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christygsp's review against another edition
4.0
The plot wasn’t anything I didn’t expect, but it surprised me in how much I enjoyed this book anyway.
The second half was especially exciting and kept me interested. I liked Jess and our other main love interest that was funny, brave and kind of cheesy.
It was a quick, easy and entertaining read.
The second half was especially exciting and kept me interested. I liked Jess and our other main love interest that was funny, brave and kind of cheesy.
It was a quick, easy and entertaining read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic relationship
Minor: Confinement
chamaeleontis's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I read this book in a few hours. It gripped me immediately and I really loved it. Absolutely stunning writing and storytelling.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Car accident, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Medical content, Toxic friendship, Classism, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Stalking, Terminal illness, Blood, Bullying, Violence, Vomit, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Confinement, Drug use, and Gaslighting
sunsetcity's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I was initially excited to read this book for the "Truman Show" like plot and, while it did deliver in that aspect, I found some parts of the plot fell a little short for me. In this novel, we follow Jess, a typical teen in the 1990s, living an average life. She has a good group of friends, a normal family and a crush on her childhood best friend. Things start to turn upside when a strange object falls out of her friend's backpack one day and no one can explain what it was. The people around all start acting weird and Jess gets the feeling that her small town may not be exactly as it seems.
This book falls in the same vein as "The Truman Show" and I really enjoyed that aspect of it. Seeing Jess slowly figure out was happening and seeing her world expand was really interesting to read about. I also, as a 90s kid myself, enjoyed all the 90s references (although it hurt me a little to hear it referred to as retro). But I wish we had stayed in that part of the book a little longer. I was really into the pacing and story progression at the beginning, but I think the second half lost me. Some of the plot points were a little too convenient and things just seemed to be happening without much explanation. I also wish there was maybe one more chapter to help wrap the story up better.
Characterwise, I didn't really connect with any of the characters. I felt that we got to know Jess, but most of the other characters we only learned about at a surface level. To some extent, that was the point of some of these characters, but the more major ones (like Kips or Sarah), I felt we could have learned more about who they were both in and out of the set. I also didn't love the romance in this book, as it did develop super quickly.
Overall, this was an easy and entertaining read full of 90s nostalgia.
This book falls in the same vein as "The Truman Show" and I really enjoyed that aspect of it. Seeing Jess slowly figure out was happening and seeing her world expand was really interesting to read about. I also, as a 90s kid myself, enjoyed all the 90s references (although it hurt me a little to hear it referred to as retro). But I wish we had stayed in that part of the book a little longer. I was really into the pacing and story progression at the beginning, but I think the second half lost me. Some of the plot points were a little too convenient and things just seemed to be happening without much explanation. I also wish there was maybe one more chapter to help wrap the story up better.
Characterwise, I didn't really connect with any of the characters. I felt that we got to know Jess, but most of the other characters we only learned about at a surface level. To some extent, that was the point of some of these characters, but the more major ones (like Kips or Sarah), I felt we could have learned more about who they were both in and out of the set. I also didn't love the romance in this book, as it did develop super quickly.
Overall, this was an easy and entertaining read full of 90s nostalgia.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, and Cursing
irisheyz77's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Death, Child death, Toxic relationship, and Violence
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