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pandash94's review against another edition
2.0
Although this was a fast paced novel, it was very obvious this was directed as YA. So cheesy, so corny, and so cliche. The actual plot itself was interesting and I really wanted to find out who was responsible, but I couldn't get past the cringe dialogue. We really did not need so much suspense about her past to finally reveal a very meh thing.
Possibly for people who are very keen on YA, but not one I'd recommend generally.
Possibly for people who are very keen on YA, but not one I'd recommend generally.
zoer03's review against another edition
5.0
Wow, absolutely brilliant. It grips you and doesn’t let you go. There are so many themes within this book, about guilt, love, hate of self and blame. Also how we view ourselves and what we think is wrong and unworthy of love and comfort can also be from another’s perspective a justifiable reaction to other peoples taunts, bullying and psychological display of power over others. There’s also parents who should never have been parents and cannot are the harm they are inflicting on their neglected child which should be their main focus, but sadly this can be all too real.
I loved the characters and felt anger, sorrow and utter sadness that some of them had their life snuffed out. Just a brilliantly written and plotted thriller.
I loved the characters and felt anger, sorrow and utter sadness that some of them had their life snuffed out. Just a brilliantly written and plotted thriller.
firekissedlibrary's review against another edition
5.0
THE BOOK IS BETTER THAN THE MOVIE. There are a bunch of differences between the two, but for me the book wins. There's a ton of gory detail (which I like) and death. It didn't take long for the action/story to pick up and I appreciate that. The chapters weren't too long and they were fast-paced. This was one of those books I randomly picked up just because and I'm happy I did. Highly recommend it to anyone who likes thrillers and/or suspense books!
mehsi's review against another edition
2.0
Hey, for a YA Contemporary with romance (with the occasional blood) this was a good book. For a YA horror/slasher... not so much.
This review will be chaotic, but dear Lord, I want to write a review right now. While I still very much pissed, while I am still so very much disappointed.
This was one of my MOST anticipated reads of this year. Really, when I heard that one of my most liked authors would be writing something totally different I just wanted to squee in happiness. I couldn't wait to see how Stephanie Perkins would write Slasher/Horror books. I was curious, I wanted to know more.
But sadly, after a fantastic, creepy, OMG WHAT THE HELL, opening.. the rest of the book frankly just was boring and bland.
But hey, as I said, for a YA romance it was good. I just adored Ollie and Makani together. They are a cute couple, and I was rooting for them. And of course hoping it wouldn't be Ollie who was the murderer. I loved how sweet Ollie was towards Makani, how caring he was. How he was there for her when she needed him.
It also didn't help that we knew who the murderer was around midway. Yep. That sure killed even more of my happiness. I don't want to know the murderer until the end.
The secret, the BIG GIANT secret that is so often hinted at that eventually I just was bored by it and how Makani never ever told anyone. We learn all about it around page 194, and it was so anticlimatic and so lame that I couldn't even care. Plus I found it all so highly bullshit.
The murders? I expected people to drop left and right, but instead the murders didn't happen that much, between the first and the second is 70 pages, between the second and the third are 50 pages. Between that? A little bit of fear, but yep, mostly romance. Whoop whoop.
After learning Makani's secret I still had about 80 pages left, and those pages were the lowest. I just had to struggle so hard to get through the book. Plus with the murderer know.... it wasn't even that scary any more, it was more a question of when would he hit again and if he would stay with his pattern or if he would just randomly go for things as cornered people would often do.
Plus
And oh yeah, sure, if you just bundled those murders and the parts together where the kids were terrified and trying to figure out what was going, it would have been a good book and true to the advertising/blurb. But now it just focused too much on the romance, too much on Ollie and Makani, too much on that secret. Well, I guess if you only took those scary/creepy/murder parts you wouldn't hold much of a book. Maybe about 80-100 pages max. And high number is mostly because the last 60-ish pages were mainly about the murders. Yes, about 35% of this book. Also I really don't have anything against romance, but if the book is promoted, advertised and made to seem as a horror/slasher, it shouldn't be the focus. It shouldn't be the main point.
