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3.5 AVERAGE
3.5 AVERAGE
Suspected the twist at less than 30 pages in and was convinced 50 pages in (which is usually not me at all), but overall a fun ride.
Quick read. 3.5. Very predictable. I can’t imagine anyone reading it and not knowing what comes next, but I liked it.
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
You'll enjoy this if you can suspend all semblance of disbelief. Super quick and easy read but full of plot holes and the basic premise is completely unbelievable. Because 4 women are going to hop on a plane to a deserted island to spend a couple days with someone they absolutely tortured for years and haven't spoken to in a decade and think it's going to be so much fun! SURE JAN. Also, not one of them heard about Poppy's suicide? Yeah. Right. I'm giving 2.5 stars because I did genuinely enjoy the story and was satisfied that Poppy's sister got revenge. Although I highly doubt she'll actually get away with it and ending the book when the author did conveniently avoided that inevitable outcome. I was left unsatisfied by the fact that we don't know what happened with Ollie. I really want him to get his due.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Self harm, Suicide, Violence, Toxic friendship
Moderate: Infidelity
Do cameras in British school not exist or smth? Also is there a part two bc I want one…
Wow! These women were horrible people! Kids can be monsters, but these never grew into anything better. A bunch of miserable, terrible people. It's a pure miracle none of these women bore evil spawn. I am still dumbfounded that they could be so delusional to think this woman they positively destroyed would sincerely want them to be a part of her wonderful celebration. Delusional and soulless. I am being majorly judgmental, I understand, but just wow. Childish cruelty is a tragedy unto itself but to lose her spot in university?! Her one saving grace? Something that could (and did) further alter the course of her entire life?? Unimaginable. Tanya's self pity is no penance. So far beyond too far, to tear away her hope without a second thought. Now Wendy! Clearly "Poppy" wasn't dead, but that was a pretty slick twist. I'm pretty hard to catch entirely off guard and I didn't even think to consider any such thing until she said she wasn't Poppy. Well done! One thing I don't quite understand is how they knew she was cutting herself with glass. That doesn't seem like a first-choice cutting implement. I thought it would be revealed that Wendy had unwittingly betrayed her or intentionally for clout with the girls. The cutting could have been conspicuous, but them knowing to desecrate her art with glass and not just slash it up felt like a bit of a loose end. But 4 stars for the Wendy twist and making me feel such infuriation!
"She Started It" is a true-to-form slasher about four absolute wastes of space getting exactly what they deserve. It's the kind of book judged by how much fun you have with it, and by that rubric I think it did really well. The four main characters are kind of indistinct personality-wise, and I guessed all the twists pretty easily once the clues were laid out (I wish the prologue wasn't a thing because it spoils who the final girl is going to be), but it was a good, vaguely mean-spirited time with a very satisfying ending.
There was wayyyy too much happening with this one. For starters, we’re reading from five different perspectives which left me feeling confused more than excited. Poppy’s diary entries do not feel realistic at all, with her making note of tiny details she wouldn’t have noticed without hindsight, yet she’s supposed to be writing them in real time.
I saw the first twist coming from miles away, and the second twist was an easy guess as I got closer to the ending.
Overall, it was an interesting premise and I didn’t completely hate reading it for the story itself, but it was not executed well at all.
I saw the first twist coming from miles away, and the second twist was an easy guess as I got closer to the ending.
Overall, it was an interesting premise and I didn’t completely hate reading it for the story itself, but it was not executed well at all.
I got this from BOTM because it sounded like the summery, toxic friendship chaos of You're Invited.
And to an extent it was. But not nearly as good for me.
First off, I had to switch to the audio pretty quickly because I couldn't really tell the difference between POVs. The full cast was really necessary for me.
Then, and this is not the book's fault, but the ending was so glaringly obvious to me the second we knew Poppy had a sister. I think it's because I had read a book recently that had a bullied girl's sister avenge her after her suicide. So, I kind of figured where we were going.
But it was a fun ride. I guessed the most of the secrets the women were hiding (Tanya's drug problem, Chloe sleeping with Annabel's husband, Esther's abusive boyfriend) but not others (Annabel's kleptomania). I also took a while to put together that if Robin thought Annabel was the bride, Annabel was the one left standing in the opening.
The ending, with Wendy killing all the women but letting Annabel take the fall was great (my god, they deserved it) but again...SO similar to another book I read not that long ago.
I'm glad they got their comeuppance. It was hilarious when Annabel, the "smart" one was like "hmmmm, but who could look like Poppy and have seen her journal and know what happened?" knowing full well Wendy existed.
The bullying was horrific. Poor Poppy. Yay avenging sister.
Just a pretty middle of the road thriller.
I would've been happier if Robin was Poppy's secret fiance and helping her. Because then Poppy would be alive and vengeful bisexuals are fun.
Edit: I just looked at my review of The Girls Are All So Nice Here and...Poppy is literally the avenging sister's name lol
And to an extent it was. But not nearly as good for me.
First off, I had to switch to the audio pretty quickly because I couldn't really tell the difference between POVs. The full cast was really necessary for me.
Then, and this is not the book's fault, but the ending was so glaringly obvious to me the second we knew Poppy had a sister. I think it's because I had read a book recently that had a bullied girl's sister avenge her after her suicide. So, I kind of figured where we were going.
But it was a fun ride. I guessed the most of the secrets the women were hiding (Tanya's drug problem, Chloe sleeping with Annabel's husband, Esther's abusive boyfriend) but not others (Annabel's kleptomania). I also took a while to put together that if Robin thought Annabel was the bride, Annabel was the one left standing in the opening.
The ending, with Wendy killing all the women but letting Annabel take the fall was great (my god, they deserved it) but again...SO similar to another book I read not that long ago.
I'm glad they got their comeuppance. It was hilarious when Annabel, the "smart" one was like "hmmmm, but who could look like Poppy and have seen her journal and know what happened?" knowing full well Wendy existed.
The bullying was horrific. Poor Poppy. Yay avenging sister.
Just a pretty middle of the road thriller.
I would've been happier if Robin was Poppy's secret fiance and helping her. Because then Poppy would be alive and vengeful bisexuals are fun.
Edit: I just looked at my review of The Girls Are All So Nice Here and...Poppy is literally the avenging sister's name lol