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3.41 AVERAGE
3.41 AVERAGE
Meh. Some parts were hard to follow.... I kept waiting for something to help me connect with Ani, but that something never came. There was a huge build up, a twist, and a lack-luster ending that didn't resonate with me.
The base "Gillian Flynn" style story of the book is great, but it's ruined by the main character's bullshit socialite chick-lit schtick. It's like Jen Lancaster found a copy of a story outline by Flynn and buried it in makeup, diets, and namedropping brand names.
I’m extremely disappointed by this book. I was excited when I saw the trailer for the movie and thought “I have to read it first!” I was even more excited when it was compared to Gone Girl. Who doesn’t love an unreliable narrator?? But what ya girl got was a big ole bowl of mess! I kept waiting for a big reveal that never came!!!!!! What was the secret, Ani!?! There was none. While could appreciate some of the one liners in the book, a few funny lines does not a good book make. She was no Cool Girl. If anything, she was just Confused, Sad, Unhealed Girl.
I’ll probably still watch the movie though just so I can hate it, too.
EDIT: I just got done watching the movie, and it was much, much better than the book. I had to reframe my mindset to this entire story because of the unjustified comparisons to Gone Girl and The Girl On The Train. It is neither of those, but people try to get you to read it in that tone. Once I let go of those preconceived notions, the movie did a much better job at convincing me this is a story worth telling, just maybe not in the way the book went about it. I still hated damn near everybody, but at least in the movie, I felt the vindication I didn’t get from the novel. (Also, if you’re going to watch the movie, the assault scenes are graphic and go on for much longer than I felt was necessary. I fast-forwarded through them.)
I’ll probably still watch the movie though just so I can hate it, too.
EDIT: I just got done watching the movie, and it was much, much better than the book. I had to reframe my mindset to this entire story because of the unjustified comparisons to Gone Girl and The Girl On The Train. It is neither of those, but people try to get you to read it in that tone. Once I let go of those preconceived notions, the movie did a much better job at convincing me this is a story worth telling, just maybe not in the way the book went about it. I still hated damn near everybody, but at least in the movie, I felt the vindication I didn’t get from the novel. (Also, if you’re going to watch the movie, the assault scenes are graphic and go on for much longer than I felt was necessary. I fast-forwarded through them.)
A school shooting should not be the “wild twist you don’t see coming”.
For once I'm glad I read few reviews on here before I kept going with this book. It was clear right away (and then confirmed by said reviews), that this was not going to be in the same vein as Gone Girl. And frankly, that's okay by me. Gone Girl was compelling and dark but I don't need to read a hundred other books just like it.
In this book, the main character, TifAni, whose name I kept pronouncing in my head Tiff Annie, was already thoroughly screwed up before the sexual assaults in more ways than one. She was already clawing her way to the top in several situations. I don't believe the author glossed over the issue of sexual assault as do some other reviewers. Instead, I think she showed how as a society, we tend to excuse behaviors due to social rank and in her case, so those people would still accept her. Even her fiancé and mother turn their heads about it because, well, it is so very distasteful a subject. I think it's a pretty realistic reflection of the need for further education on what constitutes sexual assault and how to deal with the after effects.
Ani, now a master show woman and social climber fights to maintain social status because it is the one thing she can control in a lifetime of things she couldn't: her father's crappy outlook on life, Arthur's control over her, being a victim of both sexual and physical assault. She's not particularly redeemable and she is always thinking ten steps ahead.
Is this book a tour de force? No., the writing is too haphazard for that. Is is the next Gone Girl. No. But it is a lot less infuriating than Gone Girl and if you take it for what it is, an easy beach or weekend read, then that's okay.
In this book, the main character, TifAni, whose name I kept pronouncing in my head Tiff Annie, was already thoroughly screwed up before the sexual assaults in more ways than one. She was already clawing her way to the top in several situations. I don't believe the author glossed over the issue of sexual assault as do some other reviewers. Instead, I think she showed how as a society, we tend to excuse behaviors due to social rank and in her case, so those people would still accept her. Even her fiancé and mother turn their heads about it because, well, it is so very distasteful a subject. I think it's a pretty realistic reflection of the need for further education on what constitutes sexual assault and how to deal with the after effects.
Ani, now a master show woman and social climber fights to maintain social status because it is the one thing she can control in a lifetime of things she couldn't: her father's crappy outlook on life, Arthur's control over her, being a victim of both sexual and physical assault. She's not particularly redeemable and she is always thinking ten steps ahead.
Is this book a tour de force? No., the writing is too haphazard for that. Is is the next Gone Girl. No. But it is a lot less infuriating than Gone Girl and if you take it for what it is, an easy beach or weekend read, then that's okay.
When starting this book, I was almost immediately taken aback by the incredibly misogynistic way in which the women in it were talked about, to the point where I became almost certain it had to have been written by a man. When it turned out that wasn’t the case, I then became completely confident there had to be a twist to all this. There had to be a reason why the protagonist, whom we spend the entire book with, was so thoroughly unlikeable, superficial and a bitch to every woman she met. Furthermore, I expected a twist to the obnoxious amount of highly triggering eating disorder talk that was taking place. It wasn’t just going to … be the sole character trait of the main cast that their end goal in life was to be a size 0, was it? Unfortunately, this was not the case, and instead the types of disrespectful, marginalising and even discriminatory language just kept piling up. There was fatphobia, incredibly racist language including usage of the n-word (the author as well as all the characters are white), blatant homophobia and later lesbophobia, and 3/4 into the book, because that mark hadn’t been checked yet, ableism. Every time one of those instances took place, I would think to myself “Surely this character is going to be called out on their behaviour by someone? Surely this isn’t just how the author sees the world?”. This never happens. Writing an unlikeable narrator is certainly something an author can choose to do, but in this case, it was simply not executed well. Either the author intentionally chose to write a novel with /exclusively/ the worst kinds of people you could imagine, or she’s got some serious introspection to do.
In conclusion, the story was okay at best, the writing was pleasant in parts and, as described above, thoroughly vile in others, and this book really, really could’ve done with a trigger warning for the graphic sexual assault scene and the truly non-stop eating disorder discussions. This novel absolutely does not deserve to compare itself to “Gone Girl” in ANY way, shape or form.
In conclusion, the story was okay at best, the writing was pleasant in parts and, as described above, thoroughly vile in others, and this book really, really could’ve done with a trigger warning for the graphic sexual assault scene and the truly non-stop eating disorder discussions. This novel absolutely does not deserve to compare itself to “Gone Girl” in ANY way, shape or form.
Overall this book was good, a nice combination of present events and flash backs to explain who the characters are, why they are. Most of the time I found Luke to be generally irritating, but perfect for the kind of live Ani is trying to build. Ani herself was nicely twisted, permanently altered by the terrible events of her life, but still likable enough to want to read about. The end, however was confusing with little to no explanation of her quick change of heart or her plans with the film makers for the footage. It was a good one time read, but not a book I will revisit.
Wasn't as excitingly crazy as a Gillian Flynn novel as it's often compared to, but it was enjoyable. I did not see the twist coming which was a nice surprise. The subject matter is a little intense.
A page turner for sure. I was a fan of the alternating chapters of present day and the back story. Some of the plots felt a little shoehorned in. There were instances where they would try to hid something to reveal it later, which is a little annoying. But overall a good read.