Scan barcode
randi_reads's review
4.0
I had no idea what this story was about going into it (except that it was a thriller) and it was a crazy ride. It's both a thriller and a horror story. It made me cringe and even laugh at times. Lucy's inner teenage voice was both snarky and insightful.
Lucy and her mother have been on the run for thirteen years, though Lucy doesn't really know why. When someone starts to recognize her, they move on to their next state, New Hampshire. It is there that Lucy and her mother meet Gretchen, a teen her own age, and her father, Jerry. Lucy soon learns that Gretchen is not an ordinary teenager, obsessed with puzzles and bones and wearing the same apple print dress daily. She has no boundaries and has never had a real friend. Gretchen attaches herself to Lucy upon their first meeting.
This majority of this story focuses on Lucy and her mother and their strained relationship while living in this new town with Gretchen and Jerry and I was all in it. Then, I have to agree with other reviewers, that the last part of the story went a little crazy and unbelievable, creepy and scary. I was still absorbed in the whole thing and couldn't stop turning the pages.
Thank you to Shannon Kirk for allowing me to read and review an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Lucy and her mother have been on the run for thirteen years, though Lucy doesn't really know why. When someone starts to recognize her, they move on to their next state, New Hampshire. It is there that Lucy and her mother meet Gretchen, a teen her own age, and her father, Jerry. Lucy soon learns that Gretchen is not an ordinary teenager, obsessed with puzzles and bones and wearing the same apple print dress daily. She has no boundaries and has never had a real friend. Gretchen attaches herself to Lucy upon their first meeting.
This majority of this story focuses on Lucy and her mother and their strained relationship while living in this new town with Gretchen and Jerry and I was all in it. Then, I have to agree with other reviewers, that the last part of the story went a little crazy and unbelievable, creepy and scary. I was still absorbed in the whole thing and couldn't stop turning the pages.
Thank you to Shannon Kirk for allowing me to read and review an arc in exchange for an honest review.
pawstoodream's review
5.0
Just WOW! a creepy thriller a read done with a Buddy Read on Instagram. The first part was slow though I’d leave it but thank god i stuck with it.
The beginning was weird had weird characters especially the relationship between mother and daughter it was so strange it made you think are they really but the following parts you found out the truth about everything! It does leave you wondering what happened to a few major characters! I do recommend this book!
The beginning was weird had weird characters especially the relationship between mother and daughter it was so strange it made you think are they really but the following parts you found out the truth about everything! It does leave you wondering what happened to a few major characters! I do recommend this book!
kaidalea's review
3.0
The *entire time* I read this book, I believed the supernatural element was coming. Wtf was that. I feel like I literally just read 3 completely unrelated books at once.
novelsandjava's review
4.0
I received this copy from Shannon herself and I was so excited to have received this because I have been dying to read it and I am so glad I was able to read this before release date. This book was insane and I literally could not put this one down. Obviously because I read it in 2 days. I now will never look at puzzles the same after reading this book. I loved that it went between both characters, Lucy and her "mother". Gretchen wants to become Lucy's friend as soon as she moves into their rental and Gretchen seems to get a little too "obsessed" with Lucy and Lucy starts to realize how crazy this girl is. If i had a friend like her I too would want her to leave me alone.
I definitely would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good thriller. Release date is next month!
I definitely would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good thriller. Release date is next month!
sparklylikeaholiday's review
3.0
I loved the first 10 hours of the audio book… but was not a fan of the last two. ☹️ The audio narrators were fabulous though!
marcccb's review
4.0
When mother and daughter Lucy are constantly on the move ever since Lucy is a little girl, they finally find an isolated house in New Hampshire with a landlord and his daughter, Gretchen. But something is up with Gretchen. She isn't like other girls and while she can be nice, she can also be a bit obsessive. What is Lucy and her mother hiding? But more importantly what is Gretchen hiding?
Gretchen was something else for sure. This little girl has some major problems and I'm sure as a kid we all feared that we would meet a Gretchen. I mean maybe not as psychotic and obsessive as this one, but along those lines. I really loved how Kirk portrays her character. She is this sweet little girl who loves puzzles more than anything, but when she says something weird, you almost get chills because well she's a little cooky. Actually, she's a lot cooky.
