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ameserole's review
4.0
I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Why hello my little spooky book. I feel like it was the perfect time to jump into The Existence of Bea Pearl. Mostly because it's fall weather time and I'm ready for all the scary movies and books to come my way. Heck, I might even do a conjuring movie marathon this weekend.
In this, you will meet Bea Pearl. I mean the title of the book really gives it away so you shouldn't be surprised. She's about 16 years old and is basically the only person alive who doesn't think her brother is dead. Even after he's declared dead she still wants to figure out what actually happened.
Move on over Nancy freaking Drew because Bea Pearl means business and she's going to solve this mystery!
Now I'm not going to lie. I was completely suspicious of every person or thing in this book. Especially whenever Bea is near the water. At times I didn't know what to think or believe because each twist and betrayal that came my way confused me so much. In a good way though because it kept me and the true suspect(s) on their toes. Or my toes really.
In the end, I kind of wished I liked the characters a bit more. Don't get me wrong, some were likable but a lot weren't my cup of tea. I also felt like Bea was a pretty unreliable narrator at times. Especially when it came to her memories/dreams throughout this book. I'm still very happy that I got the chance to dive into this book and now I need more spooky reads in my life!
Why hello my little spooky book. I feel like it was the perfect time to jump into The Existence of Bea Pearl. Mostly because it's fall weather time and I'm ready for all the scary movies and books to come my way. Heck, I might even do a conjuring movie marathon this weekend.
In this, you will meet Bea Pearl. I mean the title of the book really gives it away so you shouldn't be surprised. She's about 16 years old and is basically the only person alive who doesn't think her brother is dead. Even after he's declared dead she still wants to figure out what actually happened.
Move on over Nancy freaking Drew because Bea Pearl means business and she's going to solve this mystery!
Now I'm not going to lie. I was completely suspicious of every person or thing in this book. Especially whenever Bea is near the water. At times I didn't know what to think or believe because each twist and betrayal that came my way confused me so much. In a good way though because it kept me and the true suspect(s) on their toes. Or my toes really.
In the end, I kind of wished I liked the characters a bit more. Don't get me wrong, some were likable but a lot weren't my cup of tea. I also felt like Bea was a pretty unreliable narrator at times. Especially when it came to her memories/dreams throughout this book. I'm still very happy that I got the chance to dive into this book and now I need more spooky reads in my life!
the_sassy_bookworm's review
3.0
⭐⭐⭐⭐ -- Mixed Bag
This was a bit of a mixed bag for me. I enjoyed the book overall. I loved Bea, Honey, and Colin. Loved the setting. However, I hated every adult in this book. Especially Bea's parents. There is one incident that takes place in the book that you find out Bea's mother was responsible for that just nailed the coffin shut for me. These people basically let the entire town think their daughter is crazy!? I also had an issue with the ending. It felt rushed, far-fetched, and honestly, a little eye rolling.
This was a bit of a mixed bag for me. I enjoyed the book overall. I loved Bea, Honey, and Colin. Loved the setting. However, I hated every adult in this book. Especially Bea's parents. There is one incident that takes place in the book that you find out Bea's mother was responsible for that just nailed the coffin shut for me. These people basically let the entire town think their daughter is crazy!? I also had an issue with the ending. It felt rushed, far-fetched, and honestly, a little eye rolling.
frombethanysbookshelf's review
3.0
Bea Pearl knows her brother didn't die in the flood - but apparently nobody else does. Not her parents, her friends, the entire town in fact. And while everybody else tries to recover when he's declared officially dead, Bea Pearl tries to figure out what really happened. She doesn't know why he went back to the reiver, she doesn't know why she couldn't save him and she doesn't know if she really saw that boat near Jim either - she doesn't know where to start. But then there's Colin ... who may or may not be a Water Sprite, or a merman, or something equally suspicious - who always seems to appear whenever Bea is near water and he might just be who she needs to finally solve the mystery once and for all.
The existence of Bea Pearl was a southern mystery about family and deception - about really existing and what it means. The story was brilliant but for me it felt quite rushed, especially when we reached the climax and it left me feeling deflated. Bea Pearl as a narrator I found unreliable, and her voice felt very child-like so I just couldn't relate to her enough to get fully engrossed in the story. However, this was still a great little mystery with a very unique charm to it.
