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3.35 AVERAGE
3.35 AVERAGE
2.4
boring and corny with plot holes that you’d need WD40 to fill
boring and corny with plot holes that you’d need WD40 to fill
That was a heck of a lot of fun, and the most exciting April Henry I've read since Girl, Stolen. It's a book I think my middle schoolers will love, which may have bumped it up a star for me.
Heads up: the main character is DIAGNOSED with schizophrenia but doesn't HAVE schizophrenia, so in terms of rep, don't expect it to reflect that experience. Henry did research how taking schizophrenia meds would make someone feel, and talked to a psychologist about the likely diagnosis for a girl who was convinced she could see and talk to dead people, but Adele isn't intended to portray actual schizophrenia. I know some reviewers are concerned about the emphasis on how much better Adele feels when she stops taking her meds, but if she DOESN'T HAVE SCHIZOPHRENIA, of course the meds make her feel terrible.
Fun fact: at a recent book signing, Henry shared that tall, solidly built Adele and fairy-like, red haired Tori were named after the musicians she was listening to while writing. :)
Heads up: the main character is DIAGNOSED with schizophrenia but doesn't HAVE schizophrenia, so in terms of rep, don't expect it to reflect that experience. Henry did research how taking schizophrenia meds would make someone feel, and talked to a psychologist about the likely diagnosis for a girl who was convinced she could see and talk to dead people, but Adele isn't intended to portray actual schizophrenia. I know some reviewers are concerned about the emphasis on how much better Adele feels when she stops taking her meds, but if she DOESN'T HAVE SCHIZOPHRENIA, of course the meds make her feel terrible.
Fun fact: at a recent book signing, Henry shared that tall, solidly built Adele and fairy-like, red haired Tori were named after the musicians she was listening to while writing. :)
This one was a quick read. I liked the idea more than the execution. The wording was a little iffy sometimes and the author drove me NUTS with the terms ‘dirty dancing’ and ‘dirty jokes’. It just came off as *really* juvenile.
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It’s supposed to be a mystery and stuff but i started figuring out who killed tori like halfway through the book but it was still really and a very fast read
3.75 stars
April Henry books don’t always WOW me but they are always good!
April Henry books don’t always WOW me but they are always good!
This was such an interesting book! I loved that it was a standalone when it could have easily been a series. The killer was a total shock and I loved how it was revealed. I will definitely be checking out more by April Henry.
2.5
The dead girl was a bitch and I'm not sorry she was murdered.
The main character is a "plump" girl who is weirdly fascinated by the fact that if you drink a lot, you can black out. She learns that in health class and then brings it up multiple times.
Medication for mental health was portrayed as something bad.
The dead girl was a bitch and I'm not sorry she was murdered.
The main character is a "plump" girl who is weirdly fascinated by the fact that if you drink a lot, you can black out. She learns that in health class and then brings it up multiple times.
Medication for mental health was portrayed as something bad.
Trigger warnings: murder, death of a friend, mental health.
Pro: This book is super fast paced and I read almost the entire thing in like 40 minutes.
Con: Kind of predictable
Pro: I really liked the concept
Con: The secondary characters were...not great
Pro: Charlie
Con: The ending was kind of predictable
All in all, a decent enough read.
Pro: This book is super fast paced and I read almost the entire thing in like 40 minutes.
Con: Kind of predictable
Pro: I really liked the concept
Con: The secondary characters were...not great
Pro: Charlie
Con: The ending was kind of predictable
All in all, a decent enough read.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I was able to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
***
Adele has been able to see the dead for a long time, ever since she was young she’s been able to see and talk to them. After she loses her mom she’s taken in by her grandfather. When he becomes aware of her ability he takes her to a doctor and she ends up diagnosed as schizophrenic. Ever since then she’s been on medication, dulled to the world around her and unable to see the dead. Maybe it really was all in her head?
Until one day on her way home, shortly after she quits taking her medicine, a voice calls out to her from the park, and it turns out to be her once upon a time best friend, Tori. Tori who she just recently fought with. Tori who kicked her out of her party. Tori whose sitting there in a tank top and unaffected by the cold, sitting on top of a mound that happens to be where she’s buried.
Adele does what anyone should, she calls the police, but that’s not the end of her involvement. People are suspicious of her. The night Tori went missing Adele had been drinking and caught making out with Tori’s boyfriend. Did she maybe do it in a blackout rage?
Surrounded on all sides by people who suspect her, Tori calling out for justice from beyond the grave, and her own loss of trust in herself Adele struggles to find out who did it, even if it maybe was her.
I like April Henry, both her and Natalie Richards are my two favorite go-to when it comes to YA mystery. It’s a quick read and fairly enjoyable. A little different then Henry’s usual, but a fun twist. Adele would be a character that would be fun to see in the future, a little older and see how she adjusts to her abilities and what she does, or doesn’t do with them,
***
Adele has been able to see the dead for a long time, ever since she was young she’s been able to see and talk to them. After she loses her mom she’s taken in by her grandfather. When he becomes aware of her ability he takes her to a doctor and she ends up diagnosed as schizophrenic. Ever since then she’s been on medication, dulled to the world around her and unable to see the dead. Maybe it really was all in her head?
Until one day on her way home, shortly after she quits taking her medicine, a voice calls out to her from the park, and it turns out to be her once upon a time best friend, Tori. Tori who she just recently fought with. Tori who kicked her out of her party. Tori whose sitting there in a tank top and unaffected by the cold, sitting on top of a mound that happens to be where she’s buried.
Adele does what anyone should, she calls the police, but that’s not the end of her involvement. People are suspicious of her. The night Tori went missing Adele had been drinking and caught making out with Tori’s boyfriend. Did she maybe do it in a blackout rage?
Surrounded on all sides by people who suspect her, Tori calling out for justice from beyond the grave, and her own loss of trust in herself Adele struggles to find out who did it, even if it maybe was her.
I like April Henry, both her and Natalie Richards are my two favorite go-to when it comes to YA mystery. It’s a quick read and fairly enjoyable. A little different then Henry’s usual, but a fun twist. Adele would be a character that would be fun to see in the future, a little older and see how she adjusts to her abilities and what she does, or doesn’t do with them,