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savreads28's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Cursing, Medical trauma, Blood, Death, Violence, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Bullying, Outing, Hate crime, Lesbophobia, Murder, Homophobia, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Car accident, Gaslighting, and Toxic relationship
annaki_laila's review
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
5.0
Scary and beautiful. Reminded me at times of 'I Am Not Okay With This' (big compliment). Made me a little teary and made me scream silently when the tension was ramping up. All-round wonderful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Lesbophobia and Death
Moderate: Homophobia and Toxic relationship
emily_mh's review
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
This book has been undoubtedly marketed as a mystery/thriller (see the cover and synopsis), and the beginning of the story also frames the book as a mystery/thriller, but it completely fails to meet these genre expectations. The synopsis implies a self-led investigation into the death of Sydney’s father, but this investigation doesn’t begin until page 193. And I am being generous with the word “investigation” here; hardly anything happens along that plot line. Furthermore, even though I criticise adults who call YA mysteries predictable (we’re not the target audience!), I think teens will actually find this predictable as there is literally only one option as to who the texter could be. So instead of a mystery/thriller, this book is romance drama. One that doesn’t really adequately address the unhealthy obsessiveness of the romance in question on MC Sydney’s part.
Instead of one star, I decided to give this book two due to the way in which grief is depicted. The discussion of this topic was done in a very raw way and had so much depth to it. It seemed so realistic. If this book had been a contemporary/realistic fic focussed on grief where the romance wasn’t so unhealthy, and if it were marketed as such, it would have been a winner.
Rep: lesbian (word not used, lesbian only used once in a disparaging context) MC, white/Brown (ethnicity completely unclear) SC, East Asian SC, gay Black SC
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Grief, Stalking, and Bullying
Moderate: Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Car accident, Cursing, Murder, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Blood, Ableism, Confinement, Vomit, Gun violence, Alcohol, Rape, Gaslighting, Medical content, Suicide, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Self harm, Animal death, Outing, Drug abuse, and Racism
Major: six uses of the lesbophobic d-slur Minor: self-injury, divorce, one use of the homophobic f-slursecre's review
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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? Yes
4.5
This is one of those books that is beautifully written, thought provoking and haunting. It heavily focuses in on how grief affects different people and the different coping mechanisms everybody has to find their way through it. At the same time it touches on common YA themes such as sexual orientation, bullying, and unhealthy coping strategies. It's raw and poignant and caught my attention from the very first pages.
It's billed as a high school thriller, but I honestly don't think it is. There is a mystery of sorts, but it's less about the mystery and more about the exploration of grief, of relationships and of finding a new place in the world when everything you thought you had crumbles around you. If you go in expecting a thriller, you may well be disappointed. But if you take it for what it is, you will find a stunning and beautifully written piece.
Losing a parent is ground shattering at any age. Losing a parent as a teenager is world altering, as Sydney is finding out. One freak accident and her dad is gone. Her world will never be the same again and yet her friends lives go on unchanged. The world keeps moving and yet she is standing still. Her hyper-fixation on solving the mystery of her dad's death is more of a symptom of her own state of mind than anything else.
This is a powerful and compelling novel that strikes deep at the fear, the loss, the anxiety and the uncertainty surrounding death and grief. It's one of those books that will stay with me for a long time to come, I suspect.
It's billed as a high school thriller, but I honestly don't think it is. There is a mystery of sorts, but it's less about the mystery and more about the exploration of grief, of relationships and of finding a new place in the world when everything you thought you had crumbles around you. If you go in expecting a thriller, you may well be disappointed. But if you take it for what it is, you will find a stunning and beautifully written piece.
Losing a parent is ground shattering at any age. Losing a parent as a teenager is world altering, as Sydney is finding out. One freak accident and her dad is gone. Her world will never be the same again and yet her friends lives go on unchanged. The world keeps moving and yet she is standing still. Her hyper-fixation on solving the mystery of her dad's death is more of a symptom of her own state of mind than anything else.
This is a powerful and compelling novel that strikes deep at the fear, the loss, the anxiety and the uncertainty surrounding death and grief. It's one of those books that will stay with me for a long time to come, I suspect.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Homophobia and Car accident
Minor: Sexual violence and Sexual assault
theythemreads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Really dark and I don't think some of the topics covered were handled very well. It seemed a bit repetitive and there wasn't much digging for clues like you'd expect in a mercer mystery/thriller
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Homophobia
The main characters father dies in a car crash at the beginning of the book. That scene is then speculated and written about in detail. There are lots of scenes of the main character watch others die too in different ways. Do not read if you are struggling with grief, I still found it disturbing and I haven't experienced anything described.siobhanwisener's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
4.0
I wouldve made this book my whole personality when i was 14.
An enjoyable read, very interesting plot twists and best part was obviously Sydneys gay panic moments with June
An enjoyable read, very interesting plot twists and best part was obviously Sydneys gay panic moments with June
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Car accident, and Death
Moderate: Grief and Mental illness
ciaradooley's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
i cried at the end. it’s like, this book is so good and it’s crazy how much you can see inside her head and how like relatable it is that it hurts. i don’t really know what i was expecting and it’s definitely not a romance but i don’t know if that was what i was rly looking for so i’m not mad. i’m glad june got out of the situation with heath and i’m glad they got the justice at the ceremony but he is actually so fucked and i hated it a lot. i liked the way the author put little hints in though, because i could tell there was a little hint of abusiveness and then like also i definitely had a moment where I thought it could be june which was exactly what the author wanted and i really like the way she executed everything
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Car accident and Death
dawnli's review
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
mjwilliamson's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This book was a conflicting read. Although I’m not someone who usually enjoys slow-paced books, I found that I couldn’t put this one down. There was something raw but comforting in Sydney’s narration. Even though it was such heavy content. The emotion and grief that was able to be conveyed was so honest and there were some beautiful analogies in there also. I did find myself being bored a little at times. I kept questioning when the story might come to a conclusion because the “mystery” I’d been drawn in by — if Sydney’s dad’s death was foul play — didn’t seem to connect to it all. Still I stayed for the emotion and my investment in Sydney and wanting her to feel better.
I guessed the twist a mile off. I’ve watched enough criminal minds and seen enough awful situations to know an abusive relationship when I see it. Once we got to know a little bit about Heath and June’s relationship it became very clear to me. But I wasn’t let down when it came to it. There was enough personal connection in the story for me not to care about twists, only the characters
If I knew what I was in for, I don’t think I would have started this book, but I enjoyed it nevertheless. I would think very carefully about who I recommend it to. Trigger warnings most definitely apply.
If I knew what I was in for, I don’t think I would have started this book, but I enjoyed it nevertheless. I would think very carefully about who I recommend it to. Trigger warnings most definitely apply.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Outing, Gaslighting, Car accident, Grief, Death, Death of parent, Stalking, and Mental illness
Moderate: Lesbophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Self harm, Alcohol, Abandonment, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Sexual assault
teddylouise00's review
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, and Lesbophobia