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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Rape, Murder
I was pretty invested in this book. I liked the characters and subplot of the main character and the friendship she found in prison.
I felt like other aspects of the story were a little incomplete. For example, we didn’t really hear much about the other crimes of the serial killer ex boyfriend.
I definitely knew the son was the killer the second the main character revealed she was pregnant in a flashback. Knowing the end is not an issue for me if getting there is satisfying. I felt that the ending was rushed. Nothing the reader knows of Calvin would indicate that he would actually try to save Geo and say people like him shouldn’t exist. If Calvin and the son look so much alike, how could Calvin be shocked when the son reveals it? Wouldn’t he have figured it out on sight?
I liked the twist that Geo took charge for the burial. I liked how that added complexity to her character that was hinted at all along. It felt a little rushed, but I found it satisfying.
I felt like other aspects of the story were a little incomplete. For example, we didn’t really hear much about the other crimes of the serial killer ex boyfriend.
I definitely knew the son was the killer the second the main character revealed she was pregnant in a flashback. Knowing the end is not an issue for me if getting there is satisfying. I felt that the ending was rushed. Nothing the reader knows of Calvin would indicate that he would actually try to save Geo and say people like him shouldn’t exist. If Calvin and the son look so much alike, how could Calvin be shocked when the son reveals it? Wouldn’t he have figured it out on sight?
I liked the twist that Geo took charge for the burial. I liked how that added complexity to her character that was hinted at all along. It felt a little rushed, but I found it satisfying.
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Terminal illness, Vomit, Murder
Pretty good plot but the ending felt rushed and it had some unnecessary scenes, especially with her son.
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Jeez. This was a wild book. Hard to read at times, but it’s a murder book and the whole premise is a girl is murdered and dismembered and her bestie is on trial for her involvement, so no shocker there. A few random take aways: I’ve never been so glad I have always found cinnamon candies nasty, Jar of Hearts is and will always remain a banger, I LOVE when I guess the ending, but it doesn’t seem predictable (cuz it makes me feel smart 🤣😂😅), and Walt is a damn good dad.
CW: 3 pretty graphic r-pe scenes. Plot events heavily revolve around one of the r-pe incidents and various murders.
Honestly, I wasn't expecting the first r-pe scene. We were given some hints, especially when Bernadette makes the comment about not "needing men", and Ella Frank's cryptic comment about letting her know how Geo's being bunk mates with Bernadette goes. But I guess I wasn't expecting such a graphic description of what Bernadette does to Geo. That tension is resolved very easily, I guess maybe a little more tension would've been preferred, and frankly, I was a little disappointed that the author makes Bernadette fat; I feel like that does not help fat-phobia at all. However, I don't think ff r-pe is represented or talked about enough. Women are presented in media as meek and harmless. R-pe is common in prison, but I don't feel like I've heard nearly as much about ff; mostly mf and mm. While I would've found it interesting to hear about life in prison, I'm emotionally relieved that we didn't read a ton about it. It was intense and violent. Geo's transformation from her first day/weeks in prison to when she's released is pretty palpable. However, I'm glad she doesn't completely lose herself to who she had to become in prison to survive. The politics that go on are complex and dangerous.
When it's revealed that Geo was r-ped by Calvin, I guess I wasn't surprised but I felt awful for her. He r-pes Angela right before, so clearly has no conscience (as well as a twisted justification, like most serial r-pists have). When Geo becomes pregnant from the r-pe I respected her father's response of it's your choice and we'll figure it out. That's exactly the kind of compassion survivors need. When she meets Dominic, it really did feel like it could go either way: he becomes exactly like his father, or he turns out completely different, so I really wasn't surprised that he turns out to be exactly like Calvin -- though it sounds like it's borne out of resentment more than entitlement. I really did not see Geo killing Calvin and Dominic coming, though. I'm actually not entirely sure why Calvin saves her.. I guess the fact that he has a tattoo on his wrist of a heart and her initials implies he loves her? But is what he feels towards Geo love? I guess in a very bastardized way. I do get the sense of what Geo feels of I love these people, but we can't exist together; of course, killing them is extreme, but Dominic would've killed her and Calvin abused her. So...yeah I guess it makes sense. I don't think she could've ended up with Kai without endangering him. Idk, it was a compelling ending, but also doesn't seem to serve much of a purpose other than drama. Usually that would bother me, but it didn't here for some reason ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I enjoyed Kai more as a teen/friend to Angela and Geo than as an adult. His role as the bridge between Angela and Geo is comforting and I guess I'm also drawn to awkward guys lol But then as an adult he has an affair with a coworker...and just doesn't seem to be doing much? One could argue that Angela's murder and Geo's cutting him out of her life messes him up, but idk. He just seemed kind of stalled. And I guess I was less satisfied with the fact that the only way he got back on track was solving Angela's murder, obsessively trying to find Calvin, and ending up with Geo, whom he had a die-hard crush on since hs.
