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loganrhps's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I wanted to like this more, but the ending threw me off as rushed and predictable. Love the premise though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Panic attacks/disorders
boundforinfinity's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A genuinely impressive book that surprised and excited me.
Quincy's Final Girls are comprised of three, majorly smart victims. No not victims. Survivors. Quincy Carpenter, Lisa Milner and Samantha Boyd are standout, independent, strong female characters that thrill the reader.
Quincy's Final Girls are comprised of three, majorly smart victims. No not victims. Survivors. Quincy Carpenter, Lisa Milner and Samantha Boyd are standout, independent, strong female characters that thrill the reader.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Gore, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Mental illness, Suicide, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Self harm, Sexual harassment, Stalking, Gun violence, Genocide, Forced institutionalization, Death, Blood, Mass/school shootings, Grief, Alcoholism, and Alcohol
lovelymisanthrope's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I have thought of Riley Sager as a favorite author for a long time now, but kept putting of his debut, until now. I was very pleased with how much I ended up enjoying this novel! This story follows Quincy, who ten years ago, became a final girl. On that terrible night, her and her friends went to a cabin in the woods to celebrate, but only Quincy, with no memory of what happened, made it back home. Now, she is trying to move on and live her life without constantly being reminded of the night that changed everything. She receives news that another final girl was found dead, under suspicious circumstances. Is Quincy safe, and can she finally remember what happened to her friends?
This book had some twists and turns that I did not see coming, but everything felt in the realm of reality, which I always appreciate in a thriller. It was not my favorite Riley Sager novel, but I still very much enjoyed it!
This book had some twists and turns that I did not see coming, but everything felt in the realm of reality, which I always appreciate in a thriller. It was not my favorite Riley Sager novel, but I still very much enjoyed it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Murder, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, and Violence
Minor: Infidelity
reading_binosaur's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A woman who survives a massacre must go through life asking herself why she lived when others didn't and deal with the intense morbid celebrity that came with it. She can't remember all the details of that night and struggles to help police even 10 years later. The twist at the end will have you saying 'what the ****" so quick.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Gaslighting, Stalking, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Drug abuse, and Kidnapping
painausten's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Okay this got me!!!!!! WOW. I really thought I guessed the twist. No one could guess that twist.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Sexual assault, and Violence
Minor: Suicide, Stalking, Panic attacks/disorders, and Drug use
phantasmaboo's review against another edition
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? Yes
3.5
Final Girls: A Novel by Riley Sager tells the story of Quincy, who is the lone survivor of an attack that left many of her friends dead in college. She is labelled a Final Girl, making her part of a group of young women who survived attempts to murder them. Quincy seems to have some stability in her life when one of the other Final Girls, Lisa, is found dead from an apparent suicide. Couple with the arrival of the third Final Girl, Samantha, on her doorstep one day, Quincy is quickly thrown down the rabbit hole as Sam tries to get her to remember her past and discover who she truly is.
This is really the first thriller book that I have read in a long while and I found the experience to be quite enjoyable. I didn't really consider a "page-turner", as I put it down and forgot about it for several months, but now that I've finished it, I'm glad I did. Sager has several high points to this book that represent the genre well. They include:
Complicated Characters
In my reading, I didn't really find many of the characters too likeable, but I thought that was a strength. I am glad that Sager stayed away from creating the "perfect victim" in Quincy and, instead, represented her flaws for what they were: reactions to the trauma that she endured. I also liked that because Quincy has distinct and arguably serious character flaws, as it adds to the suspense of the story. At times, it was unclear whether Quincy could be relied on to tell the story and accurately reflect on her experiences. I found myself questioning Quincy a lot and I thought that was the main strength of this story.
Compelling Plot and Pace (for the most part)
I thought that the plot and pace when it revolved around Quincy figuring out what happened to her and investigating Sam. Unfortunately, that happens mostly in the last 1/3 of the book. Still, I think that it was enough to make it a highlight. The book is fairly easy read and has a moderate pace, which I think it fitting.
Nice Twist at the End
There are some reviews that have said that they "knew what happened" from the very beginning, but I was really surprised! Maybe it's because I do not read this genre all that often, but I thought the surprise at the end was great and probably what saved this book for me.
That being said, there are a few areas that impacted my review negatively. Among them being:
Diversity
There is a distinct lack of diversity in this book, so if you are looking for a book that will represent diverse perspectives, this probably isn't it. The book is very white-centered. The only person of color that I can remember is **minor spoiler** a drug addict who is attacked , which is disappointing to say the least. I don't even think that Quincy is best represented as a white woman throughout the text either. She, and Sam, are constantly defined by the men in their lives and their relationships to them. For example, I was disappointed that a lot of Quincy's relationships with men were constructed so shallowly even though presumably she had deep connections to them (i.e., they were based on sex rather than intimacy). I found that Quincy was treated as more of an object than a person at points, even with her very real faults. I think that this did render Quincy somewhat shallow and hindered her development. At the end, when Quincy says that she wants to teach someone else how to be Final Girl, I had no idea what that meant, as Quincy barely seemed to have any character development in the text at all until the final few pages.
Pacing (now for the negative)
There are parts of this book that feel slow and disconnected. It isn't even clear what Sam is there for until the last 1/3 of the book where most of the plot comes together. While it is a mystery/thriller, I think that the middle portion of the book was meant to sow distrust in Quincy and/or show her growth, but I think it did neither very well. This is part of the reason why I put the book down and forgot about it for a while. I would have appreciated a bit more agency from Quincy throughout, perhaps having her do more investigating throughout the book rather than galivanting around with Sam.
Overall Review
I give this book 3.5 / 5 stars. I think that it is traditional within the mystery/thriller genre, although not really pushing any boundaries that I can think of. It was definitely a decent read.
This is really the first thriller book that I have read in a long while and I found the experience to be quite enjoyable. I didn't really consider a "page-turner", as I put it down and forgot about it for several months, but now that I've finished it, I'm glad I did. Sager has several high points to this book that represent the genre well. They include:
Complicated Characters
In my reading, I didn't really find many of the characters too likeable, but I thought that was a strength. I am glad that Sager stayed away from creating the "perfect victim" in Quincy and, instead, represented her flaws for what they were: reactions to the trauma that she endured. I also liked that because Quincy has distinct and arguably serious character flaws, as it adds to the suspense of the story. At times, it was unclear whether Quincy could be relied on to tell the story and accurately reflect on her experiences. I found myself questioning Quincy a lot and I thought that was the main strength of this story.
Compelling Plot and Pace (for the most part)
I thought that the plot and pace when it revolved around Quincy figuring out what happened to her and investigating Sam. Unfortunately, that happens mostly in the last 1/3 of the book. Still, I think that it was enough to make it a highlight. The book is fairly easy read and has a moderate pace, which I think it fitting.
Nice Twist at the End
There are some reviews that have said that they "knew what happened" from the very beginning, but I was really surprised! Maybe it's because I do not read this genre all that often, but I thought the surprise at the end was great and probably what saved this book for me.
That being said, there are a few areas that impacted my review negatively. Among them being:
Diversity
There is a distinct lack of diversity in this book, so if you are looking for a book that will represent diverse perspectives, this probably isn't it. The book is very white-centered. The only person of color that I can remember is **minor spoiler**
Pacing (now for the negative)
There are parts of this book that feel slow and disconnected. It isn't even clear what Sam is there for until the last 1/3 of the book where most of the plot comes together. While it is a mystery/thriller, I think that the middle portion of the book was meant to sow distrust in Quincy and/or show her growth, but I think it did neither very well. This is part of the reason why I put the book down and forgot about it for a while. I would have appreciated a bit more agency from Quincy throughout, perhaps having her do more investigating throughout the book rather than galivanting around with Sam.
Overall Review
I give this book 3.5 / 5 stars. I think that it is traditional within the mystery/thriller genre, although not really pushing any boundaries that I can think of. It was definitely a decent read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Kidnapping, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, and Violence
sarah_onyxartemis's review
Good book just not at all my cup of tea. I'm only just crawling out of a major reading slump so I'm not going to force myself to get through it. Not right now at least. Maybe I'll pick it back up down the road.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Gore, Sexual content, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Cursing, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Stalking, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Cancer, Death of parent, and Mental illness
bookishgoob's review
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-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? It's complicated
2.0
“I’m the moth that got careless with the flame. Now i’m engulfed” slow paced and utterly uninteresting in the first half, you follow a girl with no memory of what happened to her after being the only survivor of a massacre that left all of her friends dead. she was the only survivor. she was a “final girl” a term used when talking about horror movies most of the time to describe the girl at the end of a movie that is the only survivor of what happened. the first 50% of this book left me with the feeling of wanting to just not finish at all but I don’t like to DNF books unless it’s so terrible or uninteresting so i pushed through and finished it. the twists and turns were surprising, but only to an extent. i called a few of them from a mile away, a few of them though were not so easy to spot. switching from the final girls perspective to a 3rd person account of what happened to her 10 years early was an interesting choice, just not very well executed in my opinion. not getting much on either end of the story made it dull and it felt slightly repetitive. all in all, i’m glad i finished it but i would not read it again and i don’t think i would really recommend it. unless you like slow paced stories that really feel like they have no direction in the beginning. i give this read a 2/5. it was an okay spooky season read. but if you have a choice between this title, or another thriller, i would vote that you get the other one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Abandonment, Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, and Torture
alinwonderland's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Blood, Death, Drug abuse, Gore, Murder, Violence, and Stalking
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Sexual content, Grief, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Car accident, Cursing, Eating disorder, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Vomit, and Forced institutionalization
davidrb's review
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Christ.
No spoilers, but this is a tedious mess. For a thriller (and make no mistake: this is a thriller and not a horror), the pace is unbearably slow. The characters are beyond flat and contrived. The writing style gives absolutely nothing. Most damningly, the author takes a very dismissive approach towards more "traditional" trauma victims (i.e. survivors of rape and assault) in favor of his prototypical final girl, which is both uncomfortable to read and doesn't at all serve the story, considering it's a narrative about how trauma shapes people. Ostensibly.
Horror satire can still be suspenseful and scary (think Scream), but this forgoes any meaningful commentary in favor of cheap twists, and, in fact, has very little to say about the genre at all. I only gave it 1 star because I gave The Maidens 1 star, and I wouldn't say I hated it more. (I'm really striking out with thrillers lately.)
No spoilers, but this is a tedious mess. For a thriller (and make no mistake: this is a thriller and not a horror), the pace is unbearably slow. The characters are beyond flat and contrived. The writing style gives absolutely nothing. Most damningly, the author takes a very dismissive approach towards more "traditional" trauma victims (i.e. survivors of rape and assault) in favor of his prototypical final girl, which is both uncomfortable to read and doesn't at all serve the story, considering it's a narrative about how trauma shapes people. Ostensibly.
Horror satire can still be suspenseful and scary (think Scream), but this forgoes any meaningful commentary in favor of cheap twists, and, in fact, has very little to say about the genre at all. I only gave it 1 star because I gave The Maidens 1 star, and I wouldn't say I hated it more. (I'm really striking out with thrillers lately.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Blood, Ableism, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Grief, Gun violence, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Stalking, Toxic friendship, and Violence