Reviews

Friends Like These by Jennifer Lynn Alvarez

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lexi_stark's review against another edition

3.0

It's offical! im out of my reading slump. This book was fast paced and had me intrested in the plot. However for some reason, it didn't hit the mark for me. It wasn't bad, I would reccommend, and I'll be reading more books by this author, but it just fell flat for a reason I cant put my finger on. All the characters I felt indifferent on, and the ending was just okay. I didn't end on a cliff hanger and just wrapped up too nicely for me. Over all, better mystery books out there but this one was very entertaining. Not scary either.

meganrosex's review against another edition

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mysterious tense

4.0

tasha5492's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

shannonmathias's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

5⭐️ based on vibes. Can’t currently comprehend any other rating style.
I was hooked! I liked how there was clear foreshadowing throughout but wasn’t clear until the twist was revealed. I usually find books give away too much in their foreshadowing so this was unexpected. I thought I had predicted everything but I clearly missed trick, the twist was unexpected right up until the last moment.
I liked how the characters weren’t necessarily likeable, they were all morally grey, did bad things and put blame on the people the people around them. I struggled with this up until Jess had this revelation that no one was innocent, everyone was out for themselves. I loved how it showed how erratic teenage/ young adult behaviour can be, how decisions are not well thought out and even after the fact the lack of processing of the event is very realistic. It highlighted how life events no matter how minor or big they are (grief, jealousy, physical injury, addition/ mental health) can change a persons character, decision making and their future choices.
Lastly, I loved how both Jess, Jake and Tegan all realised that sometimes letting go of the past is the best way forward. Holding grudges or holding on to something that isn’t working or put you in a toxic headspace isn’t worth it and that it is ok to grow apart, and that letting go of eachother is not a negative reflection of their character but their growth.
Definitely recommend!