Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
I was so invested and hooked from the beginning. It’s a page-Turner and smartly written book. I didn’t see the plot twist coming at all. It felt like my heart actually kind of stopped for a moment. The last time I got that feeling was with if we were villains which is one of my favourite books. I really loved the meaning behind Alcetis and the parallels between Theo and Alicia. The ending was so beautiful in some kind of way. I can’t believe this is Alex’s debut novel. It’s so well written and unexpected. This story held me captive and it took me on a journey with an abundance of twits and turns that left me speechless and shocked. A must read!!
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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
The more I actually sit down and consider this book, the lower my opinion of it falls. The twist is interesting enough, and I appreciate that the audience's assumption of a chronological narrative is what creates the surprise. That said, I'm not a fan of how it essentially renders huge portions of the book meaningless. The book is also hugely overwritten at times, especially in Theo's voice.
More than anything else though, I can't stand the way women are written in this book. It's like the author was going down a checklist of misogynistic stereotypes. Either they're motherly, a helpless victim, a sex kitten, crazy, or a self-centered bitch (and sometimes multiple of these at once.) Regardless, they'll be body shamed for being too skinny or too fat, particularly if the narrative considers them a bad person.
This book has its merits — a strong voice, intriguing mystery, and interesting twist — but that doesn't outweigh its rough spots for me.
More than anything else though, I can't stand the way women are written in this book. It's like the author was going down a checklist of misogynistic stereotypes. Either they're motherly, a helpless victim, a sex kitten, crazy, or a self-centered bitch (and sometimes multiple of these at once.) Regardless, they'll be body shamed for being too skinny or too fat, particularly if the narrative considers them a bad person.
This book has its merits — a strong voice, intriguing mystery, and interesting twist — but that doesn't outweigh its rough spots for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Mental illness, Self harm, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Suicide attempt, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Predicted the plot. It’s still nice to read something like this again, though. Learned a lot about trauma too and how their trauma manifested from childhood to adulthood.