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3.0 AVERAGE
3.0 AVERAGE
Ugh these “best friends”. I can’t believe how disappointing this was, hideous characters, dull plot. Had me eye rolling a lot. And to think this a NYT best seller author, no way.
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
So, this one was a bit of a mixed bag for me. I started off loving it. It was funny. It was reflective of how it feels to grow up as a teen girl, and of the evolution and potential separation of friendship. It felt like a metaphor about navigating teenage, female hormones, and the awkward transitions from high school to college/teen years to young adult years in comparison to getting lost in the woods on a hike only half prepared for the trip. It seemed like a YA contemporary for about the first 60% of the book. And, it was a slow pace.
The Thriller aspect didn't settle in until around the 60% mark, though. And, from there, suddenly the pace changed. Taking in account the genre change, pace change, the unnecessary plot device around the 70% mark, and the abrupt, unsatisfying ending, the last 40% of the book was just jarring, enough so to drastically lower my rating...
The Thriller aspect didn't settle in until around the 60% mark, though. And, from there, suddenly the pace changed. Taking in account the genre change, pace change, the unnecessary plot device around the 70% mark, and the abrupt, unsatisfying ending, the last 40% of the book was just jarring, enough so to drastically lower my rating...
Did like the book. At the beginning it was difficult to keep reading because it wasn’t that interesting for me, I had to force myself to keep reading to see if it got better cause “there’s someone inside your house” was soooooo good and it had the same vibe that I had to know if it got better. It did. There is a point in the book that has you hooked cause the suspense it is brilliant. Couldn’t put it down. The feeling of having to know what’s going to happen kept me going. The descriptions of suspense scenes and the injuries were on point and had me cringing and so anxious and were great. As I said, the book is good, definitely would recommend first there’s someone inside your house and then this one.
The Woods Are Always Watching was alright, but it wasn’t the best book I have read. It wouldn’t be the first thriller I recommend to people.
I expected this to pick up right away, but it was pretty slow. It took about 100ish pages before I got sucked in. Our main characters were pretty unlikeable, they just fought the whole time. It was pretty frustrating having to read about them repeatedly insulting each other.
After it picks up, the book does get better. But it fell flat when it came to the ending. It needed MORE, an epilogue or something. It ended far too abruptly for my taste.
I wouldn’t suggest this for hardcore thriller lovers. It’s just an okay read. I will say that I think it would make a pretty good tv show. I know Stephanie Perkins already has one book in the works, maybe this one will get picked up too.
I expected this to pick up right away, but it was pretty slow. It took about 100ish pages before I got sucked in. Our main characters were pretty unlikeable, they just fought the whole time. It was pretty frustrating having to read about them repeatedly insulting each other.
After it picks up, the book does get better. But it fell flat when it came to the ending. It needed MORE, an epilogue or something. It ended far too abruptly for my taste.
I wouldn’t suggest this for hardcore thriller lovers. It’s just an okay read. I will say that I think it would make a pretty good tv show. I know Stephanie Perkins already has one book in the works, maybe this one will get picked up too.
Overall I found this book enjoyable, though I didn't love it. I enjoyed portions of the book immensely though which is why I give it three stars!
First what I enjoyed.
I really liked the architecture of the book. I completely overlooked the first section of the book being called "Together", so when I began noticing clear chapter definitions that were blank (no chapter titles), I thought that was an odd way to structure a book. Not even a "Chapter one, chapter two, etc.." layout. That is, until I reached the midway section titled "Apart". Then each chapter was labelled as "Josie" and "Neena" because the book shifted in to two separate POVs. I thought this was quite clever! Furthermore, the "Apart" section was during moments of panic and a need for haste. The author skillfully utilized shorter chapters and shorter sentence structure to convey this. Less focus on details and more focus on movement and shorter thoughts. It was conveyed very well!
I also really liked the character development and the characters as a whole. I liked seeing the two protagonists friendship at the beginning, the destruction in the middle, then the camaraderie at the end. I really enjoyed seeing Josie overcome her fears and pain and come out strong at the end!
What I didn't like.
