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3.41 AVERAGE
3.41 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Can't say a whole lot because spoilers. But gripping read, kept me hooked.
I really hated this book for the first half. I couldn't stand the main character. It wasn't until the end that I realized it was meant to be that way and appreciated that there were good reasons she was the way she was and she was still on a journey of accepting herself and didn't need to pretend to be that way. I did not expect the twist in the story. I really had no idea that was the plot of the book.
With the Gillian Flynn comparisons, I was really expecting a thriller. Sadly, I do not feel this book fits that category. I still read it very easily and read it in two days but I was never on the edge of my seat, wanting to know what was gonna happen next. I felt very indifferent towards the main character.
This was very dark but I really enjoyed it. It was well-paced and I enjoyed the back and forth in time as more of the story came out. I felt that the ending was a bit abrupt and kept alluding to something unclear and it was never explained. TW: sexual assault, rape, violence
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Gut Instinct Rating - 3.5
Characters - 5
Believability for type and topics - 5
Similarity to other books - 4.5
Writing Style - 3
Excitement Factor - 3
Story Line - 4
Title Relevance - 2
Cover art - 3
To read or not to read? Either way, you'll probably never see the real twist coming.
Movie? On the way... no announcements contain a date at this time.
Goodreads users gave this book a 3.48. I think it was more deserving of a 3.67.
Published on May 12, 2015
Pages: 338
Publishing Company: Simon & Schuster
Number of books by author: 3 Novels
Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Contemporary
So, overall, this book was good. It wasn't great, it wasn't horrible. It had it's moments - if that's the easiest way to phrase my review. Because it had it's moments where I really wanted to put it down, and then it had it's moments where I was propelled - and this was in the last 100 pages of the book that I felt the propel-ing. It normally takes me a little under 3 days to read a book, whether it's 250 pages or 850 pages, I usually get through about 2 books in a week. This book had consumed me for 5 days. I've seen this book plastered on Bookstagram for months now, and I really thought that I'd like to see the story line play out (which, by the way, those last hundred pages will really turn ya for a loop, so don't start 'em if you can't finish it in one sitting). So, the book has been on my list for what feels like an eternity (this was book 49 from my list that started in late 2015; now at 134). Now, I don't add books routinely, and because I tend to take recommendations for my TBR, it's a considerably long list. How I get my list is another blog post, I suppose.
So, back to this book. The moments it had that were positive were the characters. While there were quite a few characters, some secondary and triad characters that really take a hold on this story, you could follow them. One of the triad characters played a huge role in this book, and I forgot who they were until they recapped his presence in Ani's life. There was a lot of diversity, since we were looking back in time at a high school community, as well as in the present day, late 20s community. There were plenty of people to hate, which is fairly easy when it comes to that petty high school drama. But, the list of people I loved? One. One person in the entire book that I had some overwhelming positive emotions towards. The remainder of the characters fluctuated between love, hate, anger, and maybe even a little bit of envy.
While this story was incredibly, sadly, believable, it wasn't a great wrap-up. As you read this book, you'll find that you've read this book before. The way it's told, however, is what makes it an entirely new book. The writing style paired horribly with this story, because the first half of the book droned on-and-on-and-on... (I won't keep adding to this), but it was hard to want to leave the TV, or my bed, to want to curl up in my chair to keep reading. It came with me to work, and before and after errands, I thought about opening it, but I couldn't. I thought the secret was revealed, I thought it was all fine-and-dandy, but it wasn't! Thank goodness I kept reading, because I would've missed out on the turn of the century. (A little dramatic? Sorry.)
The ending wasn't real clear, however. I won't ruin anything, but... if someone could summarize those last moments for me, I'd appreciate it. Pile that with a really catchy, but unmatching title and artwork for the cover, and the score of this one comes down really quickly. Read the book, however, because when the movie comes out, I'll need someone to actually follow up with about all the flaws and exaggerations.