So yeah, those last 60 (well ish) pages were OK, so bumping up my rating by 1, but the ending (well that last page) just plainly sucked. That is how it all ends? And I am dropping my rate by 0.5 stars. In the end I am rating this book 2 stars.
Very disappointed in this one. So very disappointed. :( *sighs*
I may have missed some things, but as I said at the beginning I am still quite urgghhh about things, my head isn't clear. But I think I got the main point across. I am not sure if I would recommend this book, though I would warn people who come here expecting a lot of gruesome stuff. There is some, but it is here and there, and then there is the last 60-ish pages.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
This review will be chaotic, but dear Lord, I want to write a review right now. While I still very much pissed, while I am still so very much disappointed.
This was one of my MOST anticipated reads of this year. Really, when I heard that one of my most liked authors would be writing something totally different I just wanted to squee in happiness. I couldn't wait to see how Stephanie Perkins would write Slasher/Horror books. I was curious, I wanted to know more.
But sadly, after a fantastic, creepy, OMG WHAT THE HELL, opening.. the rest of the book frankly just was boring and bland.
But hey, as I said, for a YA romance it was good. I just adored Ollie and Makani together. They are a cute couple, and I was rooting for them. And of course hoping it wouldn't be Ollie who was the murderer. I loved how sweet Ollie was towards Makani, how caring he was. How he was there for her when she needed him.
It also didn't help that we knew who the murderer was around midway. Yep. That sure killed even more of my happiness. I don't want to know the murderer until the end.
The secret, the BIG GIANT secret that is so often hinted at that eventually I just was bored by it and how Makani never ever told anyone. We learn all about it around page 194, and it was so anticlimatic and so lame that I couldn't even care. Plus I found it all so highly bullshit.
Spoiler
So she cut off her best friend's hair after a gruelling initiation. Her best friend almost drowned. But apparently NO ONE gave a shit about that or the whole initiation and what happened there. Oh no. Apparently all they cared about was Makani who had the word Bitch on her head and the knife in her hand. Whut the actual hell is wrong with the world that someone get arrested, suspended, death threats and other things over something as cut hair. Why didn't anyone care how this all came to be? Why didn't anyone care to punish those seniors?The murders? I expected people to drop left and right, but instead the murders didn't happen that much, between the first and the second is 70 pages, between the second and the third are 50 pages. Between that? A little bit of fear, but yep, mostly romance. Whoop whoop.
After learning Makani's secret I still had about 80 pages left, and those pages were the lowest. I just had to struggle so hard to get through the book. Plus with the murderer know.... it wasn't even that scary any more, it was more a question of when would he hit again and if he would stay with his pattern or if he would just randomly go for things as cornered people would often do.
Plus
Spoiler
Who the hell leaves their teenage daughter ALONE with their siblings when there is a murderer walking around town? I just found that so unbelievably stupid. Take those kids with you or just stay home. Really, this just stood out so much and I was face palming.And oh yeah, sure, if you just bundled those murders and the parts together where the kids were terrified and trying to figure out what was going, it would have been a good book and true to the advertising/blurb. But now it just focused too much on the romance, too much on Ollie and Makani, too much on that secret. Well, I guess if you only took those scary/creepy/murder parts you wouldn't hold much of a book. Maybe about 80-100 pages max. And high number is mostly because the last 60-ish pages were mainly about the murders. Yes, about 35% of this book. Also I really don't have anything against romance, but if the book is promoted, advertised and made to seem as a horror/slasher, it shouldn't be the focus. It shouldn't be the main point.
So yeah, those last 60 (well ish) pages were OK, so bumping up my rating by 1, but the ending (well that last page) just plainly sucked. That is how it all ends? And I am dropping my rate by 0.5 stars. In the end I am rating this book 2 stars.