I did not like the villains. I had a suspicion, based on the synopsis, that the main villain would be people but they just weren't scary. Stephanie did have some moments that were very unnerving (like Neena hiding under a boulder facing the wrong way and Josie being alone and broken at the bottom of the hole), but it felt really thrown together. For example, Stephanie wrote about how Neena heard someone walking outside of their campsite the first night but rather than grab them while they're sleeping and weak in their tent... they create this elaborate trap of beer bottle caps and a giant hole instead. It feels like a bunch of extra work without a real reason for it. I'm not convinced they're intelligent enough to do too much planning because two teenage girls outwit them at the end. Furthermore, that's how they caught the other couple before they grabbed our protagonists! It just felt a little skewed.
I also did not like the ending. Why would Josie be the one to drive a freaking vehicle? She shattered her ankle and lost her hand which would definitely result in blood loss. I also don't like that the book just ends with them turning on the car. I want to know if they made it to the hospital. If they were able to make a report to the police to find the murderers in the woods. If they found the bodies. It just left a lot to be desired. I understand we're supposed to be happy that they escaped, but did they really? Or did they die on the road because of blood loss? Maybe I just don't like open ended endings...
Overall, I did enjoy the read, but I don't think I'd find myself reading it again.
First what I enjoyed.
I really liked the architecture of the book. I completely overlooked the first section of the book being called "Together", so when I began noticing clear chapter definitions that were blank (no chapter titles), I thought that was an odd way to structure a book. Not even a "Chapter one, chapter two, etc.." layout. That is, until I reached the midway section titled "Apart". Then each chapter was labelled as "Josie" and "Neena" because the book shifted in to two separate POVs. I thought this was quite clever! Furthermore, the "Apart" section was during moments of panic and a need for haste. The author skillfully utilized shorter chapters and shorter sentence structure to convey this. Less focus on details and more focus on movement and shorter thoughts. It was conveyed very well!
I also really liked the character development and the characters as a whole. I liked seeing the two protagonists friendship at the beginning, the destruction in the middle, then the camaraderie at the end. I really enjoyed seeing Josie overcome her fears and pain and come out strong at the end!
What I didn't like.
I did not like the villains. I had a suspicion, based on the synopsis, that the main villain would be people but they just weren't scary. Stephanie did have some moments that were very unnerving (like Neena hiding under a boulder facing the wrong way and Josie being alone and broken at the bottom of the hole), but it felt really thrown together. For example, Stephanie wrote about how Neena heard someone walking outside of their campsite the first night but rather than grab them while they're sleeping and weak in their tent... they create this elaborate trap of beer bottle caps and a giant hole instead. It feels like a bunch of extra work without a real reason for it. I'm not convinced they're intelligent enough to do too much planning because two teenage girls outwit them at the end. Furthermore, that's how they caught the other couple before they grabbed our protagonists! It just felt a little skewed.
I also did not like the ending. Why would Josie be the one to drive a freaking vehicle? She shattered her ankle and lost her hand which would definitely result in blood loss. I also don't like that the book just ends with them turning on the car. I want to know if they made it to the hospital. If they were able to make a report to the police to find the murderers in the woods. If they found the bodies. It just left a lot to be desired. I understand we're supposed to be happy that they escaped, but did they really? Or did they die on the road because of blood loss? Maybe I just don't like open ended endings...
Overall, I did enjoy the read, but I don't think I'd find myself reading it again.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
The book was captivating for sure in the end. I unfortunately like when stories have complete endings and this ending was not satisfying for me.
TW: Gary Michael Hilton
If you love a camp story horror thriller, you'll love this book! Once the story picks up, you won't be able to put it down!
Neena and Josie are girl bosses, period. I will say there were a few parts in this story where I was so gooped. Like how are you going to say that to your best friend?
I feel this story really played off the case of Gary Michael Hilton and he's even mentioned in the book.
I will say, I loved the bear parts.
If you love a camp story horror thriller, you'll love this book! Once the story picks up, you won't be able to put it down!
Neena and Josie are girl bosses, period. I will say there were a few parts in this story where I was so gooped. Like how are you going to say that to your best friend?
I feel this story really played off the case of Gary Michael Hilton and he's even mentioned in the book.
I will say, I loved the bear parts.
I did not like this book. The idea is very good, but it read more like a draft than a finished book. It also seems the writer thinks the only people that it is all right to stereotype are southern white men. I will not be reading any more books by this author.