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3.33 AVERAGE
3.33 AVERAGE
I wanted to love Everyone in the Group Chat Dies. This has my name written all over it. From the eye-catching cover, to the fact I absolutely love stories that have text conversations woven into them — and, of course, the thrilling, twisty premise and the strong humour that peppers the pages. I still enjoyed this, but it didn't grab me quite as much as I hoped it would, unfortunately.
While Everyone in the Group Chat Dies was an easy read to get through (even for me, ol' slowpoke over here, thanks to its easy-to-digest writing style), I was frequently left disappointed. It reads more like a YA novel, despite its protagonist being 30 — although saying that, I did enjoy the perspective of a 30 year old not quite having her life together. It's always nice to be made to feel a bit better about your own existence!
The book is told from the perspective of Claire 'Kirby' Cornell, a junior journalist working at a local newspaper in the small town of Crowhurst. Not much happens there, other than it being the home of a serial killer back in the 90s. After a rough time in London, she finds herself living in a dysfunctional flatshare, living the lifestyle of a 19-year-old student. But things soon get shake up when a social media "investigator", Esme, turns up on her doorstep. Esme claims the 'Crowhurst Killer' is still alive, and she's here to uncover him — and before she knows it, Kirby gets dragged into a mess of social media clout, chasing likes and a hunt for the truth.
Everyone in the Group Chat Dies is told over two timelines set one year apart, and each timeline has its own twists and turns. The present timeline has the most thrills, but it feels rushed, and what should be big 'oh my God!' moments are brushed past. None of the characters feel important apart from Kirby, which is a shame because the first 40% of the book does a good job in setting up her friendships between her flatmates in the one-year-ago timeline. Ultimately, everyone ends up feeling dispensable and irrelevant, and even Kirby herself doesn't seem to show much care to any of them. It takes some of the believability out of the story for me.
If you enjoy young adult literature, you may enjoy Everyone in the Group Chat Dies. I'd have probably been less disappointed if I'd have gone in expecting a YA novel. As it is, I didn't dislike it: it's a very fun popcorn thriller, but it lacked any real substance unfortunately.
While Everyone in the Group Chat Dies was an easy read to get through (even for me, ol' slowpoke over here, thanks to its easy-to-digest writing style), I was frequently left disappointed. It reads more like a YA novel, despite its protagonist being 30 — although saying that, I did enjoy the perspective of a 30 year old not quite having her life together. It's always nice to be made to feel a bit better about your own existence!
The book is told from the perspective of Claire 'Kirby' Cornell, a junior journalist working at a local newspaper in the small town of Crowhurst. Not much happens there, other than it being the home of a serial killer back in the 90s. After a rough time in London, she finds herself living in a dysfunctional flatshare, living the lifestyle of a 19-year-old student. But things soon get shake up when a social media "investigator", Esme, turns up on her doorstep. Esme claims the 'Crowhurst Killer' is still alive, and she's here to uncover him — and before she knows it, Kirby gets dragged into a mess of social media clout, chasing likes and a hunt for the truth.
Everyone in the Group Chat Dies is told over two timelines set one year apart, and each timeline has its own twists and turns. The present timeline has the most thrills, but it feels rushed, and what should be big 'oh my God!' moments are brushed past. None of the characters feel important apart from Kirby, which is a shame because the first 40% of the book does a good job in setting up her friendships between her flatmates in the one-year-ago timeline. Ultimately, everyone ends up feeling dispensable and irrelevant, and even Kirby herself doesn't seem to show much care to any of them. It takes some of the believability out of the story for me.
If you enjoy young adult literature, you may enjoy Everyone in the Group Chat Dies. I'd have probably been less disappointed if I'd have gone in expecting a YA novel. As it is, I didn't dislike it: it's a very fun popcorn thriller, but it lacked any real substance unfortunately.
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Okay I loved this book and don’t get me wrong I probably would’ve rated it higher if I’d read it quicker but this gal was in a massive reading slump and it took me so long to read it because I just fell out of love of reading mid read but I reckon if it didn’t feel like this I would have definitely rated this higher.
I was so excited to read this as I really enjoyed Chilton’s previous book and I loved this premise of it. The ending happened way to quick for me though and I would’ve loved to know more about some of the other characters (especially Dylan & maybe Seema tbh)
I was so excited to read this as I really enjoyed Chilton’s previous book and I loved this premise of it. The ending happened way to quick for me though and I would’ve loved to know more about some of the other characters (especially Dylan & maybe Seema tbh)
dark
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Very slow. I feel like I got half way through before anything really happened.
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No