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3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
I want to start this review by saying you should completely ignore the summary, it's basically a lie.
That being said I enjoyed this book despite it not being what I expected. It's a very interesting disection of trama and how it affects you even when you don't fully remeber it. I feel like some of the revealss could have been a little better foreshadowed but I liked the characters I felt very driven by them.
Also personally I wish that CMT had been treated just a bit more like they were the bad guys because they were-- no justification about them trying to do the right thing or it not being fully their fault is going to change that they practiced an unethical experiment with or without the main research team's input. Not to mention how bias the main research team would be concidering they were raising the kids. You could even argue that the experiment itself was unethical bad controls excuded. And another things is that there's just a few mysteries that are straight up never answered.
That being said I enjoyed this book despite it not being what I expected. It's a very interesting disection of trama and how it affects you even when you don't fully remeber it. I feel like some of the revealss could have been a little better foreshadowed but I liked the characters I felt very driven by them.
Also personally I wish that CMT had been treated just a bit more like they were the bad guys because they were-- no justification about them trying to do the right thing or it not being fully their fault is going to change that they practiced an unethical experiment with or without the main research team's input. Not to mention how bias the main research team would be concidering they were raising the kids. You could even argue that the experiment itself was unethical bad controls excuded. And another things is that there's just a few mysteries that are straight up never answered.
TW: mentions of SA.
This book was... less than impressive. I'd actually started off liking it, actually, even with all its Young Adult-ness. I'm willing to admit that I'm not quite the intended audience for this book, which is maybe why the dialogue and all didn't really do much for me.
The PROBLEM with this book is how it kind of sets forth a narrative that I hate. In the book, we relive a traumatic night for the main character--a night she's at a party and is almost sexually assaulted. She's lucky enough to get away, and then her best friend and her both beat the guy up and send him to the hospital. To me, there is absolutely nothing WRONG with that. The guy deserves worse.
However, the entire book, the reader is told that this is wrong. That Tucker and Blythe were wrong for beating the guy up, and that they shouldn't be around each other for that reason.
The same goes for a similar instance, where a character, as a kid, also gets sexually assaulted, and winds up killing her abuser. The blame gets set on his brother, and their memories get wiped, yada yada yada. When everything gets found out, several people think he should be put to justice as if the guy who got killed hadn't literally done worse things. Worse--a character says that the guy who was killed was INNOCENT. He absolutely was not.
The forgiveness and near humanization of rapists in this book is kind of really disgusting, and I don't like the agenda it pushes.
On top of that, this book was written in circles. Plot twist upon plot twist upon plot twist, but almost none of them except the first couple are actually GOOD because you see them coming, or they're just underwhelming. The only redeeming part about this book is that despite ALL that I mentioned, I at least kept wanting to read so I could find out the mysteries brought forth. Cliffhangers were done decently well. That's it.
This book was... less than impressive. I'd actually started off liking it, actually, even with all its Young Adult-ness. I'm willing to admit that I'm not quite the intended audience for this book, which is maybe why the dialogue and all didn't really do much for me.
The PROBLEM with this book is how it kind of sets forth a narrative that I hate. In the book, we relive a traumatic night for the main character--a night she's at a party and is almost sexually assaulted. She's lucky enough to get away, and then her best friend and her both beat the guy up and send him to the hospital. To me, there is absolutely nothing WRONG with that. The guy deserves worse.
However, the entire book, the reader is told that this is wrong. That Tucker and Blythe were wrong for beating the guy up, and that they shouldn't be around each other for that reason.
The same goes for a similar instance, where a character, as a kid, also gets sexually assaulted, and winds up killing her abuser. The blame gets set on his brother, and their memories get wiped, yada yada yada. When everything gets found out, several people think he should be put to justice as if the guy who got killed hadn't literally done worse things. Worse--a character says that the guy who was killed was INNOCENT. He absolutely was not.
The forgiveness and near humanization of rapists in this book is kind of really disgusting, and I don't like the agenda it pushes.
On top of that, this book was written in circles. Plot twist upon plot twist upon plot twist, but almost none of them except the first couple are actually GOOD because you see them coming, or they're just underwhelming. The only redeeming part about this book is that despite ALL that I mentioned, I at least kept wanting to read so I could find out the mysteries brought forth. Cliffhangers were done decently well. That's it.
The description of the book didn't quite represent the story within which I did enjoy. I like mysteries and I like a little thriller/horror now and then but the description alluded to something different than what I actually got.
I especially take issue with the bit that says they're a tight friend group falling in and out of love with each other. The tight friend group part is accurate, but the falling in and out of love makes it seem like some Dawson's Creek/One Tree Hill/Insert Other WB or CW Teen Show Here drama.
To my recollection, the "tight friend group" is rarely ever together and spend a lot of time existing "off screen" throughout the story.
I especially take issue with the bit that says they're a tight friend group falling in and out of love with each other. The tight friend group part is accurate, but the falling in and out of love makes it seem like some Dawson's Creek/One Tree Hill/Insert Other WB or CW Teen Show Here drama.
To my recollection, the "tight friend group" is rarely ever together and spend a lot of time existing "off screen" throughout the story.
This book was way more sci-fi than it was thriller. It was exciting and crazy…The plot line was definitely one of a kind.
This book has tons of ups and downs. The layers are ridiculously thick and the information you get as you peel through each layer can be hard to piece together. It's almost like 2 different books woven together in an odd way.
I listened to the audiobook and the reader is not one I'd like to listen to again. Weird voices/intonations, mispronunciation, and odd phrasing made it hard to listen to at times.
I listened to the audiobook and the reader is not one I'd like to listen to again. Weird voices/intonations, mispronunciation, and odd phrasing made it hard to listen to at times.
Oh. My. Gosh!! This has me hooked from line one!! Fabulous!!
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This was an interesting story about family, home, and trust. Told from Blythe's perspective, there is a small band of friends who are just on the brink of being out of high school and moving on. Thinking about college and last days of homework, they are shocked when one of them starts acting odd. Gabrielle is in the classroom yelling about cameras and watching her. She's sent to the office and Blythe follows her. But this one action, being sent the the office and Blythe falling, is going to send them all spinning.
I liked guessing what was going on. I did guess quite a bit but never who the ringleader was. I liked dissecting the relationships and trying to understand what we knew and how we knew it. It was shocking at points and I liked that you weren't sure who to trust. I read with a friend and we liked kicking around ideas and breaking down theories. It was a pretty good read!
A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.
I liked guessing what was going on. I did guess quite a bit but never who the ringleader was. I liked dissecting the relationships and trying to understand what we knew and how we knew it. It was shocking at points and I liked that you weren't sure who to trust. I read with a friend and we liked kicking around ideas and breaking down theories. It was a pretty good read!
A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.