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Okay… I didn’t hate the book and I definitely would say it’s a quick read. It was intense to say the least with A LOT of trauma from the get go so please read trigger warnings.
I did like the back and forth style of writing as we start to piece things together and also enjoyed the multi-person perspective which is always a solid choice for any quick thriller. I definitely thought the idea of our protagonist taking a plea deal and spending 5 years in prison for the aid in the murder of her best friend was such an interesting start because how in the world could this end well for anyone? She really did it? Or are the secrets really worth spending 5 years in a maximum security prison for? It made me want to keep reading that’s for sure. It honestly reminded me of that new Netflix mini series “Adolescence.”
A few a things I wasn’t a fan with were the characters and the ending. Like what? I’m all for flawed characters but these characters were FLAWED which made them difficult to relate to or even empathize with. The “Regina George” mean girl troupe isn’t my favorite and the “friend-zoned” best friend STILL pining after the main character and living his whole life feeling like she was “the one that got away” after everything is icky not enduring. Which leads to the WTF at the end. There is just no way. This did not read like a happy ending book so it was odd that it became the outcome literally the last 5 minutes of the story.
I will admit that I read it (listened to it) rather fast, like 3 days for the audio book so… 🤷🏽♀️ obviously it kept me engaged. Overall, a decent read if you are okay with extremely morally grey characters.
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Emotional abuse, Incest, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting
What I did read, I'll give a 3.5 rating. Hillier's writing isn't bad, it's just not for me. I'm still intending on trying another book of hers (AFTER I read triggers). But Geo is just not likeable AT ALL; I need to actually like a main character to feel any sort of emotion other than annoyance and dislike for them. Angela wasn't all that likeable, and Kaiser was so basic. It was depressing.
The storyline itself is great. For the right person, the execution could be fabulous. It was, unfortunately, not for me.
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Murder
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Cancer, Child death, Death, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Alcohol
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Vomit, Toxic friendship, Abandonment
Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Car accident, Abortion
That said, I’d caution readers: this book comes with a host of trigger warnings—it’s intense and not for the faint of heart.
I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator did a fantastic job bringing the characters and the suspense to life, enhancing the experience. If you’re a fan of dark, edgy thrillers and can handle the content, this one is a must-read (or listen)!
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Rape, Murder
Moderate: Cursing, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death, Terminal illness, Death of parent
Graphic: Child death, Incest, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Murder, Toxic friendship
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Abortion
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Incest, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Vomit, Murder, Pregnancy
Moderate: Cancer, Terminal illness
Minor: Addiction, Body shaming, Drug abuse, Infertility, Car accident, Abortion, Alcohol