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mariahistryingtoread's review against another edition
1.0
I had a long, probably rambling review all planned out - I took detailed notes and everything - but then I thought better of it. This book isn't worth the deep introspection I'd normally engage in.
If you take anything from this review it is this:
If you know what the is about, whether you've actually read it or not, then you know the entirety of this story already.
That in and of itself wouldn't be enough to completely discount its merits. I love retellings and that largely means I know the most important bits to the story going in. I still have a good time as long as the story is executed well.
It absolutely does not work here because it's a thriller which hinges on you not knowing what is going on. I'm not saying a retelling can't be thrilling in its own right. Part of the appeal in a retelling is how the author uses familiar story elements to craft a unique interpretation. What I am saying is that Morrow ruins the entire book by having Cherish's mother literally gift Farrah the key to the twist - - a quarter of the way in.
If you are the least bit aware of or Google it because it's such a pointed clue then you've effectively spoiled the whole concept.
There is nothing past this juncture worth reading for in spite of this revelation. The book has nothing going for it other than desire to see the conclusion of the mystery. With that removed right out the gate I was bored to tears.
Farrah is not nearly as clever as she thinks she is which despite being her fatal flaw makes over half the book remarkably tedious as Morrow's way of proving it is to simply have Farrah reiterate how conniving and cunning and manipulative she is. If she really were all that bad I doubt she'd be wasting so much time discussing it she'd simply be bad.
The supporting characters are insignificant which not only runs in direct opposition to what the synopsis suggests, but also hurts the story tremendously when you consider how much more impactful the story could have been if Morrow had not insisted on making reveal so pivotal. The book would have been a lot better if that had been intentionally revealed early on leaving the rest of the book for further exploration of its themes.
Speaking of themes, the messaging in this book was ridiculously heavy handed. One of the reviews likens it to Get Out, but the subtle intelligence of Get Out was completely lost. It's overt to the point of silliness instead.
At one point a white character outright states Black people need to suffer as that's what makes them resilient as a race - their capacity to make do with little and roll with the punches. Farrah doesn't call this out as the clearly racist pseudoscientific hogwash disguised as admiration it is. She agrees with her. She was upset at the betrayal surrounding the conversation, not at all at the reasoning.
And before you ask, no, it is not presented as if Farrah's internalized racism is jumping out. While the white character is meant to sound ridiculous, Farrah, even as disconnected from mental stability as she is at the time, is meant to be our 'hero' in that moment meaning her logic is sound. It's not total approval from Farrah, to be fair to her, but the whole argument verges way too close to romanticizing pain; Morrow lowkey promotes the pervasive misconception that struggle is required to succeed.
Contrary to popular belief, America has never been a meritocracy particularly not for Black people. I am not discounting the strength it took us to overcome our hardships. I am indebted to those that came before me for what they endured so I can do something as simple as use any water fountain I want out in public. Still, it is harmful for all of us to act like we are strong specifically and only because of that.
For one thing, there is so much more to us as a community than our 'strength' as defined solely by the ability to take it on the chin perpetually. For another, the unshakeable force that is white supremacy is proof enough that the unique obstacles we've faced has not been equal to the cushy lifestyles white people - note I talking about white people on a systemic level as there absolutely are poor, disadvantaged white people as well - have afforded. If you look at it from that perspective it's easy to see it's not advantageous to suffer. It's simply what we've been fed to keep us from questioning the 'natural' order. Our absorption of this rhetoric has been so complete we now view it as a racial badge of honor when the real honor would be to get to a point where no Black person has to claw their way to the top any longer.
Farrah somewhat understands this as her whole character is about ingratiating herself to the Whitman family to secure a solid position in life going forward. I think the reason it falls apart is that since this is a subconscious thought on Morrow's part rather than a conscious reflection on the character it goes unchallenged because Morrow doesn't see what the issue is in the first place. I don't usually subscribe to the idea that a character's opinions reflect the authors' opinions, but in this instance I do believe that that's the case.
I hated the ending. It was intended to be a horrifying culmination of all of Farrah's darker impulses; instead it was the literary equivalent to a Lifetime movie ending.
The codependency was not played up enough between Farrah and Cherish for me to believe she could manipulate Cherish to do what she does Especially given the reservations Cherish already had about Farrah over the course of the novel. And especially given who the person involved is to Cherish. Cherish is definitely reliant on Farrah, but it was absolutely not to a level that I feel she'd choose her over this other person.
