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saralw6's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The way these characters are woven together and constantly growing is outstanding.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Physical abuse, Gun violence, Gore, Confinement, Kidnapping, and Violence
Moderate: Death, Sexual violence, Torture, Rape, and Sexual assault
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, Suicide, Alcoholism, Homophobia, Child death, Vomit, and Drug abuse
carissa230's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-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? No
3.25
Jenny and her boyfriend Jesse break into a house to steal a prescription. They do not expect to be caught. When the owner catches them in the house he has no intention of letting them get away with stealing from him.
Ben Packard is returning to town after a few tragedies of his own. Finding these teenagers is at the top of his priorities. It makes it a little more urgent knowing it's his cousins daughter.
As the story progresses we hear of the drug problems that this small town is facing, like most of the US right now. The lengths that some will go to in order to cover up their own crimes. The lengths some will go to save their family and others won't go to for theirs. The family dynamics in this book were really interesting. It seemed to cover a lot of ranges.
Ben Packard is returning to town after a few tragedies of his own. Finding these teenagers is at the top of his priorities. It makes it a little more urgent knowing it's his cousins daughter.
As the story progresses we hear of the drug problems that this small town is facing, like most of the US right now. The lengths that some will go to in order to cover up their own crimes. The lengths some will go to save their family and others won't go to for theirs. The family dynamics in this book were really interesting. It seemed to cover a lot of ranges.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Addiction, Drug use, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Rape and Grief
Minor: Child death
booksbytheglass's review
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.5
this just … really wasn’t my cup of tea.
after reading so many rave reviews, I was excited to dig into it, but me being me and not reading book blurbs … that’s on me 🙃
the story line was one that was bland and unforgettable, not to mention dark af. this had a true crime feel to it but fell flat on the delivery.
for me, I think the story would have worked better if it was written as a mystery on who the kidnapper/murderer is versus a police procedural where the object is to find and charge the named person.
the author’s writing style itself was absolutely gorgeous - so I would definitely give another book by him another go! this one, sadly, was a miss from me.
please check out all of the trigger warnings prior to reading as this is a dark child kidnapping/murder pedophile type story. I was shocked at the amount of detail in this one 🥴
thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!
rating: 1.5 stars
wine pairing: california red blend
after reading so many rave reviews, I was excited to dig into it, but me being me and not reading book blurbs … that’s on me 🙃
the story line was one that was bland and unforgettable, not to mention dark af. this had a true crime feel to it but fell flat on the delivery.
for me, I think the story would have worked better if it was written as a mystery on who the kidnapper/murderer is versus a police procedural where the object is to find and charge the named person.
the author’s writing style itself was absolutely gorgeous - so I would definitely give another book by him another go! this one, sadly, was a miss from me.
please check out all of the trigger warnings prior to reading as this is a dark child kidnapping/murder pedophile type story. I was shocked at the amount of detail in this one 🥴
thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!
rating: 1.5 stars
wine pairing: california red blend
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Child abuse, Child death, and Pedophilia
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