Scan barcode
lunarflare's review against another edition
4.0
terrible people doing terrible things to each other ad infinitum. toxicity wins and all that. they ARE addicted to each other. god help straight white people
bellehile's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
charlottesshelf's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
ellies_92's review against another edition
3.0
3 and 1/2 stars. This book kept me glued to it, I read it in 2 days because I just couldn’t put it down.
I loved the first half, while I hated the way it ended, it was really disappointing.
The reader understands right away that Amy and Nick both have big secrets, but everything is revealed way too soon in my opinion.
Knowing what really happened killed the magic of the book, and I was expecting it to have a big ending.
Because, come on: the truth is revealed in the first chapter of the second part, so I thought the only explanation was that we would be given a big ending... but it’s not like that.
After having read it all I can say that the last part just feels it’s no use at all.
My final thought it’s that the book had the potential to be great, the writer is really talented in making us understand what the characters are feeling, but it just didn’t make it up to my expectations and the way it finished feels just wrong. The author didn’t put the same effort in finding a good ending to the story as she did with digging into the details of how the “crime” was planned.
I gave it 3 1/2 stars because I want to read more from the same author, hoping that the next books don’t feel as unfinished as this does.
I loved the first half, while I hated the way it ended, it was really disappointing.
The reader understands right away that Amy and Nick both have big secrets, but everything is revealed way too soon in my opinion.
Knowing what really happened killed the magic of the book, and I was expecting it to have a big ending.
Because, come on: the truth is revealed in the first chapter of the second part, so I thought the only explanation was that we would be given a big ending... but it’s not like that.
After having read it all I can say that the last part just feels it’s no use at all.
My final thought it’s that the book had the potential to be great, the writer is really talented in making us understand what the characters are feeling, but it just didn’t make it up to my expectations and the way it finished feels just wrong. The author didn’t put the same effort in finding a good ending to the story as she did with digging into the details of how the “crime” was planned.
I gave it 3 1/2 stars because I want to read more from the same author, hoping that the next books don’t feel as unfinished as this does.
blairfrank's review against another edition
5.0
For those who have read (without spoiling for those who haven't):
Amy's character...
The ending...
Amy's character...
The ending...
prissyreads's review against another edition
4.0
So I just finished this and OH MY GOODNESS, I have some thoughts. This one was great. I fell in love with Flynn’s writing in “Sharp Objects.” I am not surprised about my reaction to the book.
~My Thoughts on the Couple~
AMY:
My feelings towards Amy are so complicated. I was expecting to root for her. I was expecting a woman who is being forced to live with a misogynistic butt-hole and is scared for her life *(As revenge, she’ll take it back!)* As I continued to read, and her journal was revealed to be a lie, I realized something that made me scream ~ Amy Elliot Dunne is in fact, not a girl boss. At least not completely. She is a woman who is aware of the privilege she possesses, and uses it to her advantage when she is [unhappy.](http://unhappy.It) This story explores all the things that can go wrong when a women in her position is unhappy.
Shelby Cooke put it perfectly, “*Gone Girl* isn’t about embracing radical women or some bizarre form of feminism. It’s about the power white women hold in society. How our acceptance of them as damsels in distress, concerned mothers or community activists has given them the opportunity to murder without consequence” (Indiependent, 2021). I found myself wanting Amy to get caught. Just once, I wanted to see a white woman use her privilege and *not* get her way. Just *once.* But ultimately, I had mixed feelings. I wanted some consequence, but also didn’t want her to lose. It’s strange.
Of course, this desire had nothing to do with Nick or any of the men in the book. Nick sucks, his dad sucks, they all *suck*. But don’t think for a second that white feminist behavior won’t piss me off just because it’s being used to screw a character I’m not fond of.
She is entitled and self righteous. She’s not completely sane, nor is she completely in the right. She would be crazy with or without Nick in her life. I wasn’t expecting that, and it complicated things for me.
Towards the end of the story, I was downright terrified of her. She is larger than life. Meticulous. She is complex and intelligent. ****I felt the same way I did when I read “Death Note,” I wasn’t fully rooting for her, but I enjoyed watching her in action.
NICK:
My thoughts about Nick are less surprising. Despite not wanting to be like his woman-hating father, their similarities begin to show as the story progresses. Of course, I understand Nick’s anger towards Amy after everything she did. But, his habit to mentally drag a woman anytime she did something he didn’t like irritated me. I think Nick did deserve a good wake up call, because infidelity is gross. He also wasn’t a good husband to Amy. His complaints about Amy made me roll my eyes. It felt like he was hungry for someone inhuman, someone who will be, as Amy states, “a cool girl.” He was pissed off the moment Amy decided to be a *****wife***** (although I don’t understand why she would play the role of “cool girl,” in the first place. I also don’t understand her anger towards “cool girls.” If anything, I feel sorry for them. Like COME ON GIRL. BE YOURSELF! WHO CARES ABOUT HIM??). This hunger leads him to cheat with Andie. It’s classic. I should be used to it, but I’m not. Flynn sure knows how to get a rise out of me.
I also found it interesting that while Amy is sociopathic and crazy, Nick’s biggest downfall is that he is a man. His toxic masculinity - his inability to feel, his inability to care about Amy after a certain point, his boy-ish, immature tendencies, are what kill him in the end. It’s like your wife is MISSING, my guy. MISS-ING, and you’re still doing this??