Very disappointed in this one. So very disappointed. :( *sighs*
I may have missed some things, but as I said at the beginning I am still quite urgghhh about things, my head isn't clear. But I think I got the main point across. I am not sure if I would recommend this book, though I would warn people who come here expecting a lot of gruesome stuff. There is some, but it is here and there, and then there is the last 60-ish pages.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
ca_mila's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this book while I was reading it, but it's not great. The characters are flat and even though Stephanie Perkins is really good at writing tension in scenes, the actual plot felt too detached from the characters for my liking. I also wish that there was more of a whodunnit aspect to this book, rather than merely slasher fiction, but every time the characters tried to figure it out, I had no idea what they were talking about because the characters were all strangers to me.
Full review at: https://inkdropsbooks.wordpress.com/2017/11/15/theres-someone-inside-your-house-stephanie-perkins-review/
Full review at: https://inkdropsbooks.wordpress.com/2017/11/15/theres-someone-inside-your-house-stephanie-perkins-review/
ceena's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
I totally forgot to write a review about this one and now I'm still not sure how I feel about it... probably even more confused.
I enjoyed read it, let me start with saying that. I did like this.
I loved the diversity element. I didn't realize it would be here, but was happy to see it. The differences and scenes that changed to fit it, were nice.
I also liked the romance. I feel like it happened really quickly, mostly because it was off screen before the book happens, but it was sweet and I loved them together. Ollie is totally someone I would have had a crush on in High School, so I might be a bit biased. There are mentions to teens having sex, although there are no sex scenes and safe sex practices are discussed. I feel like these are all good things that help the book be allowed (or allow more people to feel comfortable) to read it.
The murders are told in explicit detail and honestly, I took this as a good thing. There were still times I went "ungh" when the murders were discussed, but it was pretty mild. It did make the murders more intense and thrilling -- I really liked it. It is a thriller though, so guessing the bad guy isn't really the important thing. Catching them, is. I won't say this had me going "oh my god, oh my god, ohmygod" like many thrillers do, but I still had fun with it.
The thing is, I also remember that I didn't exactly like how the ending went down. I thought some things were too easy, some things made me kind of roll my eyes, and I believe I did groan at one point. I can't say what happens though! And, I'm probably being picky, but how I feel at the end of the book is really important to me. It is that last feeling you are given.
Also, the dark secret Makani is hiding from her friends? I think it was overhyped a bit. I also don't see why she was the only one vilified.
So, in the end, I did enjoy this book and I might try another book by this author. I'll be recommending it to people who are looking to try out a Thriller or Horror for the first time or likes contemporary romance, but wants something more.
I totally forgot to write a review about this one and now I'm still not sure how I feel about it... probably even more confused.
I enjoyed read it, let me start with saying that. I did like this.
I loved the diversity element. I didn't realize it would be here, but was happy to see it. The differences and scenes that changed to fit it, were nice.
I also liked the romance. I feel like it happened really quickly, mostly because it was off screen before the book happens, but it was sweet and I loved them together. Ollie is totally someone I would have had a crush on in High School, so I might be a bit biased. There are mentions to teens having sex, although there are no sex scenes and safe sex practices are discussed. I feel like these are all good things that help the book be allowed (or allow more people to feel comfortable) to read it.
The murders are told in explicit detail and honestly, I took this as a good thing. There were still times I went "ungh" when the murders were discussed, but it was pretty mild. It did make the murders more intense and thrilling -- I really liked it. It is a thriller though, so guessing the bad guy isn't really the important thing. Catching them, is. I won't say this had me going "oh my god, oh my god, ohmygod" like many thrillers do, but I still had fun with it.
The thing is, I also remember that I didn't exactly like how the ending went down. I thought some things were too easy, some things made me kind of roll my eyes, and I believe I did groan at one point. I can't say what happens though! And, I'm probably being picky, but how I feel at the end of the book is really important to me. It is that last feeling you are given.
Also, the dark secret Makani is hiding from her friends? I think it was overhyped a bit. I also don't see why she was the only one vilified.
