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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
What. A ride. This was the definition of a page-turner. I was hooked the whole time. The only criticisms I have are some of the ways the characters talked about others or how it portrayed people (especially physically disabled people being portrayed as scary or evil). I think this was meant to be expressions of the characters' personal perspectives but it still bothered me a bit. There was diversity in the characters but the lack of representation of any other queer perspective other than the closeted M/M was unfortunate. The ending felt a little rushed as well. Overall, it was a fun and entertaining read. Fram handled multiple perspectives seamlessly and the pacing was perfect up until the last pages. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a fast-paced, fun thriller with a supernatural slant.
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Bentley is your stereotypical Texas Football town. When heir star quarterback Dylan goes missing though, everyone is a suspect. Well…to some at least. The cops have focused in on one person that is unlikely the actual murderer. Dylan’s older brother Joel has some truly awful memories of growing up in Bentley after being outed in a truly horrific way, but he is determined to find out what happened to his brother.
I wanted to love this one so badly. I know many people that adored this book, and I wanted to be one of them! However, I have come to realization recently that I need to search and find out if a book is character driven before I dive in. Character driven novels NOT for me. I gave this one 75%. I wanted to be dragged in but I found myself not wanting to pick it up, and when I did immediately getting sleepy. If you enjoy character driven novels, I highly recommend this one. If you don’t, I’d avoid. A lot of people compared this to Friday Night Lights but really the only FNL vibes I got was that it was a football town in Texas.
I wanted to love this one so badly. I know many people that adored this book, and I wanted to be one of them! However, I have come to realization recently that I need to search and find out if a book is character driven before I dive in. Character driven novels NOT for me. I gave this one 75%. I wanted to be dragged in but I found myself not wanting to pick it up, and when I did immediately getting sleepy. If you enjoy character driven novels, I highly recommend this one. If you don’t, I’d avoid. A lot of people compared this to Friday Night Lights but really the only FNL vibes I got was that it was a football town in Texas.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I grew up in Texas, and I can tell you that the priorities run as follows: football, God, and guns (in that order). And, despite some progress over the years, hatred, discrimination, and fear of the unknown remains, particularly in the more rural areas of the state. In this somewhat allegorical novel, Fram explores this reality. It's not perfect - the ending goes on a bit too long, in my opinion, - but it's well-executed and very suspenseful (I'll need extra coffee this morning after staying up WAY too late to finish). It's also a reminder that hatred ruins multiple lives. There's a lot to unpack here, and I have a feeling I'll be thinking about it for a while.
4 stars
I was highly entertained all the way through. This is more of a dark, horror feel on the Who Done It mystery trope. This book was honestly like watching a movie. I appreciate how real the story felt, all the problems the characters were going through individually.
I knocked off a star because with it being so much like a movie there were so many new random characters introduced every chapter that ended up not be random characters at all, there was at least 14 characters I think and I feel like every one of them were important in there own way to the story. The ones I didn't even bother to remember their name ended up being super important in the end so I felt like I missed out on the big climax by not caring enough. It also would have added so much to the story telling if we got alternate chapters between the present and the past.
I was highly entertained all the way through. This is more of a dark, horror feel on the Who Done It mystery trope. This book was honestly like watching a movie. I appreciate how real the story felt, all the problems the characters were going through individually.
I knocked off a star because with it being so much like a movie there were so many new random characters introduced every chapter that ended up not be random characters at all, there was at least 14 characters I think and I feel like every one of them were important in there own way to the story. The ones I didn't even bother to remember their name ended up being super important in the end so I felt like I missed out on the big climax by not caring enough. It also would have added so much to the story telling if we got alternate chapters between the present and the past.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Free from the publisher | If you took It, Stranger Things, and Friday Night Lights and made it LGBTQ+ - you’d have an approximation of THE BRIGHT LANDS. And I loved it!
Joel goes back to his small Texas hometown after his brother sends him a series of concerning texts. Something bad is going down, but it’s not until his brother disappears that he realizes just how serious things have gotten. Together with his ex (and last) girlfriend Clark, Joel sets off to uncover what The Bright Lands are really all about. But he’s got to battle his own demons and wade through the town’s bigotry and corruption to do it.
The story is dark and unsettling and by the end, completely over the top. There were a ton of characters to keep track of but not knowing who was up to what added to the suspense. The first two thirds set the tone, but by the finale things got wild and I couldn’t flip the pages fast enough. If you’re in the market for a new voice in the thriller/horror space, I definitely recommend this. And come back and tell me what you thought about that ending! Congrats to the author on a wonderful debut.
Joel goes back to his small Texas hometown after his brother sends him a series of concerning texts. Something bad is going down, but it’s not until his brother disappears that he realizes just how serious things have gotten. Together with his ex (and last) girlfriend Clark, Joel sets off to uncover what The Bright Lands are really all about. But he’s got to battle his own demons and wade through the town’s bigotry and corruption to do it.
The story is dark and unsettling and by the end, completely over the top. There were a ton of characters to keep track of but not knowing who was up to what added to the suspense. The first two thirds set the tone, but by the finale things got wild and I couldn’t flip the pages fast enough. If you’re in the market for a new voice in the thriller/horror space, I definitely recommend this. And come back and tell me what you thought about that ending! Congrats to the author on a wonderful debut.
I don’t know how to review this book.
If you want a tldr; it’s True Detective season one meets Texas football meets something else entirely. I mean this to be the highest compliment I can possibly give it.
It’s hard to say anything without giving something away so I’ll settle for this:
I will be damn near the first in line for every book John Fram ever publishes.
If you want a tldr; it’s True Detective season one meets Texas football meets something else entirely. I mean this to be the highest compliment I can possibly give it.
It’s hard to say anything without giving something away so I’ll settle for this:
I will be damn near the first in line for every book John Fram ever publishes.