Instagram @RainbowReviewsKC
Twitter @Rainbow_Reviews
Gut Instinct Rating - 3.5
Characters - 5
Believability for type and topics - 5
Similarity to other books - 4.5
Writing Style - 3
Excitement Factor - 3
Story Line - 4
Title Relevance - 2
Cover art - 3
To read or not to read? Either way, you'll probably never see the real twist coming.
Movie? On the way... no announcements contain a date at this time.
Goodreads users gave this book a 3.48. I think it was more deserving of a 3.67.
Published on May 12, 2015
Pages: 338
Publishing Company: Simon & Schuster
Number of books by author: 3 Novels
Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Contemporary
So, overall, this book was good. It wasn't great, it wasn't horrible. It had it's moments - if that's the easiest way to phrase my review. Because it had it's moments where I really wanted to put it down, and then it had it's moments where I was propelled - and this was in the last 100 pages of the book that I felt the propel-ing. It normally takes me a little under 3 days to read a book, whether it's 250 pages or 850 pages, I usually get through about 2 books in a week. This book had consumed me for 5 days. I've seen this book plastered on Bookstagram for months now, and I really thought that I'd like to see the story line play out (which, by the way, those last hundred pages will really turn ya for a loop, so don't start 'em if you can't finish it in one sitting). So, the book has been on my list for what feels like an eternity (this was book 49 from my list that started in late 2015; now at 134). Now, I don't add books routinely, and because I tend to take recommendations for my TBR, it's a considerably long list. How I get my list is another blog post, I suppose.
So, back to this book. The moments it had that were positive were the characters. While there were quite a few characters, some secondary and triad characters that really take a hold on this story, you could follow them. One of the triad characters played a huge role in this book, and I forgot who they were until they recapped his presence in Ani's life. There was a lot of diversity, since we were looking back in time at a high school community, as well as in the present day, late 20s community. There were plenty of people to hate, which is fairly easy when it comes to that petty high school drama. But, the list of people I loved? One. One person in the entire book that I had some overwhelming positive emotions towards. The remainder of the characters fluctuated between love, hate, anger, and maybe even a little bit of envy.
While this story was incredibly, sadly, believable, it wasn't a great wrap-up. As you read this book, you'll find that you've read this book before. The way it's told, however, is what makes it an entirely new book. The writing style paired horribly with this story, because the first half of the book droned on-and-on-and-on... (I won't keep adding to this), but it was hard to want to leave the TV, or my bed, to want to curl up in my chair to keep reading. It came with me to work, and before and after errands, I thought about opening it, but I couldn't. I thought the secret was revealed, I thought it was all fine-and-dandy, but it wasn't! Thank goodness I kept reading, because I would've missed out on the turn of the century. (A little dramatic? Sorry.)
The ending wasn't real clear, however. I won't ruin anything, but... if someone could summarize those last moments for me, I'd appreciate it. Pile that with a really catchy, but unmatching title and artwork for the cover, and the score of this one comes down really quickly. Read the book, however, because when the movie comes out, I'll need someone to actually follow up with about all the flaws and exaggerations.
I began this as an audio book and practically cried when it was returned with about 25% to go... I was enraptured. I finished a few weeks later in a regular book, and perhaps something got lost along the way. there were moments that didn't make sense, but overall I enjoyed this one.
I was interested to read this after I saw that Reese Witherspoon is making it into a movie. She seems to be snatching up the good (female-role) novels lately! Later, I read several mediocre reviews, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I liked it! A good page-turner. Very similar to Gillian Flynn in style. Spoiler: I did keep waiting for a wow ending with (some sort of) a big reveal, and it never came. Still, I liked it for the genre. Maybe not as good as Gone Girl, but better than Girl on the Train.
After reading this book, I'm perplexed by the comparison between this author and Gillian Flynn. I honestly don't see any similarities between the two. I think comparing her to Flynn does Knoll a huge injustice and detracts from her individual writing style. I enjoyed the book but I think I would have enjoyed it more had I not gone into it expecting a Flynn style read.