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4.09 AVERAGE
4.09 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Violence
I absolutely LOVED this book, it was such a fresh take on a psych thriller and I felt like Knoll did a great job of giving Ruth and Pamela different voices. I audibly gasped SO MANY times. The only thing I didn't care for was the ending, it felt a little cheesy to me with the girls at the coffee shop watching a documentary. 4.5/5
I enjoyed this story and appreciated the sentiment of setting the record straight regarding ~the defendant~, but had some issues with the way it was written that ultimately knocked the rating down for me. The jumps between the two narrators were jarring, and while I appreciated Ruth's chapters as a means to humanize mr. sir's victims, I unfortunately just did not enjoy reading her chapters very much. Similarly, I didn't like the time jumps between past & present-day Pamela. The current Pamela would often interject the narration and give cliffhangers/foreshadowing like "little did I know this moment would change my life forever!!!". Those moments were corny every time for me. The line that especially got me was when the narrator (current Pamela) was talking about how something uprooted her life in the story (which predominately takes place in the 70s) and proceeds to say (paraphrased), "the only other time that would happen in my life is the spring of 2020." But it's not the author writing from her own perspective so the moments like that stuck out to me as strange and took me out of the story. What does covid have to do with anything here?
On a similar note, the book starts with current-day Pamela receiving an ominous letter. From there we jump into the meat of the story which takes place with past-Pamela. But then current-day Pamela shows up here and there making her way to the source of the letter, just to talk to Carl's dementia ass? Like sure Tina got her closure in the end from it but idk why I just found that whole sequence to be a big nothing burger. Big build up & anticipation for little pay off. I could've done without current-day Pamela in general.
Now granted I have no clue how many of the people in this book were real or not, and/or if any sections of the narration were from first-hand accounts from real people etc etc. I'm too lazy to find that out and maybe it would change my opinion if I did. But regardless I still enjoyed the general story, and boy am I glad that mr. sir got the electric chair in the end!!
P.S. what was with the moms in this book?? thank you @mom for being normal
On a similar note, the book starts with current-day Pamela receiving an ominous letter. From there we jump into the meat of the story which takes place with past-Pamela. But then current-day Pamela shows up here and there making her way to the source of the letter, just to talk to Carl's dementia ass? Like sure Tina got her closure in the end from it but idk why I just found that whole sequence to be a big nothing burger. Big build up & anticipation for little pay off. I could've done without current-day Pamela in general.
Now granted I have no clue how many of the people in this book were real or not, and/or if any sections of the narration were from first-hand accounts from real people etc etc. I'm too lazy to find that out and maybe it would change my opinion if I did. But regardless I still enjoyed the general story, and boy am I glad that mr. sir got the electric chair in the end!!
P.S. what was with the moms in this book?? thank you @mom for being normal
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Bright Young Women is a novel about real events and a real serial killer. One thing I love about it is the serial killer’s name is not used. We hear a lot about him, but we don’t hear his name. Instead the focus is on the women whose lives he intersected. I would love for the media to report like this. Let the names of the murdered and survivors be named, if they/their families consent, and leave out the perpetrator’s name.
This is a great read, even if you don’t recognize the killer, full of vivid characters and a thrilling chase.
This is a great read, even if you don’t recognize the killer, full of vivid characters and a thrilling chase.
challenging
dark
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No