So, in the end, I did enjoy this book and I might try another book by this author. I'll be recommending it to people who are looking to try out a Thriller or Horror for the first time or likes contemporary romance, but wants something more.
meeranair_54's review against another edition
4.0
Osborne, Nebraska seldom draws attention from the outside. It is a quaint little place where everybody knows everybody. But when students of Osborne High start to become victims of a serial killer, the entire world tunes in. There's a pattern to these killings, which none other than Makani Young and her friends are able to notice. Unfortunately for them, the devious killer is always one step ahead, messing with the minds of his next victims. Would they have to fend for themselves in a town where the police seem incapable of solving the case?
In true YA murder-mystery fashion, this book involved a good chunk of school drama and suspense. That was exactly what roped me in. It was one of those books for which I read the synopsis and had to pick it up the very next second. What's sad to see is that the poor ratings of this book stem from the fact that it doesn't border on paranormal even though it is categorized as horror. Certainly it is evident that horror doesn't merely pertain to that which is supernatural, it is in fact the emotion elicited from being spooked. And boy does the serial killer know how to horrify his/her victims before he/she goes in for the kill! I know that Stephanie Perkins' writing is highly hyped because of her YA romance novels, but never having read anything written by her, I didn't know what to expect. I really really enjoyed reading There's Someone Inside Your House. It was written in a very chatty and smooth manner, such that you can breeze through it. The narration is easy to grasp and doesn't disconnect from the story. As with any suspense, you attempt to guess who the culprit may be throughout the book, but in this one it is not predictable by a long shot.
The characterization isn't all that unique, because the author employs some tropes relevant to high school hierarchies. The male lead is shown to be brooding, quiet and slightly secretive. The "jock" is inevitably a douche. There isn't much substance on secondary characters except for when they are in danger of being attacked. Mostly everyone performs the role of furthering the plot, by creating an air of whodunnit. Even though the plot isn't complicated or filled with twists and turns, you find yourself bewildered by how the story progresses. Fair warning to people who can't stomach gore, the killings are quite brutal. Those who love books like Pretty Little Liars, One Of Us Is Lying and Dangerous Girls, should definitely pick up this one; you won't be disappointed for sure.
What do you get out of it? A fun, thrilling read.
In true YA murder-mystery fashion, this book involved a good chunk of school drama and suspense. That was exactly what roped me in. It was one of those books for which I read the synopsis and had to pick it up the very next second. What's sad to see is that the poor ratings of this book stem from the fact that it doesn't border on paranormal even though it is categorized as horror. Certainly it is evident that horror doesn't merely pertain to that which is supernatural, it is in fact the emotion elicited from being spooked. And boy does the serial killer know how to horrify his/her victims before he/she goes in for the kill! I know that Stephanie Perkins' writing is highly hyped because of her YA romance novels, but never having read anything written by her, I didn't know what to expect. I really really enjoyed reading There's Someone Inside Your House. It was written in a very chatty and smooth manner, such that you can breeze through it. The narration is easy to grasp and doesn't disconnect from the story. As with any suspense, you attempt to guess who the culprit may be throughout the book, but in this one it is not predictable by a long shot.
The characterization isn't all that unique, because the author employs some tropes relevant to high school hierarchies. The male lead is shown to be brooding, quiet and slightly secretive. The "jock" is inevitably a douche. There isn't much substance on secondary characters except for when they are in danger of being attacked. Mostly everyone performs the role of furthering the plot, by creating an air of whodunnit. Even though the plot isn't complicated or filled with twists and turns, you find yourself bewildered by how the story progresses. Fair warning to people who can't stomach gore, the killings are quite brutal. Those who love books like Pretty Little Liars, One Of Us Is Lying and Dangerous Girls, should definitely pick up this one; you won't be disappointed for sure.
What do you get out of it? A fun, thrilling read.
sallyrooneystan's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
reeny_lizabeth's review
dark
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
3.75