The existence of Bea Pearl was a southern mystery about family and deception - about really existing and what it means. The story was brilliant but for me it felt quite rushed, especially when we reached the climax and it left me feeling deflated. Bea Pearl as a narrator I found unreliable, and her voice felt very child-like so I just couldn't relate to her enough to get fully engrossed in the story. However, this was still a great little mystery with a very unique charm to it.
thesassybookworm's review
3.0
⭐⭐⭐⭐ -- Mixed Bag
This was a bit of a mixed bag for me. I enjoyed the book overall. I loved Bea, Honey, and Colin. Loved the setting. However, I hated every adult in this book. Especially Bea's parents. There is one incident that takes place in the book that you find out Bea's mother was responsible for that just nailed the coffin shut for me. These people basically let the entire town think their daughter is crazy!? I also had an issue with the ending. It felt rushed, far-fetched, and honestly, a little eye rolling.
This was a bit of a mixed bag for me. I enjoyed the book overall. I loved Bea, Honey, and Colin. Loved the setting. However, I hated every adult in this book. Especially Bea's parents. There is one incident that takes place in the book that you find out Bea's mother was responsible for that just nailed the coffin shut for me. These people basically let the entire town think their daughter is crazy!? I also had an issue with the ending. It felt rushed, far-fetched, and honestly, a little eye rolling.
thebeesknees79's review
3.0
I received an eARC from @Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I honestly don’t know how I feel about this book! It wasn’t bad at all. It was predictable though. I enjoyed the setting, I thought the author did a great job placing us in that gulfy swamp bayou town. Even though it was predictable, I enjoyed the pacing. I couldn’t pinpoint a couple of plot points, which was nice. Bea was a developed character. Her pluckiness was admirable. Overall it felt like a Cajun Riverdale episode. Take that as you will. (I don’t mean it in a negative way at all!!)
bookish_mim's review
2.0
I received a digital copy of the book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
The story starts six months after the disappearance of Bea Pearl’s brother, Jim. For six months there hasn’t been any evidence Jim is still alive that’s why his family holds a funeral and declares him dead. Everyone but Bea Pearl thinks he’s dead. We follow her on her daily life after the funeral and her search for clues on Jim’s whereabouts.
The start of the book is really slow paced. It took me about half the book to get me into it. Sometimes it felt like nothing was happening even though something was indeed happening and we were discovering things related to Jim’s disappearance.
It was hard to connect with the main character. Maybe it was the writing style? It just didn’t get me to interest me for what was happening in the story.
To put it simply, I think this book just wasn’t for me.
Even though I said that, I read the last third of the book in one sitting, I just couldn’t put it down.
The story starts six months after the disappearance of Bea Pearl’s brother, Jim. For six months there hasn’t been any evidence Jim is still alive that’s why his family holds a funeral and declares him dead. Everyone but Bea Pearl thinks he’s dead. We follow her on her daily life after the funeral and her search for clues on Jim’s whereabouts.
The start of the book is really slow paced. It took me about half the book to get me into it. Sometimes it felt like nothing was happening even though something was indeed happening and we were discovering things related to Jim’s disappearance.
It was hard to connect with the main character. Maybe it was the writing style? It just didn’t get me to interest me for what was happening in the story.
To put it simply, I think this book just wasn’t for me.
Even though I said that, I read the last third of the book in one sitting, I just couldn’t put it down.
caitlynuniverse's review
4.0
Bea Pearl is an interesting character - her ability to investigate and head strong personality, makes her a nice and likable protagonist. I like that the plot started straight away and the world building wasn’t too intense or too wordy. Every feature of the book meshed really well and Candace has a way of writing that is so beautiful, it is hard to not imagine the world whilst going through the plot. My image of the town was so dark, rainy and wet which fits the dreary topic and investigation.
This book made me think about how someone so close to us might be a stranger to us as well, no matter the proximity we have with people, we never really know them as well as we’d like to think.
Overall, the pace and plot were executed excellently. I really enjoyed this book
This book made me think about how someone so close to us might be a stranger to us as well, no matter the proximity we have with people, we never really know them as well as we’d like to think.
Overall, the pace and plot were executed excellently. I really enjoyed this book
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