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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
3.25 stars
I have some very mixed opinions about this book… There were aspects which I really enjoyed but also some that I really found dragged on unnecessarily! I loved the setting, a rich boarding school with some very questionable students and a secret society, completely up my alley! But then there was the ‘whodunnit’ storyline which honestly just frustrated and bored me most of the time. So overall a very mixed bag really.
There were a few different stories going on in this book and although each one may have been interesting in its own right I ended up feeling like none of the plots were explored in enough detail and I actually got quite confused multiple times throughout this book. The book starts making reference to an initiation trial into the school’s secret society, The A’s, but then rapidly moves away from this to a completely different story! I found this incredibly frustrating because I love trial storylines so was instantly really invested but then had to read a large section about something completely unrelated. This continued to happen throughout the book, and realistically I was just constantly waiting for the trial to come back as that is the main part of the story I cared about! I don’t think the book should have opened talking about the trial as that ended up being a side-plot, definitely not the main focus, so I feel like I was almost given misinformation about the direction the book was going in those first 30 pages. And that is just the main two plots! There were at least two other smaller plots which were still probably more interesting than finding out what happened to Charlie’s mother, but overall were completely irrelevant.
It turned out the main focus was Charlie trying to work out what had happened to her mother, Grace, who disappeared 10 years before the beginning of this book. This could have been interesting, and I will admit the final result was quite clever, but there was so much along the way that was just too obvious! Charlie would find a whole load of clues and then take another 100 pages to piece them together into any semblance of a theory which just got really dull as for the majority of those 100 pages I knew exactly where it was going to end up and so was just waiting, very impatiently, for Charlie to catch on.
In addition to this, there were a lot of flashbacks to both Grace and Alistair’s (Charlie’s father) pasts, some well before the disappearance and some around the time of the disappearance, and I found this so confusing! Firstly, you had to pay very close attention to who you were reading about and when, which I tend to struggle with! Until I had a very good handle on the character names (which takes quite a while) I kept getting Charlie and Grace mixed up and also they never really introduced that Alistair had a brother called Teddy until suddenly I was reading about him and had to work out the connection. Also, the story being split between perspectives and time periods caused even more confusion as I didn’t know what Charlie did and didn’t know! Being an omniscient reader was quite fun, it is always interesting to know a little more than your main character, but there were some huge revelations that I couldn’t remember if Grace had found out or Charlie or what and honestly it was just confusing.
With regard to the characters, they were quite nondescript. There weren’t really any characters I disliked, but none that I overly warmed to either! They were all a bit underdeveloped and dull in my opinion, which was a real shame because I think a few of them had the potential to be really interesting. I was especially disappointed that we didn’t find out more about Leo! I really think there could have been something extremely interesting done with his character but instead, he was a relatively pointless side character who added very little. Also the relationships between characters seemed a little off. I understand the romance in this book wasn’t the focus but the romance between Charlie and Dalton seemed to sort of appeared out of nowhere and then after the events at the end it disappeared again and wasn’t even referred to! It just felt a little odd and out of place in the way it was handled.
Another point, the ending of the book. I quite liked the ending, but I do not think it fit remotely with Charlie’s character earlier in the book! I understand it may have been intended as a redemption for her but it was too sudden which made it unconvincing and just felt very out of character for her. In fact, all of her redemptions felt so forced and unbelievable. She wasn’t a horrible character, she actually fitted what I’d expect from her upbringing and the life she had lived, and suddenly the author felt the need to make her into a super friendly caring character and it just didn’t fit in my mind. I think it would have worked better had she stayed a bit cold and uncaring, it may have been harder to make her likeable but it is more true to her character.
I realise I have only really mentioned the negative aspects, but I did enjoy reading this book. It wasn’t a favourite and I do think there were some significant flaws throughout, but I still enjoyed it and wanted to keep reading! Not every book has to be a favourite, and also I can still appreciate where it could have been better and enjoy it anyway!
Overall I would probably recommend this if you enjoy reading about rich kids in a fancy boarding school, secret societies and a mysterious disappearance! I’d just recommend really concentrating on the chapter headings and staying aware of who knows what at all times!
I have some very mixed opinions about this book… There were aspects which I really enjoyed but also some that I really found dragged on unnecessarily! I loved the setting, a rich boarding school with some very questionable students and a secret society, completely up my alley! But then there was the ‘whodunnit’ storyline which honestly just frustrated and bored me most of the time. So overall a very mixed bag really.
There were a few different stories going on in this book and although each one may have been interesting in its own right I ended up feeling like none of the plots were explored in enough detail and I actually got quite confused multiple times throughout this book. The book starts making reference to an initiation trial into the school’s secret society, The A’s, but then rapidly moves away from this to a completely different story! I found this incredibly frustrating because I love trial storylines so was instantly really invested but then had to read a large section about something completely unrelated. This continued to happen throughout the book, and realistically I was just constantly waiting for the trial to come back as that is the main part of the story I cared about! I don’t think the book should have opened talking about the trial as that ended up being a side-plot, definitely not the main focus, so I feel like I was almost given misinformation about the direction the book was going in those first 30 pages. And that is just the main two plots! There were at least two other smaller plots which were still probably more interesting than finding out what happened to Charlie’s mother, but overall were completely irrelevant.
