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akliatese's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- 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? Yes
4.0
jansbookcorner's review against another edition
2.0
Once again I’m going against popular opinion. While the writing for the most part was great, there were times this story bogged down. Plus the ending was a little unrealistic. I am not the person for this book. The story was a lot rougher than I expected. Plus I never got a good grasp on who Kit really is. Overall a mixed bag for me.
shealennon's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- 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? Yes
4.0
destdest's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Wasn’t for me but not bad.
The story paints the setting well with the vibes of a rundown trailer park, fleas, old southern town in the backwoods. It had the common beats of the teenager that’s acting out, the hardened mother with a past, and her smooth-talking manipulative, abuser ex coming back into town. But I never cared about any of these characters or their journeys here.
On the positive, the book had an effectively good portrayal of grooming, codependency, and abandonment issues. There’s probably a character study that could be done on Manny. You see how people get drawn into Manny’s web easily and why Kit is so starved for love and paranoid all the time. But I hated the dialogue and didn’t care too much for the story telling style.
The story paints the setting well with the vibes of a rundown trailer park, fleas, old southern town in the backwoods. It had the common beats of the teenager that’s acting out, the hardened mother with a past, and her smooth-talking manipulative, abuser ex coming back into town. But I never cared about any of these characters or their journeys here.
On the positive, the book had an effectively good portrayal of grooming, codependency, and abandonment issues. There’s probably a character study that could be done on Manny. You see how people get drawn into Manny’s web easily and why Kit is so starved for love and paranoid all the time. But I hated the dialogue and didn’t care too much for the story telling style.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Murder, Domestic abuse, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Physical abuse, and Pregnancy
Minor: Racism, Sexual content, Child abuse, and Sexual assault
shelbygb's review against another edition
4.0
This book made me realize how blessed I actually am in life and how much shittier life could actually be. Great story about trials and tribulations and learning to put trust in others. Idk why the author felt the need to be so descriptive with the nastiest things though
mg_in_md_'s review against another edition
3.0
This debut novel set in East Texas goes back and forth between the 1970s and the 1990s. The main character is Kit Walker, a kid who the foster care system has failed and is abducted by smooth-talking Manny Romero in 1970. Manny begins grooming Kit to become his accomplice in schemes that eventually escalate to serious crimes over time. The two become infamous for their gas station robberies and are dubbed the Texas Twosome. When one of their schemes goes wrong, Kit makes a split-second decision to run and free herself from Manny's grip. Manny is arrested but never reveals Kit's identity to the authorities. Thirteen years later, Manny is released from prison and winds up in the small town that Kit has tried to make a life for herself in, though she still hasn't been fully accepted by the locals. His charisma is as strong as ever and he begins insinuating himself into the community with the ultimate goal of making Kit pay him back for the events that led to his arrest.
The tension is palpable throughout, as was Manny's sinister nature. I found the story unsettling, but I credit the writing for making me feel all sorts of uncomfortable. I don't know if I'd say that I "liked" this tale, but I thought the writing was superb. I felt like I'd been transported in time and place, and the characters felt three-dimensional.
Many thanks to HarperCollins/William Morrow and the Book Club Girl Early Read program for the NetGalley digital copy!
I selected this as my pick for the 2022 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge prompt "a book whose title begins with the last letter of your previous read" (it was [b:Nine Lives|58385688|Nine Lives|Peter Swanson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1640548994l/58385688._SY75_.jpg|88094938] by [a:Peter Swanson|7142445|Peter Swanson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1506083984p2/7142445.jpg]).
The tension is palpable throughout, as was Manny's sinister nature. I found the story unsettling, but I credit the writing for making me feel all sorts of uncomfortable. I don't know if I'd say that I "liked" this tale, but I thought the writing was superb. I felt like I'd been transported in time and place, and the characters felt three-dimensional.
Many thanks to HarperCollins/William Morrow and the Book Club Girl Early Read program for the NetGalley digital copy!
I selected this as my pick for the 2022 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge prompt "a book whose title begins with the last letter of your previous read" (it was [b:Nine Lives|58385688|Nine Lives|Peter Swanson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1640548994l/58385688._SY75_.jpg|88094938] by [a:Peter Swanson|7142445|Peter Swanson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1506083984p2/7142445.jpg]).