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toffishay's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.25
Moderate: Violence, Death, Gun violence, Child death, Murder, and Gaslighting
sm_moon's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Murder and Child death
Moderate: Gun violence, Death, and Car accident
emily_mh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
The biggest issue was the pacing. There was no thorough investigation of the murders as there was really only one track that Stevie investigated, making the plot THIN. Why weren't there proper red herrings??? And then ALL of a sudden, Stevie has solved the mystery. I'm not even kidding, it just happens out the blue when I thought there would be at least a chapter or more till the big reveal.
The second worst thing was that I don't think Johnson did her research, which made it feel like a cash grab (this was not helped by the fact that the writing was a little sloppy and repetitive, which led me to think it had been rushed through the writing and editing process). Any person interested in true crime worth their salt KNOWS the significance of stabbing as a murder method, especially how many times a person is stabbed, and also knows that spree killers exist. These two things are incredibly relevant to the crime that took place, given four people were stabbed to death (a different number of times) in one night. Yet they are NEVER DISCUSSED.
Finally, the characters. Nate was a true saving grace in this. I loved him, and I loved his character development (even if THAT felt a little rushed and behind the scenes). I also liked that Johnson set it up in the beginning that the story would only feature Stevie, Nate and Janelle, as I really like this trio and their dynamic. But then DAVID comes on the scene. His presence was simply unnecessary, and he was only included to offer some relationship drama, which wasn't needed as it took space away from the already thin plot.
So, yeah. I did not like this. I really hope Johnson doesn't release any more books in this series because I will feel obligated to read them as I am a completionist, but I have lost all faith that I might enjoy them.
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Drug use, Violence, Cursing, Gun violence, Car accident, Panic attacks/disorders, and Medical content
Minor: Vomit, Blood, Cancer, Mental illness, Gun violence, Death of parent, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Infidelity, Suicide, Homophobia, War, Fire/Fire injury, Animal death, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Sexism, Alcohol, Ableism, and Sexual content
Hunting, internalised misogyny, loss of a loved one, motorbike accident, incarceration, Nazisbeckyremillard's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
I loved the original Truly Devious series and I love that there’s another one. Technically this book could probably be a stand alone, but for character development and to understand the references it’s best if you’ve read the first three.
This book is somewhere in between medium to fast pace in my opinion. It’s primarily told from Stevie’s perspective, although it occasionally goes back to 1978.
I absolutely did not expect the twist of who did it. There’s a bunch of information leading up to it but we don’t know all the evidence until it’s revealed by Stevie.
Not really related to the plot of the story, but I thought Nicole was so annoying and unnecessary. I thought maybe she’d redeem herself at the end but nope.
Graphic: Gun violence and Murder
Moderate: Child death
casreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Graphic: Death and Murder
Moderate: Drug use
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Car accident, Child death, and Cursing
bookishgoob's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Car accident, Child death, Death, Drug use, Grief, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Body horror
thelastairbadger's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Blood and Murder
Moderate: Gun violence, Violence, and Car accident
Minor: Child death, Drug use, and Mental illness
cherry__tomatoes's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Murder, Drug use, Death, and Child death
Moderate: Alcohol and Car accident
Minor: Blood and Vomit
spacexgay's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Moderate: Child death, Death, and Murder
there's mentions of nazisdilani's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and Murder
Moderate: Car accident, Child death, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Cursing, Gun violence, and War