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blooms_in_books 's review for:
This Is Our Story
by Ashley Elston
♥ Quick Thoughts and Rating: 5 mindblown stars! This book! I think I sat down on my bed after having finished it just repeating "Wow...oh wow!" like a broken record while clutching the book to my chest for a good five minutes. I read it all in a matter of hours because I couldn't turn the pages fast enough, and it was a book I won't soon forget.
This is Our Story was a compelling novel about friends, secrets, and how one can implode the other under all the right circumstances. FAIR WARNING: If you dare to dive in to this book, make sure you set aside the necessary time to read it uninterrupted because it will be one of those stories you won't want to put down until you have all the answers.
♥ Review: SPOILER-FREE REVIEW! So, the word count and amount of review I can do here is severely limited because of the very spoilerish nature of the entire plot and how magnificently Elston built the story. The novel is delivered in a unique way that truly enhanced the reading experience for me. A majority of it comes from our protagonist's narrative and that's broken up with one of the River Point Boys' perspective and through police interrogations of eyewitness accounts, video logs, and text messages. I felt like being inside the RPB's head offered a creepy aspect to the book (that totally fascinated me while weirding me out simultaneously) and then I was really pulled me in by Kate's narratives–seeing as she was so close to the case–interspersed with the other sources made me feel like I was just as much a part of the uncovering the culprit as the actual characters were. I wanted to know how that day went down, how exactly Grant was killed and how no one knew who was responsible. Furthermore, I wanted to know what it was about these guys, how close their friendship was, that they could remain such a united front even when one of their own was killed . . . and when one of their remaining best friends was responsible for his death.
Elston did an amazing job of layering the story and I had a hell of a time watching all the threads unravel. It's hard to catch me on my toes because I'm typically good at figuring out the bad guy, but this one kept me guessing the entire way through. Honestly, I bounced between contenders the entire book, thinking it could have been any of the boys and all for varying spoilerish reasons. It was a complicated story that the author managed to handle with ease, relaying all its complexity with a finesse that I don't think many authors could have duplicated when tasked with the same mission. I also really appreciated the romance. It wasn't the biggest part of the book, but it was perfectly swoony and believable all the same.
In summary, this book kept me engaged from start to finish. From the word go, I was all in on this storyline. There was a deeply developed plot and realistic characters that kept me intrigued and eager for more throughout the entirety of this novel. It was easy to see why so many of my other friends gave it such glowing reviews. I don't think this is a book to be missed.
♥ Teaser Quote: The opening chapter of this novel was so exceptionally written. I was one hundred percent invested from the jump. I think I'll tease you with a bit of it...
♥ Rec It? Abso-freaking-lutely! This book was a reading experience, one that I think all readers should take on. Elston never disappoints with her books, and I can't wait to see what books she has in store for us in the future. I was a fan before, but this book made that fact concrete. Give me all your words, Ms. Elston!
MAJOR P.S. The author is sending out amazing swag packs (plus you gain an entry for a stellar giveaway) if you pre-order this book before November 14, 2016. You can find more information about all that epic goodness on Stacee's blog here.
♥ A very special thanks to Stacee for letting me borrow her copy. Make sure you go check out her blogbecause she’s my most favorite person ever to see what awesome authorly adventure she’s been on recently.
*Disclaimer: My KP, Stacee from the wonderfully fabulous Adventures of a Book Junkie, lovingly lending me her ARC. All thoughts, quotes, and opinions will be of this version and not of the published edition (which you should totally go and buy).This review was originally posted on The Book Hookup here.
This is Our Story was a compelling novel about friends, secrets, and how one can implode the other under all the right circumstances. FAIR WARNING: If you dare to dive in to this book, make sure you set aside the necessary time to read it uninterrupted because it will be one of those stories you won't want to put down until you have all the answers.
♥ Review: SPOILER-FREE REVIEW! So, the word count and amount of review I can do here is severely limited because of the very spoilerish nature of the entire plot and how magnificently Elston built the story. The novel is delivered in a unique way that truly enhanced the reading experience for me. A majority of it comes from our protagonist's narrative and that's broken up with one of the River Point Boys' perspective and through police interrogations of eyewitness accounts, video logs, and text messages. I felt like being inside the RPB's head offered a creepy aspect to the book (that totally fascinated me while weirding me out simultaneously) and then I was really pulled me in by Kate's narratives–seeing as she was so close to the case–interspersed with the other sources made me feel like I was just as much a part of the uncovering the culprit as the actual characters were. I wanted to know how that day went down, how exactly Grant was killed and how no one knew who was responsible. Furthermore, I wanted to know what it was about these guys, how close their friendship was, that they could remain such a united front even when one of their own was killed . . . and when one of their remaining best friends was responsible for his death.
Elston did an amazing job of layering the story and I had a hell of a time watching all the threads unravel. It's hard to catch me on my toes because I'm typically good at figuring out the bad guy, but this one kept me guessing the entire way through. Honestly, I bounced between contenders the entire book, thinking it could have been any of the boys and all for varying spoilerish reasons. It was a complicated story that the author managed to handle with ease, relaying all its complexity with a finesse that I don't think many authors could have duplicated when tasked with the same mission. I also really appreciated the romance. It wasn't the biggest part of the book, but it was perfectly swoony and believable all the same.
In summary, this book kept me engaged from start to finish. From the word go, I was all in on this storyline. There was a deeply developed plot and realistic characters that kept me intrigued and eager for more throughout the entirety of this novel. It was easy to see why so many of my other friends gave it such glowing reviews. I don't think this is a book to be missed.
♥ Teaser Quote: The opening chapter of this novel was so exceptionally written. I was one hundred percent invested from the jump. I think I'll tease you with a bit of it...
"Look, I know we're all scared shitless right now, but we'll be fine. There's no reason for anyone to ruin his whole life over this," I say.
There's one person who hasn't spoken at all, and I realize just how fragile this plan is. We all have to agree or the whole thing will fall apart. He looks down at Grant then back at the rest of us and finally says, "We're in this together. We stick together."
I lean forward and the other three do the same. Hovering over poor, dead Grant, I say, "Okay, this is our story . . ."–quote taken from the ARC of This is Our Story, unidentified POV, pg. 3
♥ Rec It? Abso-freaking-lutely! This book was a reading experience, one that I think all readers should take on. Elston never disappoints with her books, and I can't wait to see what books she has in store for us in the future. I was a fan before, but this book made that fact concrete. Give me all your words, Ms. Elston!
MAJOR P.S. The author is sending out amazing swag packs (plus you gain an entry for a stellar giveaway) if you pre-order this book before November 14, 2016. You can find more information about all that epic goodness on Stacee's blog here.
♥ A very special thanks to Stacee for letting me borrow her copy. Make sure you go check out her blog
*Disclaimer: My KP, Stacee from the wonderfully fabulous Adventures of a Book Junkie, lovingly lending me her ARC. All thoughts, quotes, and opinions will be of this version and not of the published edition (which you should totally go and buy).This review was originally posted on The Book Hookup here.