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3.51 AVERAGE
3.51 AVERAGE
COME ON. i wanted to find out what happened here but these girls, and these teachers, and this family, are just AWFUL. a few peripheral characters made everything interesting, and the premise of a mystery set in a boarding school was intriguing but this book didn't do it for me.
She Was the Quiet One has an interesting premise: Bel and Rose are fraternal twin sisters who are shipped off to boarding school after their mother’s death. The twins are opposites in every way—one is studious, the other wild; one is beautiful, the other plain—yet both could be considered the “quiet one”—good girl Rose or insecure Bel. It’s revealed early on that one sister has been murdered, the other sister suspected of being the murderer, and the author intentionally leaves it unclear which is which until much later in the story.
The setting of a boarding school works well for a murder mystery, and the relationship between the sisters seemed believable (rivalries, jealousies, one sister acting parental towards the other, feeling embarrassed by the other’s behaviors, etc.).
But this book just didn’t work for me for the following reasons:
1. It manages to be both predictable AND unbelievable at the same time. Predictable because it checks off a lot of cliches— creepy teacher sleeping with students? CHECK. Popular mean girls? CHECK. And so on. Unbelievable because of the unbelievable (and stupid) actions of married teachers, Sarah and Heath.
2. The book takes place at a boarding school with most of the characters being teenagers, but the school seems totally unrealistic. For example, a teenager is sexually assaulted (shared on SnapChat), but everyone (including adults) downplays the incident—mandated reporters fail to report it, and the teenager and her roommate are both bullied after reporting the incident. Also, the school picks a new headmaster the morning after a student is found murdered. People are going around congratulating him and no one seems at all traumatized by the murder—completely bizarre.
3. The teenagers don’t sound like teenagers, and some of the dialogue is just strange. For example, Rose and others were constantly talking about Bel “running with a fast crowd” or being part of a “crew” or “gang.” I have NEVER in real life heard of people being part of a “fast crowd”—seems very Sweet Valley High (speaking of unrealistic teenagers 😂). Someone even said “YOLO” (granted it was a teacher, but his wife then replied that he sounded like the kids)—I have not heard a single teenager say YOLO in years! Plus no one seems to understand how SnapChat works.
4. The book normalizes teacher/student affairs. It’s just creepy and gross for a teacher to prey on a student, and just because teenagers on tv shows look like (and are played by) adults in their mid-twenties does not mean this is acceptable. The adult (authority figure) in these situations holds all the power and fifteen-year-olds in real life look like and act like (because they are) KIDS.
5. I absolutely did not understand the character of Heath. He behaved in ways that made absolutely no sense, and I had a hard time believing that a character would make the incredibly stupid and careless decisions that he made, given what he was risking (his marriage and career). His wife, Sarah, was a weak and disappointing character as well (her lack of integrity didn’t fit with the nice and caring teacher image we were supposed to buy).
The setting of a boarding school works well for a murder mystery, and the relationship between the sisters seemed believable (rivalries, jealousies, one sister acting parental towards the other, feeling embarrassed by the other’s behaviors, etc.).
But this book just didn’t work for me for the following reasons:
1. It manages to be both predictable AND unbelievable at the same time. Predictable because it checks off a lot of cliches— creepy teacher sleeping with students? CHECK. Popular mean girls? CHECK. And so on. Unbelievable because of the unbelievable (and stupid) actions of married teachers, Sarah and Heath.
2. The book takes place at a boarding school with most of the characters being teenagers, but the school seems totally unrealistic. For example, a teenager is sexually assaulted (shared on SnapChat), but everyone (including adults) downplays the incident—mandated reporters fail to report it, and the teenager and her roommate are both bullied after reporting the incident. Also, the school picks a new headmaster the morning after a student is found murdered. People are going around congratulating him and no one seems at all traumatized by the murder—completely bizarre.
3. The teenagers don’t sound like teenagers, and some of the dialogue is just strange. For example, Rose and others were constantly talking about Bel “running with a fast crowd” or being part of a “crew” or “gang.” I have NEVER in real life heard of people being part of a “fast crowd”—seems very Sweet Valley High (speaking of unrealistic teenagers 😂). Someone even said “YOLO” (granted it was a teacher, but his wife then replied that he sounded like the kids)—I have not heard a single teenager say YOLO in years! Plus no one seems to understand how SnapChat works.
4. The book normalizes teacher/student affairs. It’s just creepy and gross for a teacher to prey on a student, and just because teenagers on tv shows look like (and are played by) adults in their mid-twenties does not mean this is acceptable. The adult (authority figure) in these situations holds all the power and fifteen-year-olds in real life look like and act like (because they are) KIDS.
5. I absolutely did not understand the character of Heath. He behaved in ways that made absolutely no sense, and I had a hard time believing that a character would make the incredibly stupid and careless decisions that he made, given what he was risking (his marriage and career). His wife, Sarah, was a weak and disappointing character as well (her lack of integrity didn’t fit with the nice and caring teacher image we were supposed to buy).
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
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
This book was a little slow to start, but once it started moving, it sucked you in!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Rape, Sexual content, Death of parent, Murder
You may think you have things figured out by page 28, but keep reading. Fraternal twins Rose and Bel Enright are shipped to a New England boarding school by a grandmother that barely know after their widowed mother dies. Sarah and Heath Donovan run a dorm on campus, with Sarah advising students and Heath teaching English. There is a secret in his past that must not come out because he has plans to ascend to the Headmaster’s role. Darcy is the queen bee of the fast crowd and although a senior, allows sophomore Bel to join her clique. This reads a bit like a YA novel, but the themes are on the adult side. There are good twists along the way and characters act consistently. The epilogue is great but also a bit annoying (and disappointing) — several threads are completely dropped and then (surprise) picked up at the very end. It felt like the author planted a few seeds a third of the way through the book and then totally forgot about them until the last couple of pages (or her editor did.). It makes sense — but a reader might feel overtly manipulated.
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really enjoyed the plot, and during part one I could not put it down -- I needed to know which twin died!! But I felt like part two dragged on a little too much and I started to skim through a lot of the descriptions... especially when the wife was trying to convince herself that her husband was innocent, when he obviously was not!!! I did really enjoy the twist at the end, did not see that one coming!
Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
3.5 stars. V. fun thriller set at a fancy east coast boarding school (yes, please). It lost me a little at the end (the last few chapters felt rushed, and that epilogue was bullshit), but this is ultimately a very effective psychological thriller with compelling, well-crafted characters.
The moment I opened this book, I was hooked. I love how Michele Campbell goes from police interviews to the story then back to the interviews and so on. It kept me guessing the entire time. When I finally realized who did it, it was towards the end so this book really kept me on my toes.
A page turner for sure!
A page turner for sure!
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Just not feeling the mood of this book right now will definitely come back to it