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paulabrandon's review against another edition
2.0
Aubrey, Jenny and Kate meet in college when they become roommates. They become firm friends. Kate is a super-rich super-bitch, and everybody is obsessed with her. A death during freshman year irrevocably changes their friendship. Twenty-two years later, there are still tensions over the circumstances of that death. And then one of the friends is murdered.
I have a terrible, guilty secret of my own to confess. I actually bought this book for my mum for Christmas, and read it this morning, because I'm not seeing the family until lunch. I was careful not to fold or crease any pages. It still looks brand new! Unfortunately, I won't be able to tell her whether it was any good or not, because she's not to know I read it! Which means I can't warn her in advance that it's not a particularly good or interesting read.
This was just too slow-paced. While I understand the overlong college-set chapters were to develop character and context, it just felt like it went on forever. It was at the point where the students are on their Jamaica holiday and we're getting every "The O.C."-style teen drama conflict imaginable thrown at us that I was like, "Goddamn, just get on with it already!" Seriously, it was overkill. I've read a lot of thrillers, so none of what happened in the present day particularly surprised me, nor was it all that interesting. None of the characters were particularly likable or sympathetic, and I'm not sure of the reasoning behind
I have a terrible, guilty secret of my own to confess. I actually bought this book for my mum for Christmas, and read it this morning, because I'm not seeing the family until lunch. I was careful not to fold or crease any pages. It still looks brand new! Unfortunately, I won't be able to tell her whether it was any good or not, because she's not to know I read it! Which means I can't warn her in advance that it's not a particularly good or interesting read.
This was just too slow-paced. While I understand the overlong college-set chapters were to develop character and context, it just felt like it went on forever. It was at the point where the students are on their Jamaica holiday and we're getting every "The O.C."-style teen drama conflict imaginable thrown at us that I was like, "Goddamn, just get on with it already!" Seriously, it was overkill. I've read a lot of thrillers, so none of what happened in the present day particularly surprised me, nor was it all that interesting. None of the characters were particularly likable or sympathetic, and I'm not sure of the reasoning behind
Spoiler
revealing the killer's identity in the book's title.calmcelebration9888's review
1.0
This is a bad book. The dialogue is so cringe and the characters are flat. There are so many problems with this book. It really pained me to read it.
This book is about 3 classmates at an Ivy League school who room together freshman year. Kate is the popular rich girl, Jenny is the studious girl and Kate is the poor girl. Together they form a friendship. Kate becomes involved with Lucas and he does falling into water near a railway bridge. Years later, the friend reunite and one of them dies in that same area.
Ok where do I start? For students who go to an Ivy League school, only one person seems to care at all about school. Instead school is just an excuse to get high and drunk all day and have sex every 5 seconds. Despite living the lavish lifestyle, Kate is severely depressed so much that she had a suicide pact with someone in high school. Kate finds out about this and she determines she and Kate should die together in their own pact after she gets a letter saying she has to meet about going on academic probation? OMG so unbelievable and cringy. It’s just so ridiculous. Why not just study and do better?
The second thing that bothered me is that these people can’t get any real jobs. Even Jenny who is top of her class ends up the mayor of the college town? And then they all end up back in the college town, and Kate ends up with Griff after she basically told him to take a hike (many times)! Audrey ends up with a husband who cheats on her with Kate? Audrey considers Kate her best friend even though they have hardly spoken in years? This is not much of a school if the smartest person in the bunch ends up staying in town and if the other folks cannot even get jobs. How sad is this bunch of people that all they can do is rely on their mommies and daddies for money. This is such a dumb stereotype. I can tell you that people do actually study in school, especially at prestigious schools where they have scholarships. They don’t take dumb classes like the ones depicted in this book. REAL colleges have REAL graduation requirements. Believe it or not, you eventually have to fulfill all the requirements and declare a major at some point to graduate.
Third complaint is about Owen. This guy is so ridiculous. He hired someone who was from this Ivy League school, who got special training from FBI at Quantico and wanted to work in a college town? Where did he find someone who is both so smart they get FBI training and yet have no better offers than join the police force in a college town? He doesn’t think we should gather any evidence because clearly she was murdered elsewhere and the body was moved? He doesn’t care to hear about Lucas’ death even though Kate was involved in that death and it just happened to be in the same place because it’s history? What a joke.
This book is so bad. It’s just bad.
This book is about 3 classmates at an Ivy League school who room together freshman year. Kate is the popular rich girl, Jenny is the studious girl and Kate is the poor girl. Together they form a friendship. Kate becomes involved with Lucas and he does falling into water near a railway bridge. Years later, the friend reunite and one of them dies in that same area.
Ok where do I start? For students who go to an Ivy League school, only one person seems to care at all about school. Instead school is just an excuse to get high and drunk all day and have sex every 5 seconds. Despite living the lavish lifestyle, Kate is severely depressed so much that she had a suicide pact with someone in high school. Kate finds out about this and she determines she and Kate should die together in their own pact after she gets a letter saying she has to meet about going on academic probation? OMG so unbelievable and cringy. It’s just so ridiculous. Why not just study and do better?
The second thing that bothered me is that these people can’t get any real jobs. Even Jenny who is top of her class ends up the mayor of the college town? And then they all end up back in the college town, and Kate ends up with Griff after she basically told him to take a hike (many times)! Audrey ends up with a husband who cheats on her with Kate? Audrey considers Kate her best friend even though they have hardly spoken in years? This is not much of a school if the smartest person in the bunch ends up staying in town and if the other folks cannot even get jobs. How sad is this bunch of people that all they can do is rely on their mommies and daddies for money. This is such a dumb stereotype. I can tell you that people do actually study in school, especially at prestigious schools where they have scholarships. They don’t take dumb classes like the ones depicted in this book. REAL colleges have REAL graduation requirements. Believe it or not, you eventually have to fulfill all the requirements and declare a major at some point to graduate.
Third complaint is about Owen. This guy is so ridiculous. He hired someone who was from this Ivy League school, who got special training from FBI at Quantico and wanted to work in a college town? Where did he find someone who is both so smart they get FBI training and yet have no better offers than join the police force in a college town? He doesn’t think we should gather any evidence because clearly she was murdered elsewhere and the body was moved? He doesn’t care to hear about Lucas’ death even though Kate was involved in that death and it just happened to be in the same place because it’s history? What a joke.
This book is so bad. It’s just bad.
sage329's review
mysterious
medium-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
3.5
marieintheraw's review
2.0
Do you ever start reading a book and wondering what about it made you want to read in the first place? While, the premise of this book was promising, the title doesn't fit and the characters weren't developed. I wanted more from this and was left disappointed.
I received an ecopy of this book through Netgalley; however, my opinions are my own.
I received an ecopy of this book through Netgalley; however, my opinions are my own.
celeste_velocci's review
3.0
Kept me guessing until the end and was fast paced but all of the characters annoyed me!
asoucy624's review
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
kvreadsandrecs's review
3.0
To be fair: the title said it all.
Way too melodramatic and could have done without the obnoxious policeman.
Way too melodramatic and could have done without the obnoxious policeman.