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rebecca_spain's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Grief, Child abuse, Alcoholism, Car accident, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Murder, Gore, Grief, Suicide, Abortion, Car accident, Child abuse, Cursing, and Death
bookedandbusy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Car accident, Murder, Suicide, Pedophilia, Rape, and Grief
Moderate: Abortion, Drug use, Eating disorder, Alcoholism, and Mass/school shootings
ruthypoo2's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
In the current timeline, the main character, Monica, is struggling not only with a personal crisis, but the upcoming 5-year anniversary of her sister’s death that was determined to be a suicide. Monica has never been convinced that her popular and happy cheerleader sister, who was planning a bright future, would end her own life. The fact that immediately preceding her sister’s death, four other girls on the same cheerleading squad had died from either a car accident or as a murder victim leads Monica to suspect there are a lot of unanswered questions that the police, including her beloved stepfather, have ignored. Monica accidentally uncovers some items hidden away in her house and this sets her off on a personal quest to find out if there’s any connection between the cheerleaders’ deaths.
As for the secondary timeline, peppered in between Monica’s chapters are flashbacks that reveal what was happening in other characters lives five years earlier, including the cheerleaders and their friends. This insight helps the reader connect to the victims and become more invested in seeing Monica succeed with her amateur sleuthing.
The story moves along at a fast pace, even though there’s minimal action. Most of the book is character development and conversation. There’s definitely satisfaction when Monica gets some insight through snooping and research, which really is as much as can realistically be expected since she’s just a teenager with a bicycle and not Magnum, P.I.!
The author, Kara Thomas, includes difficult and complex issues into the story, such as substance abuse, bullying, body image, abortion, statutory rape, and suicide. I feel these topics are handled well, but get lost in the story as it progresses. For example, one character seems to be headed down a path leading to misuse of prescription pain meds, but gets distracted and never voices another craving or complaint about the pain that was causing them to take up to 4 pills at a time. This is just a side note though because I didn’t get too hung up on this oversight and stayed glued to the progression of story regardless.
Overall, a very good book. I listened to the audio and really like the narrator, Phoebe Strole, who did a great job voicing teen and adult characters, as well as different temperaments and emotions. Her voice was well suited to this book.
Graphic: Bullying, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Suicide, Abortion, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, and Car accident
ellesbells1510's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
Overall the flimsy plot and paper thin characters did nothing to justify what could have been a very interesting idea.
Graphic: Death and Murder
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Stalking, and Suicide
Minor: Alcoholism, Drug use, and Abortion
nerdybookshelff's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Spoiler <I went into this thinking it would be a typical highschool -murderer-comes-back-again-to-finish-what-they-started situation. However, it is just Monica uncovering the past> I did finish it 24 hours but it fell kind of flat for me unfortunately. I guessed the culprit correct and had a feeling about the last chapter but was surprised about a certain characters involvement in the last chapter.
Graphic: Body horror, Sexual assault, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Blood, Bullying, Death, Murder, Pedophilia, Rape, and Suicide
nicoleherz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Pretty good story, didn't see this twist coming the way I did with Thomas's other book That Weekend
Graphic: Violence, Car accident, Grief, Murder, Mental illness, Death, and Suicide
Moderate: Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Bullying, Domestic abuse, and Gun violence
Minor: Cursing, Blood, Drug use, and Vomit
goodnightngo's review against another edition
3.0
Moderate: Alcoholism, Death of parent, Drug use, Gun violence, Vomit, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Physical abuse, Addiction, Blood, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Grief, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Car accident, Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, and Pedophilia
kassidyreads's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Murder, Car accident, and Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Suicide, Abortion, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, and Domestic abuse
chapkip's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Abortion and Car accident
Moderate: Suicide, Murder, Violence, Alcoholism, and Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Pregnancy, Drug abuse, and Vomit
ciareads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Minor: Alcoholism, Bullying, Grief, Pedophilia, Suicide, and Suicidal thoughts