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3.0 AVERAGE
3.0 AVERAGE
DNF at an hour and a half (almost 20%) in because it still felt like the book was just starting...slow pacing, excessive exposition, and telling rather than showing EVERYTHING about the characters. I've liked other books this author has written and I'm a huge backpacking nerd, so it was a bigger bummer than usual to set this one down.
The fact that this is one of the lowest-rated Goodreads books I've read this year actually makes me a little sad because I think this book was exceptional. Were the characters annoying? Sure. Was the killer reveal a bit of a letdown? Depends on your perspective. However, as a college student who understands the feeling of wanting to hold onto your hometown friends, this felt very realistic. I buy that Neena and Josie are best friends, even though they're fighting, and they feel like real teenagers (which can lead to them making frustrating choices).
Some aspects of this book are a little ridiculous but, as a story about friendship and the loss of it, this is a definite recommend.
Some aspects of this book are a little ridiculous but, as a story about friendship and the loss of it, this is a definite recommend.
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really did not like this book but I also accept that I am not the target audience here, and an actual teen might enjoy it.
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was not for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore
Moderate: Rape
TW's: grief, attempted rape, gore.
"But perhaps it was easier to attack and sever ties now than to watch their friendship disintegrate over time as they grew into their new and separate adulthoods. Perhaps it was easier to kill something than to save it."
Two best friends decide to spend their last days together hiking on the woods. Creepy and disturbing things happens.
"It was shocking how quickly angry words - just like silence - could alter a shared history into insignificance."
There's not a lot I can say without giving spoilers, but this was a dissapointing read. I never felt the supposedly strong bond the "friends" were meant to have, they'd literally fight and bicker about the silliest and most shallow things. The writing was good at building tension and being atmospheric, but the first 100 pages were boring, and it does a lot of telling and not showing.
There's a twist in the middle that I enjoyed, I definitely didn't see that coming. The ending felt like a deus ex-machina, something happens and it's way too convenient for my taste. The girls would also often do so many rash and stupid decisions, it got annoying way too fast. Josie felt more developed than Neena, so perhaps the story would have worked better if it was her survival tale.
"Now, at last, she understood. Years ago, when she had fallen, the world had kept rotating without her. She hadn't known that it was her responsability to get back up. No one could do it for her."
It's interesting to see Perkins trying out different types of genre, and I will keep reading her books, but this one was sadly not good as her previous work.
"But perhaps it was easier to attack and sever ties now than to watch their friendship disintegrate over time as they grew into their new and separate adulthoods. Perhaps it was easier to kill something than to save it."
Two best friends decide to spend their last days together hiking on the woods. Creepy and disturbing things happens.
"It was shocking how quickly angry words - just like silence - could alter a shared history into insignificance."
There's not a lot I can say without giving spoilers, but this was a dissapointing read. I never felt the supposedly strong bond the "friends" were meant to have, they'd literally fight and bicker about the silliest and most shallow things. The writing was good at building tension and being atmospheric, but the first 100 pages were boring, and it does a lot of telling and not showing.
There's a twist in the middle that I enjoyed, I definitely didn't see that coming. The ending felt like a deus ex-machina, something happens and it's way too convenient for my taste. The girls would also often do so many rash and stupid decisions, it got annoying way too fast. Josie felt more developed than Neena, so perhaps the story would have worked better if it was her survival tale.
"Now, at last, she understood. Years ago, when she had fallen, the world had kept rotating without her. She hadn't known that it was her responsability to get back up. No one could do it for her."
It's interesting to see Perkins trying out different types of genre, and I will keep reading her books, but this one was sadly not good as her previous work.
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
BOOOOOO!!! this book takes pains to say that rural people with thick mountain accents can be intelligent and kind, and then in the next breath gives us two smelly, lecherous “hillbillies” who are evil with no explanation. Instant DNF.