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A review by melbsreads
Bad Things Happen Here by Rebecca Barrow
challenging
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Trigger warnings: death of a friend (in the past), death of a sibling, grief, murder, drug use, self harm, alcohol abuse, car accident (in the past), suicidal thoughts, mentions of vomit
I barely even read the blurb before picking this up, so it was a definite (pleasant) surprise when the main character turned out to be Black, fat and queer. Anyway, I enjoyed this but I also expected there to be more of an examination of the "curse" as a whole than just the focus on Whitney and her murder. Like, don't get me wrong. I appreciate and understand why Luca focuses so closely on her sister's murder. But given the prevalence the blurb puts on the number of girls who've died and disappeared over the years, I thought there would be more of a focus on that and, perhaps, some kind of more general resolution.
Anyway, I absolutely flew through this. And while it wasn't always easy being in Luca's head, it was absolutely worthwhile.
I barely even read the blurb before picking this up, so it was a definite (pleasant) surprise when the main character turned out to be Black, fat and queer. Anyway, I enjoyed this but I also expected there to be more of an examination of the "curse" as a whole than just the focus on Whitney and her murder. Like, don't get me wrong. I appreciate and understand why Luca focuses so closely on her sister's murder. But given the prevalence the blurb puts on the number of girls who've died and disappeared over the years, I thought there would be more of a focus on that and, perhaps, some kind of more general resolution.
Anyway, I absolutely flew through this. And while it wasn't always easy being in Luca's head, it was absolutely worthwhile.