I loved the storyline that this story took. We get both the point of views of Lucy and the mother who is nameless throughout the book, but it's for a reason, just you wait. It's always enjoyable to read novels from multiple point of views especially when the age gap is major. I loved Lucy's point of view a lot more because it had Gretchen in it, but we do see Lucy make some very questionable choices in the novel. It's hard not to yell at her and tell her to get out of the house while she is having dinner at Gretchen's house.
The plot, amazing. Twisty, psychological and suspenseful till the very last pages, Kirk creates a masterpiece that is Gretchen. She's really a crazy one, while you hate her, you also can't help but love her, it's twisted and you have to read along and see what I mean. But personally, I'm a huge fan of psycho characters and the fact that it was a child made it even more entertaining!
If you loved this one, you will for sure love [b:Baby Teeth|35410511|Baby Teeth|Zoje Stage|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1528990927l/35410511._SY75_.jpg|56782041], another psycho child who will do whatever it takes to get rid of her mother.
Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and the amazing Shannon Kirk for providing me with an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.
Gretchen was something else for sure. This little girl has some major problems and I'm sure as a kid we all feared that we would meet a Gretchen. I mean maybe not as psychotic and obsessive as this one, but along those lines. I really loved how Kirk portrays her character. She is this sweet little girl who loves puzzles more than anything, but when she says something weird, you almost get chills because well she's a little cooky. Actually, she's a lot cooky.
I loved the storyline that this story took. We get both the point of views of Lucy and the mother who is nameless throughout the book, but it's for a reason, just you wait. It's always enjoyable to read novels from multiple point of views especially when the age gap is major. I loved Lucy's point of view a lot more because it had Gretchen in it, but we do see Lucy make some very questionable choices in the novel. It's hard not to yell at her and tell her to get out of the house while she is having dinner at Gretchen's house.
The plot, amazing. Twisty, psychological and suspenseful till the very last pages, Kirk creates a masterpiece that is Gretchen. She's really a crazy one, while you hate her, you also can't help but love her, it's twisted and you have to read along and see what I mean. But personally, I'm a huge fan of psycho characters and the fact that it was a child made it even more entertaining!
If you loved this one, you will for sure love [b:Baby Teeth|35410511|Baby Teeth|Zoje Stage|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1528990927l/35410511._SY75_.jpg|56782041], another psycho child who will do whatever it takes to get rid of her mother.
Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and the amazing Shannon Kirk for providing me with an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.
kellycfletch's review
2.0
“Truth is always crying inside us, never truly muzzled by denials”
Gretchen is a creepy book with all of the main characters having some dysfunction in their lives. The absolute protagonist in the story is smart, and even though she declares what she’s doing is crazy-she actually verbalized what readers would declare as an obviously stupid move but still does it. Very annoying-and the influence for the quote above.
The events in the book fell perfectly into place, a bit too perfectly. Leaving the story totally predictable after a while.
All in all the premise blurb about the book was far more interesting than the book itself and I read it out of duty (I hate leaving books unfinished) rather than actual interest.
Gretchen is a creepy book with all of the main characters having some dysfunction in their lives. The absolute protagonist in the story is smart, and even though she declares what she’s doing is crazy-she actually verbalized what readers would declare as an obviously stupid move but still does it. Very annoying-and the influence for the quote above.
The events in the book fell perfectly into place, a bit too perfectly. Leaving the story totally predictable after a while.
All in all the premise blurb about the book was far more interesting than the book itself and I read it out of duty (I hate leaving books unfinished) rather than actual interest.
booksandapril's review
4.0
went into this book not knowing much. Usually when I pick up thrillers I will only read half of the blurb. This book starts with Lucy and her mother on the run. They have been running all of Lucy’s life due to an attempted kidnapping at age two. When Lucy and her mother enter their twelfth state, Lucy is determined to not move again. They become renters of a pianist and his young daughter Gretchen. Lucy notices there is something wrong with Gretchen right away, but as a girl who’s accustomed to loneliness and isolation, she seems to be weirdly drawn to this girl. Gretchen is obsessed with puzzles and overall batshit crazy. I thought is was going to be my new favorite book, then around the 75% mark the story take a turn that didn’t seem to quite fit. I can see what the author was attempting to do, but for me, it changed the dynamic of the story. I was overall happy with the book, although I do wish that last 75% of the book was written completely differently.
"What's with the name Gretchen?"
"What's with the name Gretchen?"
maesreadingworld's review
4.0
Whoa I just finished Gretchen by @shannonkirk_books and let me tell you this books had me