~My Thoughts on the Couple~
AMY:
My feelings towards Amy are so complicated. I was expecting to root for her. I was expecting a woman who is being forced to live with a misogynistic butt-hole and is scared for her life *(As revenge, she’ll take it back!)* As I continued to read, and her journal was revealed to be a lie, I realized something that made me scream ~ Amy Elliot Dunne is in fact, not a girl boss. At least not completely. She is a woman who is aware of the privilege she possesses, and uses it to her advantage when she is [unhappy.](http://unhappy.It) This story explores all the things that can go wrong when a women in her position is unhappy.
Shelby Cooke put it perfectly, “*Gone Girl* isn’t about embracing radical women or some bizarre form of feminism. It’s about the power white women hold in society. How our acceptance of them as damsels in distress, concerned mothers or community activists has given them the opportunity to murder without consequence” (Indiependent, 2021). I found myself wanting Amy to get caught. Just once, I wanted to see a white woman use her privilege and *not* get her way. Just *once.* But ultimately, I had mixed feelings. I wanted some consequence, but also didn’t want her to lose. It’s strange.
Of course, this desire had nothing to do with Nick or any of the men in the book. Nick sucks, his dad sucks, they all *suck*. But don’t think for a second that white feminist behavior won’t piss me off just because it’s being used to screw a character I’m not fond of.
She is entitled and self righteous. She’s not completely sane, nor is she completely in the right. She would be crazy with or without Nick in her life. I wasn’t expecting that, and it complicated things for me.
Towards the end of the story, I was downright terrified of her. She is larger than life. Meticulous. She is complex and intelligent. ****I felt the same way I did when I read “Death Note,” I wasn’t fully rooting for her, but I enjoyed watching her in action.
NICK:
My thoughts about Nick are less surprising. Despite not wanting to be like his woman-hating father, their similarities begin to show as the story progresses. Of course, I understand Nick’s anger towards Amy after everything she did. But, his habit to mentally drag a woman anytime she did something he didn’t like irritated me. I think Nick did deserve a good wake up call, because infidelity is gross. He also wasn’t a good husband to Amy. His complaints about Amy made me roll my eyes. It felt like he was hungry for someone inhuman, someone who will be, as Amy states, “a cool girl.” He was pissed off the moment Amy decided to be a *****wife***** (although I don’t understand why she would play the role of “cool girl,” in the first place. I also don’t understand her anger towards “cool girls.” If anything, I feel sorry for them. Like COME ON GIRL. BE YOURSELF! WHO CARES ABOUT HIM??). This hunger leads him to cheat with Andie. It’s classic. I should be used to it, but I’m not. Flynn sure knows how to get a rise out of me.
I also found it interesting that while Amy is sociopathic and crazy, Nick’s biggest downfall is that he is a man. His toxic masculinity - his inability to feel, his inability to care about Amy after a certain point, his boy-ish, immature tendencies, are what kill him in the end. It’s like your wife is MISSING, my guy. MISS-ING, and you’re still doing this??
stuckinafictionaluniverse's review against another edition
3.0
A pretty good book with an equal share of ups and downs. I liked Gillian Flynn's writing, and that's what kept me reading when the plot moved very slowly.
This was surprisingly easy to read, and didn't feel forced or boring. I quickly got into the characters' mindset- Marriage is something I picture as a commitment far away in the future. I haven't even had a relationship. And yet I could relate to the two main characters and feel for them, despite their obvious flaws. The stress, the fear and the claustrophobic sensation of being stuck in a terrible relationship was not difficult to imagine.
Another thing that I wasn't expecting was how predictable the plot was. I kept waiting for a big reveal to happen, and wasn't too impressed with what I did get. As a reader who is far from experienced with the mystery genre, it was underwhelming.
I feel like it all could've been take to a whole new level; the dysfunctional relationship, the twisted characters. The power struggle between Nick and Amy was interesting. They manipulated each other, lied and cheated.
It's strange how I wanted more of this, and less of their backstory.
The mystery took a long time to get started, and I wish the story had been more intense. The first half read more like a contemporary rather than a mystery. The end felt rushed, and a bit too open for my taste.
Final verdict:
Liked it, didn't love it. Simply readable and nothing more.
This was surprisingly easy to read, and didn't feel forced or boring. I quickly got into the characters' mindset- Marriage is something I picture as a commitment far away in the future. I haven't even had a relationship. And yet I could relate to the two main characters and feel for them, despite their obvious flaws. The stress, the fear and the claustrophobic sensation of being stuck in a terrible relationship was not difficult to imagine.
Another thing that I wasn't expecting was how predictable the plot was. I kept waiting for a big reveal to happen, and wasn't too impressed with what I did get. As a reader who is far from experienced with the mystery genre, it was underwhelming.
I feel like it all could've been take to a whole new level; the dysfunctional relationship, the twisted characters. The power struggle between Nick and Amy was interesting. They manipulated each other, lied and cheated.
It's strange how I wanted more of this, and less of their backstory.
The mystery took a long time to get started, and I wish the story had been more intense. The first half read more like a contemporary rather than a mystery. The end felt rushed, and a bit too open for my taste.
Final verdict:
Liked it, didn't love it. Simply readable and nothing more.
ashmanzer's review against another edition
4.0
I didn't like this as much as her other books but it was still a good read.