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3.41 AVERAGE
3.41 AVERAGE
This book was... weird. I found it incredibly hard to finish because I was quite bored. TifAni was annoying, glib, and so self-righteous. Not someone I wanted to "hear" talk.
Warning- this book talks about a lot of tough topics.
Warning- this book talks about a lot of tough topics.
This book has been compared to 'Gone Girl' but it's more like 'The Girl on the Train' because the main character is not particularly likable, and her role in a tragedy is only slowly revealed. Although slightly unpleasant, this story is definitely hard to put down.
I have very mixed reviews. Although painfully entertaining and read like a film, there was too much disconnect for me as we flashed back to Tiffany in high school and forward again to present day Ani. The main character wasn't likeable as an adult, and that made those portions of the book not as enjoyable. I have a slight intense fear of mass shootings, so I had to get through some pages quickly. I can really see the appeal of such a brave piece of literature, and the details of how not to handle someone that's been assaulted stuck out to me. Oh the victim blaming REALLY stuck out to me. It just wasn't for me.
I was ready to give this 5 stars until the ending, which I thought was a bit...lame. A lot of other readers didn't care for this one at all but I loved it! In the audio format, the snarky bite of Ani really came through. She was a stone cold bitch and I loved her bad attitude to be honest. I read critiques of how the author dealt so dismissively with very serious topics (eating disorders and rape) but I interpreted it as ironic or maybe satirical...like the movie Heathers. This did not remind me even remotely of Gone Girl, but maybe if those bitches from Megan Abbott's The Fever or the cheerleaders from Dare Me grew up and never became better people they could have been Ani FaNelli or one of her friends.
Look, this book has a lot of flaws, but I read it in one day on the beach and enjoyed every minute of it so I'm giving it 4 stars.
At a glance, TifAni FaNelli seems to have it all – a very coveted job at a fashion magazine, a figure to die for, accessories that make other women see green and a huge engagement ring from a rich and successful fiancé. She is the epitome of a stylish and successful woman. But her dark past from her days at Bradley School is about to resurface through a documentary and her interview. What would be the reaction of the people currently in her life? Will it jeopardize everything she had worked so hard for or will she emerge only stronger on the other end?
I have to admit that I would not have picked this book up hadn’t there been constant comparison to Gillian Flynn’s books. All the chatter on Goodreads made me curious and I got approved on Netgalley for an ARC. Let me get this point right away – this book is nothing like Gillian Flynn’s books. Just because there are some dark elements in the book, it doesn’t mean that one has to compare it to Gillian Flynn.
The book has a VERY SLOW start and a very shallow one at that. We see TifAni at her best – worrying over what to wear and what to accessorize with. She comes across one of those shallow airheads whose world revolves around the superficial appearances that the fashion magazines, like the one she works for, endorses. It was very hard to not get frustrated with her character and give up on the book after just two-three chapters. It doesn’t end there… the book drags on for more than half of it and I actually put down the book quite a number of times to take a breather (To read other books in between) so that I could continue reading without throwing a tantrum or giving up on the book on the whole. The does pace pick up towards the end and the author drops in a quite a few twists in there. But for me most of it was quite predictable. I could guess almost everything except one point. And no I will not tell you what it was as that would reveal a huge spoiler for those who have not read it yet.
TifAni was a difficult protagonist to root for. For the most part I just wanted to shake her till she came out of the superficial world that she had built for herself and thinking that she would totally deserve it if her world came crumbling down when her dark past is revealed. Though she finally somewhat redeems herself, I failed to connect with the protagonist. Club that with the slow pace for major chunk of the book, this was one difficult book to complete. But then again, I guess giving TifAni a different personality would not really suit the plotline either. However, the author has used very simple language that is easy to get into and a very detailed world building style.
This is one of those books that I would not encourage anyone to read nor would I discourage anyone from picking it up. It is up to you guys to decide if you would like to read this or not.
I have to admit that I would not have picked this book up hadn’t there been constant comparison to Gillian Flynn’s books. All the chatter on Goodreads made me curious and I got approved on Netgalley for an ARC. Let me get this point right away – this book is nothing like Gillian Flynn’s books. Just because there are some dark elements in the book, it doesn’t mean that one has to compare it to Gillian Flynn.
The book has a VERY SLOW start and a very shallow one at that. We see TifAni at her best – worrying over what to wear and what to accessorize with. She comes across one of those shallow airheads whose world revolves around the superficial appearances that the fashion magazines, like the one she works for, endorses. It was very hard to not get frustrated with her character and give up on the book after just two-three chapters. It doesn’t end there… the book drags on for more than half of it and I actually put down the book quite a number of times to take a breather (To read other books in between) so that I could continue reading without throwing a tantrum or giving up on the book on the whole. The does pace pick up towards the end and the author drops in a quite a few twists in there. But for me most of it was quite predictable. I could guess almost everything except one point. And no I will not tell you what it was as that would reveal a huge spoiler for those who have not read it yet.
TifAni was a difficult protagonist to root for. For the most part I just wanted to shake her till she came out of the superficial world that she had built for herself and thinking that she would totally deserve it if her world came crumbling down when her dark past is revealed. Though she finally somewhat redeems herself, I failed to connect with the protagonist. Club that with the slow pace for major chunk of the book, this was one difficult book to complete. But then again, I guess giving TifAni a different personality would not really suit the plotline either. However, the author has used very simple language that is easy to get into and a very detailed world building style.
This is one of those books that I would not encourage anyone to read nor would I discourage anyone from picking it up. It is up to you guys to decide if you would like to read this or not.
This book was crazy in that I had no idea what to expect next. Maybe I'm just dense, I'm not sure. But it was a nice change from a book where the plot is blatantly obvious. Good read, I liked it a lot.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Was not really impressed with this book. Truly a disappointment. Finished but wouldn't recommend. Nothing like Gone Girl. Don't waste your time!
So disappointed, the author wrote about really heavy topics but did not cover them well at all. Really disturbing and I didn’t like any of the characters.