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pey333's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Homophobia, Death of parent, Suicide, Fire/Fire injury, and Car accident
Minor: Forced institutionalization and Stalking
dundiesbooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Obwohl es nicht ganz mein Genre ist, hat mir die Geschichte größtenteils gefallen. Vor allem, weil die Charaktere das Herz des ganzen bilden und real und nachvollziehbar wirken. Genau die richtige Mischung aus Herz mystery und minimalem Gruselfaktor. Ich mochte die Stimmen, obwohl die beiden Mädels recht ähnlich klangen und ich manchmal nicht sicher war, welche Person gerade erzählt. Ansonsten fand ich die verschiedenen Blickwinkel gut. + + + SPOILER + + +Nur der vom Raum hat nicht wirklich viel beigetragen und die super kurzen Abschnitte haben manchmal eher verwirrt. + + + SPOILER ENDE + + +
Ich würde gerne eine spin-off story von Layla und Mira hören, die keine Horrorelemente beinhaltet.
Ich würde gerne eine spin-off story von Layla und Mira hören, die keine Horrorelemente beinhaltet.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, and Death
Moderate: Blood, Homophobia, Car accident, Body horror, Mental illness, Suicide, Religious bigotry, and Biphobia
theromanticace's review
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
- 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
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide and Death
Minor: Forced institutionalization and Homophobia
cboddie's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.5
8th & up
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Suicide, and Grief
Moderate: Homophobia
kayladaila's review against another edition
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Child death, Death, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Stalking, Panic attacks/disorders, Lesbophobia, Religious bigotry, Gaslighting, and Biphobia
anna_23's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Violence, Suicide, and Homophobia
Minor: Stalking
kaseycanread's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, and Suicide
avidreaderandgeekgirl's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- 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? It's complicated
4.0
I received an audio review copy from the publisher through Netgalley all opinions are my own.
I enjoyed this book a lot. However, I found Layla a bit difficult to like at times. She frustrated me in certain situations with her reactions. I had mixed feelings about the ending, since what was the cause of the problems in the room was never entirely clear, which was a bit frustrating, but the final part was also very good. I liked the diverse characters and the thoughts on immigrant parents and how they kind of get stuck in time. The romantic element was predictable. I wish the book had been longer, which is rarely a feeling I have in these types of books. Overall, a pretty good book!
The narration was excellent.
I enjoyed this book a lot. However, I found Layla a bit difficult to like at times. She frustrated me in certain situations with her reactions. I had mixed feelings about the ending, since what was the cause of the problems in the room was never entirely clear, which was a bit frustrating, but the final part was also very good. I liked the diverse characters and the thoughts on immigrant parents and how they kind of get stuck in time. The romantic element was predictable. I wish the book had been longer, which is rarely a feeling I have in these types of books. Overall, a pretty good book!
The narration was excellent.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Grief
Moderate: Car accident, Suicide, Fire/Fire injury, and Homophobia
oldandnewbooksmell's review
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Trigger Warning: Mentions of death and suicide, drowning, grief
While touring colleges around the east coast and the midwest during their spring break, best friends Mira and Layla get stranded at the Wildwood Motel in Indiana after their car breaks down in a rainstorm. But something is off about their Room 9 assignment. Mira begins having haunting nightmares and visions of her dead brother, but Layla doesn’t see anything. Sure, the place is a little run down, but it’s got that small town feel Layla can’t wait to capture on her camera.
When they learn that eight people have died in that exact same room, they realize there must be something sinister going on - they just need to find the connection before Mira becomes the next.
This was a page turner for me that though I kind of knew what was happening, it was intriguing to watch the characters connect the dots. I seemed to only be a few pages ahead of them when it came to that, so it was fun to see that I was almost always on the right path. I also enjoyed the deeper dive into grief and how everyone handles it differently.
I loved the pictures included in the novel, especially when I would find something in them. My only problem was, and it may have been just because I was reading a digital ARC and it wasn’t formatted correctly, was that sometimes the photos that would be mentioned or talked about you wouldn’t have access to until a few pages later. Wasn’t a big deal, but it would have been nice to have the comparison within a page flip.
It was also nice to read about two Arabic Muslim teenage girls as the main characters. They talk about their different dialects, the differences between their parents, how they both practice their religion, and even the differences between the Arabic pronunciation of their name versus the English pronunciation.
Overall, this is a fun, keep me near the edge of my seat, YA horror read. I will definitely be recommending this to anyone who loves YA horror, as well as those who want a bit of a spooky read some closer to Halloween.
*Thank you Henry Holt and Co. and NetGalley for a digital advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Child death, and Grief
Moderate: Death and Suicide
jenn_magoo's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
4.0
Super spooky, and ominous vibes throughout the whole story. I also enjoyed the included photos throughout the novel. Definitely an emotional book, that should have trigger warnings because many heavy topics were discussed. I enjoyed the characters and thought they were well described. It was a great debut. 4 stars. Thank you NetGalley, Children's Publishing Group, Henry Holt and Co. for in e-arc in exchange for my honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide