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A review by loveforwords
How We Fall Apart by Katie Zhao
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
I'm so sad, I had such high expectations for this one! Still, not the best execution, and off in some aspects, but pleasantly fast and intriguing.
How We Fall Apart started in a great way, immediately pulling me in. I was barely 10% in when I told my sister she should read it. (We’re watching the One of Us Is Lying series together and loving the suspense.)
However, a school director would never admit to investigate into an homicide so openly. It was the first thing that broke the spell for me.
Characters
I disliked every character, even the ones meant to be likeable. They lacked depth and seemed quite shallow for being the brightest students of their age.
The worst one was perhaps the main character, Nancy. She came across as selfish and whiny, obnoxious, and the whole book was told from her POV, so that didn’t arrange things. And Nancy was sooo oblivious when things were sooo obvious (view spoiler), it was a bit frustrating.
Pacing and Mood
The pace is quick, but maybe too quick. Events felt rushed, sometimes I got to the end of chapters disoriented, as if I’d blinked and missed something.
Also, the secrets came out awfully fast. There wasn’t time to recover from the last one out that another one was already released.
This somewhat affected the mood, and the tension suffered from it too.
However, I will always appreciate a book that keeps you guessing and doesn’t let the intrigue down, and we do get some suspense with this one.
(Suspense that could have been strengthened if the book had been a little longer, but one can’t have everything.)
Writing
I’ve never been a fan of mysteries written in first person, and I’m sorry to say this isn’t the book that will change my mind.
The whole felt like a young YA read, if it makes sense. If it weren’t for the death and some complex topics mentioned, I’d even say it’s more a middle-grade read that a YA one.
I’m aware that this is a highly subjective matter because everyone has different preferences (e.g., I liked the writing in House of Hollow when most people found it repetitive), but for what it’s worth, I found the writing itself agreeable.
There was unfortunately a lot of telling instead of showing.
Plot
I couldn’t stop thinking through the whole book how similar How We Fall Apart is to One of Us Is Lying (mass texting the whole school, one dead and four suspects, secrets to hide, etc.)
It could be a good hangover killer.
The plot itself was pretty interesting at first, even if it dangled on the dramatic side in the middle and went completely bonkers by the end. A lot of the drama was unnecessary or unjustified, and the seriousness of the story took the toll of it.
And the romance knocked the rating from a 2.5 rounded up to a 2.
Topics Discussed
Here’s a message by the author on what this book means to her and how she shared important topics within its pages.
If You Liked It, You Might Like
- One of Us Is Lying (perhaps the series more than the book)
- Control Z
How We Fall Apart started in a great way, immediately pulling me in. I was barely 10% in when I told my sister she should read it. (We’re watching the One of Us Is Lying series together and loving the suspense.)
However, a school director would never admit to investigate into an homicide so openly. It was the first thing that broke the spell for me.
Characters
I disliked every character, even the ones meant to be likeable. They lacked depth and seemed quite shallow for being the brightest students of their age.
The worst one was perhaps the main character, Nancy. She came across as selfish and whiny, obnoxious, and the whole book was told from her POV, so that didn’t arrange things. And Nancy was sooo oblivious when things were sooo obvious (view spoiler), it was a bit frustrating.
Pacing and Mood
The pace is quick, but maybe too quick. Events felt rushed, sometimes I got to the end of chapters disoriented, as if I’d blinked and missed something.
Also, the secrets came out awfully fast. There wasn’t time to recover from the last one out that another one was already released.
This somewhat affected the mood, and the tension suffered from it too.
However, I will always appreciate a book that keeps you guessing and doesn’t let the intrigue down, and we do get some suspense with this one.
(Suspense that could have been strengthened if the book had been a little longer, but one can’t have everything.)
Writing
I’ve never been a fan of mysteries written in first person, and I’m sorry to say this isn’t the book that will change my mind.
The whole felt like a young YA read, if it makes sense. If it weren’t for the death and some complex topics mentioned, I’d even say it’s more a middle-grade read that a YA one.
I’m aware that this is a highly subjective matter because everyone has different preferences (e.g., I liked the writing in House of Hollow when most people found it repetitive), but for what it’s worth, I found the writing itself agreeable.
There was unfortunately a lot of telling instead of showing.
Plot
I couldn’t stop thinking through the whole book how similar How We Fall Apart is to One of Us Is Lying (mass texting the whole school, one dead and four suspects, secrets to hide, etc.)
It could be a good hangover killer.
The plot itself was pretty interesting at first, even if it dangled on the dramatic side in the middle and went completely bonkers by the end. A lot of the drama was unnecessary or unjustified, and the seriousness of the story took the toll of it.
And the romance knocked the rating from a 2.5 rounded up to a 2.
Topics Discussed
Here’s a message by the author on what this book means to her and how she shared important topics within its pages.
If You Liked It, You Might Like
- One of Us Is Lying (perhaps the series more than the book)
- Control Z