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chris10b's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this horror/psychological thriller!
I stumbled upon this audio book and randomly decided to listen to it (I seem to have better luck finding books that way lately). Was pleasantly surprised, although I do wish it had wrapped up a bit more at the end. But its kind of fun to just speculate also. I don't usually get spooked by spooky books, but last night when I got up to go to the bathroom, I found myself thinking, "What if Mr. Jitters taps at my window?"
I stumbled upon this audio book and randomly decided to listen to it (I seem to have better luck finding books that way lately). Was pleasantly surprised, although I do wish it had wrapped up a bit more at the end. But its kind of fun to just speculate also. I don't usually get spooked by spooky books, but last night when I got up to go to the bathroom, I found myself thinking, "What if Mr. Jitters taps at my window?"
allisonsmith120's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, and Death
Minor: Suicide and Cannibalism
readwithchloev's review against another edition
3.0
I feel so...confused? I’ll break my feelings down.
Positives:
1. The intrigue and the suspense of this book, especially in the first 100 pages, was insane. I was totally hooked. I wanted to know what the hell was going on, I felt like I was part of the story. It had the proper creepy small town with a ton of secrets vibe.
2. Cora. Cora was the ONLY good character in this book in my opinion and I am SO GLAD ABOUT THE ENDING. What a badass!! She was the only one with any substance that I wanted to hear from. She seemed so real and authentic.
3. The ending. The ending was the slight redemption for me. I really liked it. I got genuinely excited to see that someone had had the brain cells to work out what the hell was going on - everyone else in the town felt so oblivious to it. Or that they knew and they were just ignoring it. And that annoyed me.
4. Lola’s ending. I really liked the small addition of the story written by L Evangeline. Of course there’s an air of mystery around it but it’s very obvious that it’s Lola. Despite not liking her as a character I enjoyed that she got her redemption too. It makes me wonder where did she go and what she’s like “now”.
Negatives:
1. Lola. Lola is possibly the WORST character I have ever had the displeasure of reading about. She is so naive and obnoxious - albeit because of her past trauma - but MAN. Really? She’s so self aware that she’s a horrible person as well, she knows it. She knows how to manipulate people and treats people awfully. I thought Carter was a complete idiot for wanting to be anywhere near her. She was not likeable or relatable at all.
2. Plot holes. So much of this book felt so necessary? I got to 200 pages in and I was like right so she’s waiting for Mr Jitters to come and get her? The scene in the museum with the film seemed totally pointless. And the rats at the tree? I struggle to see how that added anything. It was just a weird way to push her and Carter together. Relationships didn’t make sense. So much was left unexplained.
3. The story is just generally confusing. You only really find out the truth at the end, and before then there’s just too much information. So, are we all under the impression that Lola just got wrapped up in trauma, and combined with an urban legend, she just went completely off the rails? Am I right in thinking the other girls dressed as Little Bird just happened to go missing? Drowning/running away or falling into sink holes?
4. Although confusing, it was kind of predictable. I guessed that Lola stabbed Nolan a mile off.
5. Mr Jitters. I feel like I have the wrong idea about him. In my head, there was an existing urban myth already there in Harrow Lake...and Lola was so ill and traumatised, that it just sort of consumed her. Mr Jitters was a manifestation of all her grief and he came alive. Everything she saw wasn’t real. She had an imaginary friend to cope - an imaginary friend trying to shield her from remembering all the trauma. And in the end, she allows him to “reach her” - I.e. fully remembering all the trauma she’s blocked out, and when she says “let me go” she’s releasing herself from the trauma.
Overall I am confused, and I’ve rambled for far too long.
Positives:
1. The intrigue and the suspense of this book, especially in the first 100 pages, was insane. I was totally hooked. I wanted to know what the hell was going on, I felt like I was part of the story. It had the proper creepy small town with a ton of secrets vibe.
