten zetten op de dader, had ik mijn inleg met winst terug verdiend, maar dat vond ik helemaal niet erg of storend en het deed ook helemaal niets af aan het verhaal en de spanning die er door de schrijfstijl in zat.
Ik heb Deviding Eden ook nog in de kast staan. Die zal ik ook maar eens snel oppakken! Want dit las, net als de test-trilogie, toch wel erg lekker weg!
Wat ik heel prettig vond, is dat aan het begin van het boek de personages worden neergezet. Je krijgt een indruk van hun thuissituatie, wie ze verwacht worden te zijn en waarom ze die dag, nog een week voor de school begint, naar school gaan. Allemaal hebben ze hun eigen redenen om de school te haten en met zichzelf in de knoop te zitten. En allemaal hebben ze een plan om alles die dag te veranderen. En vanaf dat moment kan het raden eigenlijk al beginnen.
Niet dat ik me daar tijdens het lezen veel mee bezig heb gehouden. Ik vond het vooral heel tof om te zien hoe alle karakters anders reageerden op wat er gebeurde en wat hen overkwam, hoe er ineens hele verrassende instincten bij iedereen boven kwamen en hoe de karakters anders uit de hoek kwamen dan je zou verwachten op basis van de vooroordelen die je ook als lezer onbewust hebt. Maar wat ik vooral mooi vond is hoe Charbonneau met die vooroordelen speelt en met de impact daarvan op ieder individueel karakter.
De uiteindelijke ontknoping was voor mij niet geheel onverwacht. Als ik na de eerste zes hoofdstukken geld in had moeten zetten op de dader, had ik mijn inleg met winst terug verdiend, maar dat vond ik helemaal niet erg of storend en het deed ook helemaal niets af aan het verhaal en de spanning die er door de schrijfstijl in zat.
Ik heb Deviding Eden ook nog in de kast staan. Die zal ik ook maar eens snel oppakken! Want dit las, net als de test-trilogie, toch wel erg lekker weg!
iannec's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
3.75
Very intriguing. This cast of characters gets you hooked. A good mix of plot and character reflection.
izzys_internet_bookshelf's review against another edition
4.0
4/5
Wow this book. I loved how the story unfolded with the time and how at the beginning you don’t know who to trust until the end. Getting to know the characters motives and who actually did it is what made this book such an interesting read.
Wow this book. I loved how the story unfolded with the time and how at the beginning you don’t know who to trust until the end. Getting to know the characters motives and who actually did it is what made this book such an interesting read.
heather_19's review against another edition
2.0
Addicting and impossible to put down..... until that ending. It felt rushed and didn't make sense to me. The reasoning behind the person who did it was hard to find believable.
bergaliciousdef's review against another edition
5.0
If you liked One of Us is Lying, you'll like this!
gracielockey's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
ashlee_fuchs0530's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
the_pooh's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
this book was very suspenseful and it makes you think that everyone has suspicions of being the bomber. however, the ending was not as climatic as i hoped and character development was not as great.