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alibrarymouse 's review for:
How We Fall Apart
by Katie Zhao
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Cry Count: 1
A surprising low for me.
No spice, this isn’t the kind of book for that.
If you liked Pretty Little Liars, you’ll love How We Fall Apart. This was such an interesting take on the secrets and experiences high pressure and high society puts on teens. I loved the exploration of and commentary on mental health and the surrounding stigmas common in society. It was such a beautiful and necessary addition to the plot of this book that took the characters and their actions from being a moderately-paced thriller to a psychological deep dive into why it could have truly been anyone and the lengths someone would go to be the best, as well as how we cave under pressure and the consequences of unhealthy coping mechanisms and a lack of support.
The mystery of this was easy to get into and believable when it came to Nancy and her friends’ attempts to solve it. It was interesting and the way we see the group piece things together alongside flashbacks that offer more background information and subtle hints to who The Proctor could be. It was also fun to see the Tip Tap messages at the beginning of each chapter and the slight sense of magical realism and scrutiny they added to the rumors and ghost stories. The ghosts see everything, so, of course, Jamie and what they did can haunt them.
The characters were beautifully nuanced and I liked that Nancy was somewhat morally grey. Reading this from her perspective was great because we got to see how her mind worked and what motivated her throughout. However, it does make for a somewhat unreliable narrator because we see it as no one understands her because she doesn’t believe anyone feels the same pressure she does or herself the way she does. Overall giving this an amazing perspective that added to the feel of the narrative and a sense of urgency.
I really liked the way this was written. It was entirely binge-able: just so easy to get into and then all of a sudden have read thirty pages. No complaints, just excited for book two!
A surprising low for me.
No spice, this isn’t the kind of book for that.
If you liked Pretty Little Liars, you’ll love How We Fall Apart. This was such an interesting take on the secrets and experiences high pressure and high society puts on teens. I loved the exploration of and commentary on mental health and the surrounding stigmas common in society. It was such a beautiful and necessary addition to the plot of this book that took the characters and their actions from being a moderately-paced thriller to a psychological deep dive into why it could have truly been anyone and the lengths someone would go to be the best, as well as how we cave under pressure and the consequences of unhealthy coping mechanisms and a lack of support.
The mystery of this was easy to get into and believable when it came to Nancy and her friends’ attempts to solve it. It was interesting and the way we see the group piece things together alongside flashbacks that offer more background information and subtle hints to who The Proctor could be. It was also fun to see the Tip Tap messages at the beginning of each chapter and the slight sense of magical realism and scrutiny they added to the rumors and ghost stories. The ghosts see everything, so, of course, Jamie and what they did can haunt them.
The characters were beautifully nuanced and I liked that Nancy was somewhat morally grey. Reading this from her perspective was great because we got to see how her mind worked and what motivated her throughout. However, it does make for a somewhat unreliable narrator because we see it as no one understands her because she doesn’t believe anyone feels the same pressure she does or herself the way she does. Overall giving this an amazing perspective that added to the feel of the narrative and a sense of urgency.
I really liked the way this was written. It was entirely binge-able: just so easy to get into and then all of a sudden have read thirty pages. No complaints, just excited for book two!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Suicide, Stalking, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Abandonment
Minor: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Toxic relationship