The poorly developed characters hurt Cherish the most as, despite the unreliability to Farrah's narration, Cherish really does end up being no more than what Farrah thinks of her. Not only does this go against the whole central theme to the story, i.e. that Farrah's inability to see outside her own biases will be her downfall, it also is a disservice to the quality as it was far better when it was unclear how culpable Cherish was in the series of events.
The narrative's insistence this 'dark, despicable' act would truly cement the relationship was ridiculous. As we've seen in real life people with money and contacts like the Whitmans can get their children out of far worse scrapes easily. Farrah did not make herself any more essential in the slightest. It’d be super simple to set her up as the fall guy, get therapy for Cherish and move the heck on as she rots in prison.
I know I said I wouldn't do a long, rambling review and this looks like the opposite but I promise you this is only scraping the surface. I could have gone way harder if I wanted to. Seriously, pass on this one. I regret rushing to finish it before my check-out expired. I wish I’d simply let it expire blissfully unaware of what I was missing.
If you take anything from this review it is this:
If you know what the
Spoiler
Whipping BoyThat in and of itself wouldn't be enough to completely discount its merits. I love retellings and that largely means I know the most important bits to the story going in. I still have a good time as long as the story is executed well.
It absolutely does not work here because it's a thriller which hinges on you not knowing what is going on. I'm not saying a retelling can't be thrilling in its own right. Part of the appeal in a retelling is how the author uses familiar story elements to craft a unique interpretation. What I am saying is that Morrow ruins the entire book by having Cherish's mother literally gift Farrah the key to the twist -
Spoiler
a physical copy of the Whipping BoyIf you are the least bit aware of
Spoiler
the Whipping BoyThere is nothing past this juncture worth reading for in spite of this revelation. The book has nothing going for it other than desire to see the conclusion of the mystery. With that removed right out the gate I was bored to tears.
Farrah is not nearly as clever as she thinks she is which despite being her fatal flaw makes over half the book remarkably tedious as Morrow's way of proving it is to simply have Farrah reiterate how conniving and cunning and manipulative she is. If she really were all that bad I doubt she'd be wasting so much time discussing it she'd simply be bad.
The supporting characters are insignificant which not only runs in direct opposition to what the synopsis suggests, but also hurts the story tremendously when you consider how much more impactful the story could have been if Morrow had not insisted on making
Spoiler
the Whipping BoySpeaking of themes, the messaging in this book was ridiculously heavy handed. One of the reviews likens it to Get Out, but the subtle intelligence of Get Out was completely lost. It's overt to the point of silliness instead.
At one point a white character outright states Black people need to suffer as that's what makes them resilient as a race - their capacity to make do with little and roll with the punches. Farrah doesn't call this out as the clearly racist pseudoscientific hogwash disguised as admiration it is. She agrees with her. She was upset at the betrayal surrounding the conversation, not at all at the reasoning.
And before you ask, no, it is not presented as if Farrah's internalized racism is jumping out. While the white character is meant to sound ridiculous, Farrah, even as disconnected from mental stability as she is at the time, is meant to be our 'hero' in that moment meaning her logic is sound. It's not total approval from Farrah, to be fair to her, but the whole argument verges way too close to romanticizing pain; Morrow lowkey promotes the pervasive misconception that struggle is required to succeed.
Contrary to popular belief, America has never been a meritocracy particularly not for Black people. I am not discounting the strength it took us to overcome our hardships. I am indebted to those that came before me for what they endured so I can do something as simple as use any water fountain I want out in public. Still, it is harmful for all of us to act like we are strong specifically and only because of that.
For one thing, there is so much more to us as a community than our 'strength' as defined solely by the ability to take it on the chin perpetually. For another, the unshakeable force that is white supremacy is proof enough that the unique obstacles we've faced has not been equal to the cushy lifestyles white people - note I talking about white people on a systemic level as there absolutely are poor, disadvantaged white people as well - have afforded. If you look at it from that perspective it's easy to see it's not advantageous to suffer. It's simply what we've been fed to keep us from questioning the 'natural' order. Our absorption of this rhetoric has been so complete we now view it as a racial badge of honor when the real honor would be to get to a point where no Black person has to claw their way to the top any longer.
