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3.17 AVERAGE

chiararomano's review against another edition

DID NOT FINISH: 7%

Boring
adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

The novel is SO different from the movie in the best way! Highly recommend!

Julie, Barry, Helen, and Ray didn't mean to do what they did, but fear made them keep it a secret. Now, one year later, someone knows and is sending anonymous messages to the four teens. Who is it and at what length with they go to punish the group for what they did last summer?

A classic in YA horror. I didn't realize I was reading the updated version until just now and was wondering why they had cell phones! What I find funny is small things like that were updated, but the overt sexism wasn't. I understand when I read an older book that there will be things like that, but it's weird that there was a whole update of the book and that was left alone. Very interesting.

The story itself is fine! This story is the inspiration for a movie and countless knock off movies and books. It was suspenseful and interesting, even if all the characters were insufferable. If you're a fan of classic horror, definitely try it out, but most people can do without reading.
dark tense fast-paced
adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
mysterious tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

It's SOOOO misogynistic, but that's true to the 70s right? It was just confusing that everything was in the 70s, yet this audio book updated parts to say "texting" or "cellphone". I wish they just would've kept it. The audio book is 2010, I really wanna read the original now. If a book is set in a certain decade it makes no sense to change all these things if it's still meant to be taking place in the 70s.

as for the story im sad nothing worse happened to barry. Also, would've been awesome for something bad to happen to fuckin Iraq "veterans" lol fuckin murderers good fucking ridance.
dark mysterious 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: Yes
dark mysterious medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

So my group on Goodreads started the Blind Date Challenge again, and my partner and I picked this book. I was really interesting in this one, I heard a lot about the book and the movie, so I was curious if it was really as good as everyone said.

Sadly, it was not. It started off pretty good though, and I was really exited to read the book. The changing POVs were done really well (every chapter we had a different character), and the story was interesting. However as the book progressed I started to dislike most of the characters and I was just getting frustrated with them.

Barry was just the most horrendous figure ever. How he thought of girls, how he treated Helen, how he treated what happened last summer. Disgusting. The first chapter I saw him, I kind of liked him, but as we started to learn more about him I just wanted him to be finished or gone as soon as possible.

Helen was the second on the rank list for horrendous character. What a self-centered, sad, pathetic girl that was. Bah. How she treated people, how she only had eyes for herself and Barry. Bah.

Ray, I found him quite nice, but also just annoying that he apparently doesn't get the word no.

Julie, the only character I sort of sympathized with. The only character I liked. She was truly a good girl, though I wish she had sought help from someone. I know, I know the pact, but come on. :|

I was also shaking my head at the sheer stupidity that these kids had. You do that? And just decide to make a pact and do that? What the hell is wrong with you. Did you really think you would get away with it all? Did you think the guilt, or someone coming for you would not happen?

SpoilerAlso, I wonder what parent doesn't make sure their kids bike is at least worthy of going out at night. Here, you need to have lights on your bike, otherwise you are going to be fined if they see you bike around like that. Also my first reaction when I heard about what happened last summer was: Who the fuck lets their kid bike outside, on a FUCKING road, in the FUCKING dark, at FUCKING midnight? What kind of parents are these. And then later we learn that the kid himself was just a stupid ass. :| Yes, yes, I might anger people with that.
Sure, the kids were wrong to drive while having drunk a bit (though again, I also would like to know the amounts, same goes for the drugs part, again, not saying it is good, but I know here you can still have about 0,5 promille in your blood and still be good, as long as it isn't more than that), to just not stop, but that kid was also not innocent. And maybe I will get the rage of all the people of the internet over me, but this is how I think. Both parties are irresponsible, and both parties are guilty. The kid for being stupid to go out on a road without lights or anything so he is visible at midnight, I don't really give a damn that the kid was only 10. By 10 I knew that I had to keep an eye out on traffic, and going out at night? Hahahaa, no. The parents for not going to pick him up, or at least making sure that the parents at the friend's house will keep him there, and the kids who just drove that kid over (though again, I can imagine you would be scared out of your fucking pants when you suddenly hit something, though still no excuse for just running away). Sorry the kid died, and I felt a bit sad, but I also was just shaking my head at all the stupidity and the fact the kids are seen as the only guilty party.


Phew, I had to get that off my chest. That frustrated me so much.

The plottwist? Eh, I saw it coming, and at a certain point was really sure about it, which kind of ruined the book further for me.

The whole revenge thing? HAHAHAHAAHHAHA, sorry, I just almost rolled off my chair there.
Spoiler What revenge part? Not much happens, and by the time it really gets exciting... the book ends. Yep, the craptastic ending of all! Anti-climatic as hell too. The horror begins the book blurb tells us, yes the horror of falling asleep and being bored out of your head.


So yeah, the book went from a 4 stars to a 3 stars, to now 2 stars, but I am thinking it is better to give this book a 1.5 star.

Not recommending this one. There are better thriller/horror books out there.

Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/