Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.19 AVERAGE
3.19 AVERAGE
mysterious
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:
No
2.5 Stars in actuality. I'll be honest, I was REALLY looking forward to this book, and maybe that was my bad. Maybe I had too high expectations. Either way, I was quite disappointed. I had bought this book over a year ago and had finally gotten around to it, and when I noticed it was the same author as "We Were Liars" I was even more excited. In fact, I was fueled to finish it so I could look up other reviews to see if I was crazy or maybe just in a god-awful mood.
However, I think the consensus is pretty uniform. This book 1) starts off at the end of the story basically. I mean it is a story you read backwards after all. But I don't think that kind of formatting works at all with a mystery, something where you are supposed to be on the edge of your seat for, because we already know what happens. 2) Again, it's pretty predictable. I could guess what was coming up, the only real twists and shocks were at the very end. Once when we find out she never even went to Greenbriar, and then for the second (and last) time when the detective thought SHE was Imogen. And that brings me to this, 3) why would they assume that she was Imogen? Why wouldn't they assume that Jule ran off with all the new money she had just got from Imogen's "suicide". That part in particular made no sense to me. Side note- a small 4) some of the more feminist parts annoyed me. Felt like it was written to kind of forced. Like the main character was a girl so she had to sprinkle in this stuff, and maybe it was to make us like the main character more? But if anything it made me dislike her even more because it felt as if she thought it would win sympathy. I think it was just used in the complete wrong way and could've added so much to the story.
As much as this book angered me, I can't necessarily say that this was bad writing. Sure some of it was, but I think it might have just been me. Maybe this ISN'T my genre of books. I like the side characters a lot and like the complexity of the characters. And I think the details and the imagery in the book really did work well. Not only that but it definitely is an interesting plot idea. Again, maybe if I had read it in a different format of writing I would have enjoyed it more? And maybe tomorrow when it isn't 3:30AM I'll look back and see that these things aren't as big of a deal as I thought or maybe it will make sense more, but for now, this is my stand.
Overall it had some interesting and complex (likable) characters, a nice story to it, and good imagery in it. However, I absolutely despised the main character and there wasn't really a mystery or and twist and turns like I thought there might be. If you enjoyed this book then I genuinely am sorry about my review but good for you! Keep enjoying it, and I am genuinely happy for you. It is just simply not for me, unfortunately.
However, I think the consensus is pretty uniform. This book 1) starts off at the end of the story basically. I mean it is a story you read backwards after all. But I don't think that kind of formatting works at all with a mystery, something where you are supposed to be on the edge of your seat for, because we already know what happens. 2) Again, it's pretty predictable. I could guess what was coming up, the only real twists and shocks were at the very end. Once when we find out she never even went to Greenbriar, and then for the second (and last) time when the detective thought SHE was Imogen. And that brings me to this, 3) why would they assume that she was Imogen? Why wouldn't they assume that Jule ran off with all the new money she had just got from Imogen's "suicide". That part in particular made no sense to me. Side note- a small 4) some of the more feminist parts annoyed me. Felt like it was written to kind of forced. Like the main character was a girl so she had to sprinkle in this stuff, and maybe it was to make us like the main character more? But if anything it made me dislike her even more because it felt as if she thought it would win sympathy. I think it was just used in the complete wrong way and could've added so much to the story.
As much as this book angered me, I can't necessarily say that this was bad writing. Sure some of it was, but I think it might have just been me. Maybe this ISN'T my genre of books. I like the side characters a lot and like the complexity of the characters. And I think the details and the imagery in the book really did work well. Not only that but it definitely is an interesting plot idea. Again, maybe if I had read it in a different format of writing I would have enjoyed it more? And maybe tomorrow when it isn't 3:30AM I'll look back and see that these things aren't as big of a deal as I thought or maybe it will make sense more, but for now, this is my stand.
Overall it had some interesting and complex (likable) characters, a nice story to it, and good imagery in it. However, I absolutely despised the main character and there wasn't really a mystery or and twist and turns like I thought there might be. If you enjoyed this book then I genuinely am sorry about my review but good for you! Keep enjoying it, and I am genuinely happy for you. It is just simply not for me, unfortunately.
Honestly I couldn't finished We Were Liars and I think this book really missed a mark for me. I did the audiobook and the accents by the reader really helped me through it. I don't know if E. Lockhart is an author for me.
Ambitious effort by this author. Her writing style is succinct yet very descriptive, and that is her definite strength. I know the trend is to write about a character who is severely flawed yet fascinating, but so much of the story seemed far-fetched and implausible. I still do not understand how gullible every other character could be and how Jule wasn't caught in the act or how she was able to morph into the different personas. I felt very little empathy for Jule, and I'm not sure if I was supposed to. The direction of the story totally works although you need to concentrate on how the story unfolds.
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
it was honestly a little boring. the same inner dialogue and “message” was portrayed every time jules got deep, and the hero shit was annoying. it also felt super simple while trying to be very philosophical.
i didnt expect the first death until the buildup to it and then i predicted the second death almost immediately. i also wasn’t expecting jules backstory to be a complete lie but its not very surprising.
idk it was okay. i dont think e. lockhart is an author for me.
i didnt expect the first death until the buildup to it and then i predicted the second death almost immediately. i also wasn’t expecting jules backstory to be a complete lie but its not very surprising.
idk it was okay. i dont think e. lockhart is an author for me.
Actual rating: 3 1/2 stars. The main character was annoying and the things she did are terrible BUT I kinda liked the way it was told backwards. It kept me guessing the entire time and was a quick and easy read.
Not sure how to feel about this book...the timeline moves backwards instead of forward, so you learn more and more about the background of the plot. But...I still have so many questions. It's a confusing story and I don't know how to feel. I finished it in one day, so obviously it was engaging and interesting. But at the same time, I'm disappointed with how the story ended.
This wasn’t very good. It didn’t make any sense, I don’t like that it was never explained why Jule acted like that and I honestly felt like she wasn’t particularly good or smart? She was so delusional and creepy and I couldn’t stand being in her head. Like We Were Liars, I’m not a fan of E. Lockhart’s affinity for rich mediocre white people getting away with murder.