It turned out the main focus was Charlie trying to work out what had happened to her mother, Grace, who disappeared 10 years before the beginning of this book. This could have been interesting, and I will admit the final result was quite clever, but there was so much along the way that was just too obvious! Charlie would find a whole load of clues and then take another 100 pages to piece them together into any semblance of a theory which just got really dull as for the majority of those 100 pages I knew exactly where it was going to end up and so was just waiting, very impatiently, for Charlie to catch on.
In addition to this, there were a lot of flashbacks to both Grace and Alistair’s (Charlie’s father) pasts, some well before the disappearance and some around the time of the disappearance, and I found this so confusing! Firstly, you had to pay very close attention to who you were reading about and when, which I tend to struggle with! Until I had a very good handle on the character names (which takes quite a while) I kept getting Charlie and Grace mixed up and also they never really introduced that Alistair had a brother called Teddy until suddenly I was reading about him and had to work out the connection. Also, the story being split between perspectives and time periods caused even more confusion as I didn’t know what Charlie did and didn’t know! Being an omniscient reader was quite fun, it is always interesting to know a little more than your main character, but there were some huge revelations that I couldn’t remember if Grace had found out or Charlie or what and honestly it was just confusing.
With regard to the characters, they were quite nondescript. There weren’t really any characters I disliked, but none that I overly warmed to either! They were all a bit underdeveloped and dull in my opinion, which was a real shame because I think a few of them had the potential to be really interesting. I was especially disappointed that we didn’t find out more about Leo! I really think there could have been something extremely interesting done with his character but instead, he was a relatively pointless side character who added very little. Also the relationships between characters seemed a little off. I understand the romance in this book wasn’t the focus but the romance between Charlie and Dalton seemed to sort of appeared out of nowhere and then after the events at the end it disappeared again and wasn’t even referred to! It just felt a little odd and out of place in the way it was handled.
Another point, the ending of the book. I quite liked the ending, but I do not think it fit remotely with Charlie’s character earlier in the book! I understand it may have been intended as a redemption for her but it was too sudden which made it unconvincing and just felt very out of character for her. In fact, all of her redemptions felt so forced and unbelievable. She wasn’t a horrible character, she actually fitted what I’d expect from her upbringing and the life she had lived, and suddenly the author felt the need to make her into a super friendly caring character and it just didn’t fit in my mind. I think it would have worked better had she stayed a bit cold and uncaring, it may have been harder to make her likeable but it is more true to her character.
I realise I have only really mentioned the negative aspects, but I did enjoy reading this book. It wasn’t a favourite and I do think there were some significant flaws throughout, but I still enjoyed it and wanted to keep reading! Not every book has to be a favourite, and also I can still appreciate where it could have been better and enjoy it anyway!
Overall I would probably recommend this if you enjoy reading about rich kids in a fancy boarding school, secret societies and a mysterious disappearance! I’d just recommend really concentrating on the chapter headings and staying aware of who knows what at all times!
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This was a pretty decent thriller set in a high school. It kept me engaged, wanting to find out what happened next. Despite being set in a high school, it didn't really feel that much like a YA novel. That could just be because I've grown so accustomed to reading thrillers that are written for a wide audience, though.
I actually finished this weeks ago and am only now getting around to writing this, so I've already forgotten quite a bit. I really need to write these as soon as I finish a book. I've been getting lazy about that recently.
I actually finished this weeks ago and am only now getting around to writing this, so I've already forgotten quite a bit. I really need to write these as soon as I finish a book. I've been getting lazy about that recently.
I really enjoyed this book. The whole murder mystery thing is definitely something I enjoy reading. The book is set out in 4 parts with some chapters in the current time and some chapters in the past, but it works fabulously! The kinda book you won't want to put down!
Predictable plot (elite secret boarding school society of debauchery and murder) with a protagonist that has a nice development arc but spends considerable time being self-absorbed and bitchy. The flashbacks of Alaistair's and Grace's relationship added an interesting element as Charlie uncovered the past, and were probably the highlight.
ahhhhhh. so, so good. so refreshing and SO good.
except for dalton. he can choke, for all i care.
except for dalton. he can choke, for all i care.
This was a book that I picked up and could not put down until I found out what happened.
It was a riveting mystery that had you asking yourself if you can ever really know all of the people around you. It had great insight into human nature and the lies we feel we need to tell not only to others but also to ourselves.
What made this a great read was the fact that I actually didn't like the MC all that much and somehow, I was still rooting for her and still wanting to read to the end, which doesn't happen very often.
It was a riveting mystery that had you asking yourself if you can ever really know all of the people around you. It had great insight into human nature and the lies we feel we need to tell not only to others but also to ourselves.
What made this a great read was the fact that I actually didn't like the MC all that much and somehow, I was still rooting for her and still wanting to read to the end, which doesn't happen very often.