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labunnywtf's review against another edition
4.0
Read for Book Roast's Charms Extra Credit Readathon. Spell: Incendio - 'Fire' in the title
Kaycee was the leader. So when she got sick, we, the senior girls of Barrens High, weren't horrified or disturbed or worried.
We were jealous.
We all secretly hoped we'd be next.
This is pretty standard mystery stuff here. A woman returns to her hometown, where adolescent trauma happened in full effect. Now she's a successful lawyer, investigating possible environmental crimes dating back to her high school years.
But beyond the environmental mumbo jumbo that I wasn't really looking forward to is something a lot deeper, a lot darker, and definitely a lot more sinister. While coming to terms with what happened to her all those years ago, and what is still happening, our protagonist Abby uncovers a hell of a lot more than she was prepared for.
I probably wouldn't have picked this up if it weren't for the author, truth be told. I saw it on display at my library and did a double take, wondering if it was the same Krysten Ritter. And props to her, because this is extremely well written. There's no doubt in my mind that she's a force to be reckoned with creatively. I wouldn't object to seeing this in movie form.
There are issues, certainly. There's a steady recurring theme of Abby being broken and toxic, and while it's a fantastic metaphor, it gets really redundant after awhile.
But I found the big reveals very well done, and very pointed commentary on the world. I would absolutely recommend this for people who enjoy a good strong mystery. Better than most.
Kaycee was the leader. So when she got sick, we, the senior girls of Barrens High, weren't horrified or disturbed or worried.
We were jealous.
We all secretly hoped we'd be next.
This is pretty standard mystery stuff here. A woman returns to her hometown, where adolescent trauma happened in full effect. Now she's a successful lawyer, investigating possible environmental crimes dating back to her high school years.
But beyond the environmental mumbo jumbo that I wasn't really looking forward to is something a lot deeper, a lot darker, and definitely a lot more sinister. While coming to terms with what happened to her all those years ago, and what is still happening, our protagonist Abby uncovers a hell of a lot more than she was prepared for.
I probably wouldn't have picked this up if it weren't for the author, truth be told. I saw it on display at my library and did a double take, wondering if it was the same Krysten Ritter. And props to her, because this is extremely well written. There's no doubt in my mind that she's a force to be reckoned with creatively. I wouldn't object to seeing this in movie form.
There are issues, certainly. There's a steady recurring theme of Abby being broken and toxic, and while it's a fantastic metaphor, it gets really redundant after awhile.
But I found the big reveals very well done, and very pointed commentary on the world. I would absolutely recommend this for people who enjoy a good strong mystery. Better than most.
icarussfalls's review against another edition
4.0
Really 3.5 stars but I accept the rest of the other half. A cliche thriller of a small town girl coming back to her roots. Still - it had that Ritter flare when it came to the well developed Abby. And I couldn’t help but force myself to stop thinking her as a soft Jessica Jones with each page I quickly turned to continue on.
alexandrafren's review against another edition
Bad writing, poor pacing, just a mess.
herm333s's review against another edition
2.0
*exhales* I was really rooting for this one.
Krysten Ritter’s writing was quite enjoyable and her frequent use of similes worked rather well with what at first seemed a darker story.
I was expecting so much more from this plot and from the build up, to then read The Girl on the Train’s messy ending all over again— this time in a boat.
Those last pages felt as if they were written by someone else. Abby Williams’s arc felt promising at the beginning and her straightforwardness made me think that Ritter was bringing new dimensions to the already exploited archetype in the thriller genre. But of course, drugs and alcohol: no easier plot device.
And what happened to the whole pages spent on the environmental aspect of the story? This could have been an excellent and relatable discussion to explore even further.
Krysten Ritter’s writing was quite enjoyable and her frequent use of similes worked rather well with what at first seemed a darker story.
I was expecting so much more from this plot and from the build up, to then read The Girl on the Train’s messy ending all over again— this time in a boat.
Those last pages felt as if they were written by someone else. Abby Williams’s arc felt promising at the beginning and her straightforwardness made me think that Ritter was bringing new dimensions to the already exploited archetype in the thriller genre. But of course, drugs and alcohol: no easier plot device.
And what happened to the whole pages spent on the environmental aspect of the story? This could have been an excellent and relatable discussion to explore even further.
brookemaarie's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
forgedopulence's review against another edition
1.0
It gives Mean Girls X Mystery in the worst possible way imaginable. I'm going to take my time with this one, because it shouldn't have been published.
A lot would be explained if this happened to be ghost-written by a man. If this really was written by a woman, that woman talks about other women like absolute shit. It's giving the antithesis of 'Girls' Girl' and I hate it.
~To The Details~
1. About the author: "She is the founder of Silent Machine, a production company that aims to highlight complex female protagonists."
The FMC is the literal definition of the unhinged and unreliable substance abuser trope. She was struggling to stay lucid and sane for the ENTIRE book. The only characters in this entire book who managed to be written with some semblance of sense were the male side characters.
2. We're first introduced to Condor on pg 32. His character and sub-plot line serve absolutely zero purpose outside of swooping in to save the FMC at the last second.
3. The amount of stories about animal abuse and deaths in this story also serve zero purpose. I'm not even giving credit for "the clue" because ABSOLUTELY MISS ME coming to the rescue of the person who killed my dog.
4. Routinely in the first half of the book and still present throughout, we're reminded that every other female character being written is fat and that Abby is very pretty.
"She is enormously fat, wearing teal polka-dot stretch pants and an oversized shirt with a Carhartt logo across the chest." This is how the author chose to describe a completely innocent side character whose purpose was to further the FMC's plot line.
The plot was all over the place. The characters were hollow, if not completely daft. The sub-plots were agonizing to make sense of. The twists were so poorly set-up that they may as well have not existed.
The only good thing about this book is that so many of the asshole characters died.
A lot would be explained if this happened to be ghost-written by a man. If this really was written by a woman, that woman talks about other women like absolute shit. It's giving the antithesis of 'Girls' Girl' and I hate it.
~To The Details~
1. About the author: "She is the founder of Silent Machine, a production company that aims to highlight complex female protagonists."
The FMC is the literal definition of the unhinged and unreliable substance abuser trope. She was struggling to stay lucid and sane for the ENTIRE book. The only characters in this entire book who managed to be written with some semblance of sense were the male side characters.
2. We're first introduced to Condor on pg 32. His character and sub-plot line serve absolutely zero purpose outside of swooping in to save the FMC at the last second.
3. The amount of stories about animal abuse and deaths in this story also serve zero purpose. I'm not even giving credit for "the clue" because ABSOLUTELY MISS ME coming to the rescue of the person who killed my dog.
4. Routinely in the first half of the book and still present throughout, we're reminded that every other female character being written is fat and that Abby is very pretty.
"She is enormously fat, wearing teal polka-dot stretch pants and an oversized shirt with a Carhartt logo across the chest." This is how the author chose to describe a completely innocent side character whose purpose was to further the FMC's plot line.
The plot was all over the place. The characters were hollow, if not completely daft. The sub-plots were agonizing to make sense of. The twists were so poorly set-up that they may as well have not existed.
The only good thing about this book is that so many of the asshole characters died.
colleenh121's review against another edition
3.0
Very fun and fast paced! 3.5 stars because it’s very much like other thrillers.
mgreenzaid's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5