I really couldn't tell if Angela was a good person or not, not that that really matters. What happens to her is awful. She's obviously extremely lucky/privileged and used to getting a lot of praise and attention. At the same time, she's shallow and can be mean and petty. I didn't exactly understand the friendship between Kai, Geo, and Angela, especially how Geo and Angela are best friends. However, sometimes connections and friendships just work, even if no one gets why or how.
The fact that Calvin, Dominic, and Angela are all buried together was interesting; I guess they are all linked in a twisted way. I actually understand why Geo still visits Calvin and Dominic's graves -- she did love Calvin and Dominic was her son. They might've been terrible people, but that will always be true. They are linked forever. Anyways, idk this book wasn't perfect, but I still really enjoyed it and would read more by this author.
Spoiler
Ok, I actually feel the opposite about this book than I have about recent reads -- the premise is actually not as interesting as the actual story was for me. Of course, the premise grabbed my attention on some level, but I found the way the author actually explored the story/plot was fascinating and she took a relatively "ordinary" story and made it interesting because of her specific take/choices. I enjoyed Hillier's writing style and characters. Geo and Kai as leads were decent choices; the fact that they ended up together was typical, but definitely not the most interesting. At its heart, this book was not a romance/love story, really, I think this fits better into crime fiction. Geo's time in prison was fascinating to me; while I haven't watched much of Orange is the New Black, that's immediately what I thought of.Honestly, I wasn't expecting the first r-pe scene. We were given some hints, especially when Bernadette makes the comment about not "needing men", and Ella Frank's cryptic comment about letting her know how Geo's being bunk mates with Bernadette goes. But I guess I wasn't expecting such a graphic description of what Bernadette does to Geo. That tension is resolved very easily, I guess maybe a little more tension would've been preferred, and frankly, I was a little disappointed that the author makes Bernadette fat; I feel like that does not help fat-phobia at all. However, I don't think ff r-pe is represented or talked about enough. Women are presented in media as meek and harmless. R-pe is common in prison, but I don't feel like I've heard nearly as much about ff; mostly mf and mm. While I would've found it interesting to hear about life in prison, I'm emotionally relieved that we didn't read a ton about it. It was intense and violent. Geo's transformation from her first day/weeks in prison to when she's released is pretty palpable. However, I'm glad she doesn't completely lose herself to who she had to become in prison to survive. The politics that go on are complex and dangerous.
When it's revealed that Geo was r-ped by Calvin, I guess I wasn't surprised but I felt awful for her. He r-pes Angela right before, so clearly has no conscience (as well as a twisted justification, like most serial r-pists have). When Geo becomes pregnant from the r-pe I respected her father's response of it's your choice and we'll figure it out. That's exactly the kind of compassion survivors need. When she meets Dominic, it really did feel like it could go either way: he becomes exactly like his father, or he turns out completely different, so I really wasn't surprised that he turns out to be exactly like Calvin -- though it sounds like it's borne out of resentment more than entitlement. I really did not see Geo killing Calvin and Dominic coming, though. I'm actually not entirely sure why Calvin saves her.. I guess the fact that he has a tattoo on his wrist of a heart and her initials implies he loves her? But is what he feels towards Geo love? I guess in a very bastardized way. I do get the sense of what Geo feels of I love these people, but we can't exist together; of course, killing them is extreme, but Dominic would've killed her and Calvin abused her. So...yeah I guess it makes sense. I don't think she could've ended up with Kai without endangering him. Idk, it was a compelling ending, but also doesn't seem to serve much of a purpose other than drama. Usually that would bother me, but it didn't here for some reason ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I enjoyed Kai more as a teen/friend to Angela and Geo than as an adult. His role as the bridge between Angela and Geo is comforting and I guess I'm also drawn to awkward guys lol But then as an adult he has an affair with a coworker...and just doesn't seem to be doing much? One could argue that Angela's murder and Geo's cutting him out of her life messes him up, but idk. He just seemed kind of stalled. And I guess I was less satisfied with the fact that the only way he got back on track was solving Angela's murder, obsessively trying to find Calvin, and ending up with Geo, whom he had a die-hard crush on since hs.
I really couldn't tell if Angela was a good person or not, not that that really matters. What happens to her is awful. She's obviously extremely lucky/privileged and used to getting a lot of praise and attention. At the same time, she's shallow and can be mean and petty. I didn't exactly understand the friendship between Kai, Geo, and Angela, especially how Geo and Angela are best friends. However, sometimes connections and friendships just work, even if no one gets why or how.
The fact that Calvin, Dominic, and Angela are all buried together was interesting; I guess they are all linked in a twisted way. I actually understand why Geo still visits Calvin and Dominic's graves -- she did love Calvin and Dominic was her son. They might've been terrible people, but that will always be true. They are linked forever. Anyways, idk this book wasn't perfect, but I still really enjoyed it and would read more by this author.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes