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3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
All right. Okay. This book.
Short form: I've been more disappointed before, but not much. And it's not even the book's fault--it tried to warn me.
Okay, so. Just from reading the description, I was sure I knew exactly how this novel would end, and the only question was which side of the 50/50 shot it would land on. But I was so tempted to pick it up anyway, because I love books written in unusual formats--police reports, IMs, letters, photographs mixed in, I love them all. And that cover is so cool. But I didn't want to invest my limited free time in a thriller when I was sure I knew the ending.
Then I looked at all these reviews and saw over and over how much everyone loved the ending! How unexpected it was! How twisty! What a great finish! Totally shocked!
So I thought, okay, I have to be wrong about the ending. There's no way this many people could be surprised by it, if it's what I think it is. I mean, it's practically right there in the synopsis. So I must be wrong! I gotta know what the real ending is! What an awesome red herring, to do the synopsis that way!
Then I picked it up. And I read it. The insta-love left a dreadful taste in my mouth, but I persevered. The douchebaggery of the male MC infuriated me, but I kept on. Some of the ridiculously over-the-top behaviours exhibited by the characters drove me up the wall, like when but I kept going because I HAD TO KNOW what this different, surprising, twisty ending was! The longer I read, the more I thought that I had to have been wrong about the ending, because it would make no sense for the ending to be what I originally thought it was!
Spoiler alert: the ending is exactly what I thought it was. That makes it doubly disappointing: not only had I already figured out the "twist" I was promised from the blurb, but in the context of the story, it makes no sense. But I've read the book now, and I can't unread it, and that's three hours of my homework time I can never get back.
It's not necessarily a bad book; it's a fast, light read and I got through it pretty quickly. The idea is interesting, the writing is okay, and if you haven't read much YA and aren't a suspicious sort, you may very well enjoy it! Certainly a lot of other reviewers did! I just...hoped for a lot more.
Short form: I've been more disappointed before, but not much. And it's not even the book's fault--it tried to warn me.
Okay, so. Just from reading the description, I was sure I knew exactly how this novel would end, and the only question was which side of the 50/50 shot it would land on. But I was so tempted to pick it up anyway, because I love books written in unusual formats--police reports, IMs, letters, photographs mixed in, I love them all. And that cover is so cool. But I didn't want to invest my limited free time in a thriller when I was sure I knew the ending.
Then I looked at all these reviews and saw over and over how much everyone loved the ending! How unexpected it was! How twisty! What a great finish! Totally shocked!
So I thought, okay, I have to be wrong about the ending. There's no way this many people could be surprised by it, if it's what I think it is. I mean, it's practically right there in the synopsis. So I must be wrong! I gotta know what the real ending is! What an awesome red herring, to do the synopsis that way!
Then I picked it up. And I read it. The insta-love left a dreadful taste in my mouth, but I persevered. The douchebaggery of the male MC infuriated me, but I kept on. Some of the ridiculously over-the-top behaviours exhibited by the characters drove me up the wall, like when
Spoiler
Tessa loses her shit over "Taylor" being a boy and tweets "THANKS FOR RUINING MY LIFE" like a fucking two-year-old throwing a tantrumSpoiler alert: the ending is exactly what I thought it was. That makes it doubly disappointing: not only had I already figured out the "twist" I was promised from the blurb, but in the context of the story, it makes no sense. But I've read the book now, and I can't unread it, and that's three hours of my homework time I can never get back.
It's not necessarily a bad book; it's a fast, light read and I got through it pretty quickly. The idea is interesting, the writing is okay, and if you haven't read much YA and aren't a suspicious sort, you may very well enjoy it! Certainly a lot of other reviewers did! I just...hoped for a lot more.
I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
This book kept me entertained and made me want to figure out the end (which I have to admit was not what I expected), but overall this book just felt average to me. I did think that it was fun that it was told through police interviews and Twitter DMs. It definitely felt like a slow burn thriller with a good twist at the end. A 3.5/5 for me.
This book kept me entertained and made me want to figure out the end (which I have to admit was not what I expected), but overall this book just felt average to me. I did think that it was fun that it was told through police interviews and Twitter DMs. It definitely felt like a slow burn thriller with a good twist at the end. A 3.5/5 for me.
two stars, instead of one, because I dont give one star for a book that I actually complete. contrived, nonsensical, and downright goofy. a quick read, but questioned from page one until the very end, why am I still reading this?
*Thank you to NetGalley for providing an e-copy of this book for me to read and review.*
So, when I went through my obsessive phase with a particular band in the late 1990s/early 2000s, I would often dream about interacting with band members (although it would have been through my AIM buddy list instead of Twitter because I am ancient). Also, during that same time period I had a habit of catfishing people in the fandom (well before the term 'catfish' existed and before 'fandom' was really a huge, cultural thing). Maybe it is these two things that made me a good reader for this book.
It wasn't a total light-hearted, fun read. The main characters were both dealing with some heavy things - her, agoraphobia spawning from some traumatic event a few months prior, and him, unhappiness with the trajectory of his career and bitterness at obsessive fans. From there, things are definitely happening!
Though unbelievable at times, this kept my full attention for the entirety of reading it. It got a little silly heading towards the end, but I managed to be shocked at the end. I am glad that Goodreads is showing this as #1 (hopefully of at least 2??) because my immediately thought when finishing was, "Um, WHAT. Where is the rest of the book?" It was successful, and if there is a sequel, I will definitely read it, and I hope it is as enjoyable as this was!
So, when I went through my obsessive phase with a particular band in the late 1990s/early 2000s, I would often dream about interacting with band members (although it would have been through my AIM buddy list instead of Twitter because I am ancient). Also, during that same time period I had a habit of catfishing people in the fandom (well before the term 'catfish' existed and before 'fandom' was really a huge, cultural thing). Maybe it is these two things that made me a good reader for this book.
It wasn't a total light-hearted, fun read. The main characters were both dealing with some heavy things - her, agoraphobia spawning from some traumatic event a few months prior, and him, unhappiness with the trajectory of his career and bitterness at obsessive fans. From there, things are definitely happening!
Though unbelievable at times, this kept my full attention for the entirety of reading it. It got a little silly heading towards the end, but I managed to be shocked at the end. I am glad that Goodreads is showing this as #1 (hopefully of at least 2??) because my immediately thought when finishing was, "Um, WHAT. Where is the rest of the book?" It was successful, and if there is a sequel, I will definitely read it, and I hope it is as enjoyable as this was!
A suspense drama that reads like celebrity fanfiction. With an entertaining look at how we use social media to stalk the famous. I loved how real to our current lives this story was, the world of social media & celebrity obsession, the idea of what exactly is considered too far when it comes to being a fan and how it must feel on the other end at times. Tessa is dealing with trauma that's made her agoraphobic, she doesn't leave her bedroom anymore & you're not given the reason why until the end. She spends her time browsing the internet and Twitter following heartthrob pop superstar Eric Thorn, who she swears is hiding secrets of his own. This story did move at a slow pace and most of it felt more romantic drama, with police interrogations in between leaving me wondering what was happening...I actually started to wonder if I'd been confused when I bought it but then everything clicks in to place and holy shit it gets crazy, like did not see that coming crazy with a "wait what?" ending.
Holy cow! Talk about a plot twist at the end! I am totally wanting more! I am usually not a "thriller" reader but this had me hooked. One part love story, one part "the girl on the train." I am looking forward to reading the next in the series.
I bought the book in paperback not realizing it was part of a duology because MAJOR CLIFFHANGER ALERT!!! I will definitely be purchasing book two in June. I have my theories so we'll just have to wait and see.
But it was very fast paced, kept my attention and very effective about creeping me out about social media... be careful what you're posting, who you're talking with, and stay safe!
But it was very fast paced, kept my attention and very effective about creeping me out about social media... be careful what you're posting, who you're talking with, and stay safe!
Finished reading this in one sitting. It was a great page turner. Would have loved this book if it ended on page 349, but the last few pages seemed super out of nowhere and bogus. Maybe the sequel could clear some things up? I hate rip off endings and this ending made me really annoyed.
I was totally caught by surprise at how much I enjoyed this book. It started off a bit slow to me but the build up of Kasen and Adeline story had me craving for more. The love story that grows between these two is beautiful and I loved it.
Much more suspenseful and plot twisty than I thought it would be! A surprise 5 star read