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mrskreads84's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Grief, and Stalking
jcstokes95's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
A last minute entry for my favorites of the year, this was absolutely enthralling and heartbreaking. Caletti portrays a young girl, reeling from trauma, as she tries to take back her own agency by running across America. I devoured this in one day, mainly in one sitting. I literally followed Annabelle on a map; is it weird to say the geographic accuracy is one of the things I love about this book? I think this is the most I've felt 'with' a character the whole year.
This book is slow burning and Caletti reveals the unspeakable thing piece by piece. This builds tension, yes, but also mimics Annabelle's attempts to keep flashbacks and guilt away from her. We get parts of the story as they seep in and as she tries to move through processing her grief. At a certain point, the "what" doesn't feel so secret to the reader anymore, but the writing makes you, the reader, treat it with care. I don't know how to best sell this to you, but it really had me rooting for it's protagonist and even for the cast of characters holding her up. It feels warm even when it's heartbreaking.
This book is slow burning and Caletti reveals the unspeakable thing piece by piece. This builds tension, yes, but also mimics Annabelle's attempts to keep flashbacks and guilt away from her. We get parts of the story as they seep in and as she tries to move through processing her grief. At a certain point, the "what" doesn't feel so secret to the reader anymore, but the writing makes you, the reader, treat it with care. I don't know how to best sell this to you, but it really had me rooting for it's protagonist and even for the cast of characters holding her up. It feels warm even when it's heartbreaking.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, and Stalking
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