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3.59 AVERAGE
3.59 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
After listening to a strong, atmospheric New England Gothic novel, I realized it was less than half over, and the ride was just beginning. The audiobook was very well done, but I am glad I also had a hard copy because I found myself flipping back and forth going, Who? What? And, if that sounds like fun, this is the book for you.
I really enjoyed this even though it covered A LOT of ground and subject matter. Confusing at times but in the end came together for a great reading experience.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
This book was seriously mind bending. At certain points, I was just like, wtf am I reading? Which was kind of weird because the first half feels like a normal murder mystery. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started reading, considering how insane Last House on Needless Street was, the only other book I’ve read by Ward.
Wilder visits his uncle’s beach cabin for the summer with his parents. He quickly becomes friends with two other teens and they form a bond like Wilder’s never experienced. The next summer, Wilder and his family come back to the cabin, but things with his friends has changed. They’re more secretive and less open than he remembers. While his parents’ relationship becomes more contentious by the day, there’s also a murder mystery happening in town. Wilder finds himself in the middle of the investigation, which upends his life and his future. The next year, he heads to college, but is haunted by what happened on the coast. A new friend, Sky, takes Wilder under his wing, but are Sky’s intentions as selfless as they seem?
The first half of the book takes place in normal reality and is easy to understand. The second half, not so much. There were multiple occasions I had to stop and say, “What?” out loud to myself. The more Wilder digs into his past at the beach, and his relationship with Sky, the more confusing the story becomes. I really enjoyed this book. It is so weird, but not in the inter-dimensional, science fiction way I normally enjoy. I’m excited to read more from this author.
this was my 2nd novel by this author and since i enjoyed the last house on needless street, i was excited to try this one out. i had to stop reading it at 21%. another bloody dnf this month. 😩
the characters were too bland for my liking, i didn’t seem to care for none of them. not one had stood out for me and i’m gutted about that since i was excited to read it.
i also didn’t care for the romantic sprinkles, they just all seemed so juvenile for me. it might be a me problem since i don’t really like reading from teenagers’/ya pov.
the story was a bit too slow paced and i was bored since nothing remotely interesting was happening to grip me in. i don’t mind a slow pace, but the writing has to deliver in that case, else i’ll be too bored to continue.
something about the writing style didn’t work for me, i just felt disconnected from it.
safe to say, i can’t recommend this one personally, i recommend reading the last house on needless street instead as it was more enjoyable from the get go!
the characters were too bland for my liking, i didn’t seem to care for none of them. not one had stood out for me and i’m gutted about that since i was excited to read it.
i also didn’t care for the romantic sprinkles, they just all seemed so juvenile for me. it might be a me problem since i don’t really like reading from teenagers’/ya pov.
the story was a bit too slow paced and i was bored since nothing remotely interesting was happening to grip me in. i don’t mind a slow pace, but the writing has to deliver in that case, else i’ll be too bored to continue.
something about the writing style didn’t work for me, i just felt disconnected from it.
safe to say, i can’t recommend this one personally, i recommend reading the last house on needless street instead as it was more enjoyable from the get go!
dark
fast-paced
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really hate to rate this on the lower end just because I really enjoyed the first half of this book, but the second half just really tanked this for me. the twists & reveals at the end started to feel almost comical because there were so many in a row that didn’t really make sense or give significant meaning to the first half of the story; if anything it took away from it & muddied the narrative too much. all in all, the first half is the beginnings of the perfect summer read & then the second half is just a disappointment :/
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
i've read a couple other of catriona ward's books and i normally really like her writing, but this one was definitely not one of her stronger works.
i really liked the first half of this book. it reminded me a lot of so many other pieces i enjoyed from other authors (like donna tart's the secret history for one!) and i was really getting into it. but the second half felt like such a huge tonal shift that never had a great payoff. the writing became so repetitive and tropey, the twists were corny, and the ending felt rushed and very abrupt. i was so disappointed in the second half, which is really unfortunate because the first half was so well done. i just honestly feel like it was a bit of a letdown, especially because ward's other works have been so good. she writes very complicated, interesting characters and even more compelling stories, so it was really unexpected that this didn't do it for me!
i really liked the first half of this book. it reminded me a lot of so many other pieces i enjoyed from other authors (like donna tart's the secret history for one!) and i was really getting into it. but the second half felt like such a huge tonal shift that never had a great payoff. the writing became so repetitive and tropey, the twists were corny, and the ending felt rushed and very abrupt. i was so disappointed in the second half, which is really unfortunate because the first half was so well done. i just honestly feel like it was a bit of a letdown, especially because ward's other works have been so good. she writes very complicated, interesting characters and even more compelling stories, so it was really unexpected that this didn't do it for me!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Suicide
Moderate: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Murder
no overt pedophilia happens but photos are taken of children while they are asleep in their bed by an intruder.