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earofthedog's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Murder, Domestic abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Toxic friendship, Child abuse, Infidelity, Death of parent, and Abandonment
dblue236's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
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? Yes
5.0
Trigger warnings: Domestic abuse, domestic violence, toxic relationships, toxic friendships, brief discussion of being unknowingly drugged.
While this book was wildly, massively unrealistic, I absolutely loved it. The entertainment value of it was off the charts, and while for the most part it was just a fun, corny murder mystery involving high school kids, it also dealt with some really heavy subject matter in a very impactful way. I had heard next to nothing about this book before I picked it up, and I'm really glad I gave it a chance because I got much more than I was expecting.
While this book was wildly, massively unrealistic, I absolutely loved it. The entertainment value of it was off the charts, and while for the most part it was just a fun, corny murder mystery involving high school kids, it also dealt with some really heavy subject matter in a very impactful way. I had heard next to nothing about this book before I picked it up, and I'm really glad I gave it a chance because I got much more than I was expecting.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Violence
Minor: Alcohol, Gore, and Drug use
victoria_elaine's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
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? Yes
4.0
This book definitely made me gasp a couple times, and I love the characters. I docked a point for simply lacking some of the depth and wow factor I look for, but this was more of a lighthearted book (despite the murder lol). Alice and Iris had some great character development and I CANNOT BELIEVE WESTMACOTT DID IT!!! THE THERAPIST??? Also the horse/stable was such a nice tie in from the beginning and I did not see that coming . I also love how there’s an Agatha Christie quote at the start of each chapter. Overall recommend.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Domestic abuse
aseel_reads's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
The mystery was okay but god I hated the characters
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Child abuse
Moderate: Child death, Death, Sexism, and Murder
Minor: Death of parent and Bullying
aheinicke27's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-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? Yes
4.5
I enjoyed listening to this Agatha-Christie-inspired novel about two teen girls who team up to solve the murder of a fellow girl. Alice, ultra wealthy, popular, and notorious for pulling an “Agatha Christie” the previous summer and vanishing for 5 days, is tutored by Iris, a “zoner” girl living with a single mom and struggling to save money to finally escape an abusive father. When Alice’s former best friend Brooke disappears, is discovered dead days later, and her boyfriend Steve is quickly and conveniently charged with murder , Alice and Iris’s tutoring sessions quickly transform into detective work to determine what really happened to Brooke. Through a series of fun twists and turns, readers enjoy the development of the mystery as well as the friendship between both girls. The audiobook has voices for both Alice and Iris, which makes it easy to determine which perspective you’re hearing from. Having read a fictionalized speculation about Agatha Christie’s famous disappearance last year, I enjoyed seeing the parallels between this book and Agatha’s life. At times, I felt like the book could have moved a bit faster, but overall this was a fun murder mystery that I would definitely recommend!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Murder
av0ncor3's review against another edition
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Murder, and Death
tigger89's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- 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? No
3.0
I can see why some people would really like this book, but it didn't hold a lot of appeal to me. I thought the mystery was well done, particularly some of the reveals leading into the climax. I wasn't really a fan of the wealthy community setting, but I think it was used well even though I didn't personally like it. The fact that we had two narrators was used to great dramatic effect plot-wise, though I did find their narrative voices difficult to tell apart. The chapters are labeled with their names, but sometimes if I got distracted I'd forget partway through a chapter who I was following, and I'd have to flip back until I found a clue to remember, oh yeah, this is Iris or this is Alice.
I was somewhat disappointed that the involvement of Christie was limited mostly to literary quotes at the beginning of chapters and the fact that the main characters like her books. This might have been an unfair expectation on my part, based on the marketing for the book, but I was expecting something where specific scenes or twists would be referenced from Christie's canon to apply to the situation at hand. That didn't really happen, apart from the most general inspirations. But this really is kind of a quibble. If I'd read a different blurb that didn't stress Christie's importance so much, I don't think I would have complained about this at all. Blame it on the marketing!
The other thing that I couldn't help but laugh at is the chase at the climax. If you know, you know. The whole time I was like, that's not how horses work! None of this is realistic for your relationship/trust level with thispanic machine horse! It's a silly horse girl fantasy moment in an otherwise serious title, which sticks out. But again it's not a major complaint, and the unrealistic nature of the climax doesn't really affect the mystery itself, just the drama surrounding it.
All in all, I didn't like the book, but I think that's more down to us not being for each other than any significant fault in the book itself. There is definitely a kind of person out there who would be very into this story. In fact, if I'd had this book in my hands 20 years ago, I know exactly which girl in my scout troop I would've handed it to. It's just not my thing, and that's okay.
I was somewhat disappointed that the involvement of Christie was limited mostly to literary quotes at the beginning of chapters and the fact that the main characters like her books. This might have been an unfair expectation on my part, based on the marketing for the book, but I was expecting something where specific scenes or twists would be referenced from Christie's canon to apply to the situation at hand. That didn't really happen, apart from the most general inspirations. But this really is kind of a quibble. If I'd read a different blurb that didn't stress Christie's importance so much, I don't think I would have complained about this at all. Blame it on the marketing!
The other thing that I couldn't help but laugh at is the chase at the climax. If you know, you know. The whole time I was like, that's not how horses work! None of this is realistic for your relationship/trust level with this
All in all, I didn't like the book, but I think that's more down to us not being for each other than any significant fault in the book itself. There is definitely a kind of person out there who would be very into this story. In fact, if I'd had this book in my hands 20 years ago, I know exactly which girl in my scout troop I would've handed it to. It's just not my thing, and that's okay.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Child abuse, Death, Stalking, Violence, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Classism, and Car accident
janneke2302's review against another edition
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I really loved this book. I loved the friendship that formed between Alice and Iris. I also thought the mystery was a lot of fun. I started having suspicions and figuring things out much earlier than the characters, but I actually really liked that. I feel like the book left just enough hints and clues that you could figure it all out, without becoming boring or predictable. I also really loved all the references and nods to Agatha Christie. While I've not read any of Christie's novels, I have very fond memories of my mom watching episodes of Poirot while I was in the room and this book kind of brought me back to then.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Violence
Moderate: Child abuse
amberinpieces's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Car accident, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Classism, Domestic abuse, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Blood
Minor: Body horror, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Cursing, Grief, Stalking, Alcohol, Death of parent, and Sexual content
hannahfaith25's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Physical abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Car accident and Violence