Farrah somewhat understands this as her whole character is about ingratiating herself to the Whitman family to secure a solid position in life going forward. I think the reason it falls apart is that since this is a subconscious thought on Morrow's part rather than a conscious reflection on the character it goes unchallenged because Morrow doesn't see what the issue is in the first place. I don't usually subscribe to the idea that a character's opinions reflect the authors' opinions, but in this instance I do believe that that's the case.
I hated the ending. It was intended to be a horrifying culmination of all of Farrah's darker impulses; instead it was the literary equivalent to a Lifetime movie ending.
The codependency was not played up enough between Farrah and Cherish for me to believe she could manipulate Cherish to do what she does
Spoiler
She has Cherish help her drown Cherish’s mother in a pool as a sign of devotion.The poorly developed characters hurt Cherish the most as, despite the unreliability to Farrah's narration, Cherish really does end up being no more than what Farrah thinks of her. Not only does this go against the whole central theme to the story, i.e. that Farrah's inability to see outside her own biases will be her downfall, it also is a disservice to the quality as it was far better when it was unclear how culpable Cherish was in the series of events.
The narrative's insistence this 'dark, despicable' act would truly cement the relationship was ridiculous. As we've seen in real life people with money and contacts like the Whitmans can get their children out of far worse scrapes easily. Farrah did not make herself any more essential in the slightest. It’d be super simple to set her up as the fall guy, get therapy for Cherish and move the heck on as she rots in prison.
I know I said I wouldn't do a long, rambling review and this looks like the opposite but I promise you this is only scraping the surface. I could have gone way harder if I wanted to. Seriously, pass on this one. I regret rushing to finish it before my check-out expired. I wish I’d simply let it expire blissfully unaware of what I was missing.
nerdynatreads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Alright, this was freaking weird, but I think overall I was pretty hooked the entire way through!
I definitely see why this was likened to Get Out— it’s a slow-burn horror with some interesting discussions around race and classism woven through. While I wasn’t really sure where the story was going most of the way, once I hit the climax, everything clicked. Unfortunately, there was a scene earlier on that I had thought was weird, but didn’t look into much further. That scene ruins any suspense for the climax and completely tells you what’s taking place.
Throughout most of this, I wouldn’t really have called it a horror, but damn, the turning point near the end really amped up the violence, the body horror. There was one scene in particular that sent a shiver through me. Definitely was interesting to tell this story through the eyes of a budding psychopath (that’s not really ever confirmed, but it’s a pretty safe assumption), as you spend a lot of time questioning whether how Farrah views events is true or not.
The co-dependent relationship between Farrah and Cherish was interesting and the more reveals that took place, the more curious I was to see how their relationship would affect the climax. On one hand, I love reading about these sorts of dynamics, but on the other, what we’d been told didn’t quite match with the characters’ final actions. Then, there’s this ongoing… competition? Struggle? Between Farrah and her mother, which was, unfortunately, unresolved at the end.
So in the end, this built up very well, but didn’t really stick the landing for me. I think that large-ass breadcrumb should have been removed, some editing of the descriptive writing style to amp up the pace, and then the ending should have been expanded upon. Basically, this could have done with more editing and it would have gone better.
cfranchi_'s review
3.0
super slow book, I was kind of waiting for the dark turn. totally surprised by the ending though!
wall0w's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
3.0
Implies much more than it directly says which isn't a bad thing. While I didn't not enjoy the story, I didn't really like the characters but the mild dislike I had for them was equal enough in a way that I still wanted the best for them (that I dont even know that they got in the end)
thepagelady's review against another edition
4.0
I was not expecting the thrilling ride that I got from this book! I knew it was a thriller just not as dark but I loved every minute of it! I read somewhere that they recommend that you read this book without reading the blurb so I went in almost completely blind to what was going to happen. But that just added to the adventure! Absolutely addictive and a fantastic read!
damarareads's review against another edition
3.0
I don't know how to feel about this. It wasn't the worst thing I've ever read or the best. I can see why people either love it or hate it but it was okay, very weird. I liked the themes and the ending... I don't even know. I think I'm going to settle on a 3 star though. I wouldn't recommend it because I don't know who this book would appeal to
ask_ash's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75