2. Cora. Cora was the ONLY good character in this book in my opinion and I am SO GLAD ABOUT THE ENDING. What a badass!! She was the only one with any substance that I wanted to hear from. She seemed so real and authentic.
3. The ending. The ending was the slight redemption for me. I really liked it. I got genuinely excited to see that someone had had the brain cells to work out what the hell was going on - everyone else in the town felt so oblivious to it. Or that they knew and they were just ignoring it. And that annoyed me.
4. Lola’s ending. I really liked the small addition of the story written by L Evangeline. Of course there’s an air of mystery around it but it’s very obvious that it’s Lola. Despite not liking her as a character I enjoyed that she got her redemption too. It makes me wonder where did she go and what she’s like “now”.
Negatives:
1. Lola. Lola is possibly the WORST character I have ever had the displeasure of reading about. She is so naive and obnoxious - albeit because of her past trauma - but MAN. Really? She’s so self aware that she’s a horrible person as well, she knows it. She knows how to manipulate people and treats people awfully. I thought Carter was a complete idiot for wanting to be anywhere near her. She was not likeable or relatable at all.
2. Plot holes. So much of this book felt so necessary? I got to 200 pages in and I was like right so she’s waiting for Mr Jitters to come and get her? The scene in the museum with the film seemed totally pointless. And the rats at the tree? I struggle to see how that added anything. It was just a weird way to push her and Carter together. Relationships didn’t make sense. So much was left unexplained.
3. The story is just generally confusing. You only really find out the truth at the end, and before then there’s just too much information. So, are we all under the impression that Lola just got wrapped up in trauma, and combined with an urban legend, she just went completely off the rails? Am I right in thinking the other girls dressed as Little Bird just happened to go missing? Drowning/running away or falling into sink holes?
4. Although confusing, it was kind of predictable. I guessed that Lola stabbed Nolan a mile off.
5. Mr Jitters. I feel like I have the wrong idea about him. In my head, there was an existing urban myth already there in Harrow Lake...and Lola was so ill and traumatised, that it just sort of consumed her. Mr Jitters was a manifestation of all her grief and he came alive. Everything she saw wasn’t real. She had an imaginary friend to cope - an imaginary friend trying to shield her from remembering all the trauma. And in the end, she allows him to “reach her” - I.e. fully remembering all the trauma she’s blocked out, and when she says “let me go” she’s releasing herself from the trauma.
Overall I am confused, and I’ve rambled for far too long.
eileenrwerst's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
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
2.75
taylorlechat's review against another edition
5.0
Wow this was surprisingly good!! I just wanted something spooky for Halloween and it definitely delivered while having lots of mysterious aspects as well.
henrygravesprince's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
The first 75% is okay, the mystery being compelling enough to keep me from DNFing, but the characters are all rather unlikable and the writing is somewhat repetitive. However, the last 25%, and the ending in particular, are REALLY strong. I also think the unlikability of the characters was intentional, but I wish they had been made a bit easier to root for, especially Lola, in the beginning. I wouldn’t mind trying out the author’s other work in the future, provided the premise was interesting, but I don’t think I’ll actively seek it out.
Overall, I think the book pulled off what it intended to do.I found the usage of three different characters suffering three distinct forms of abuse at the hands of a parent—Lorelei having experienced childhood sexual abuse, Lola being emotionally abused by Nolan her whole life, and Carter experiencing physical abuse from his mother—very effective, tying well into the themes of unreliability and of abuse taking many different forms, both layered into the potential supernatural elements as well. I do wish the interview framing element had been utilized a little more, rather than just as book-ends, maybe even just one more segment of it in the middle of the book. Ultimately, I think this is a solid horror-adjacent YA mystery/thriller novel with some dark themes and heavy unreliability.
Overall, I think the book pulled off what it intended to do.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Death of parent, Murder, Blood, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Mental illness
Minor: Sexual harassment, Suicide, Alcoholism, and Incest
Hallucinations; Unreality