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A review by actuallyjusthanne
Five Total Strangers by Natalie D. Richards
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I saw this as an random option on Libby with no other context for it, downloaded it, and read it in a day. For being that, I thought it was a pretty interesting read, fast paced and easy to follow.
In particular, I didn't realize that the book was set in the winter in Pittsburgh, and it was a particularly relatable scenario for me personally, as I'd had various Traveling Adventures getting into Pittsburgh driving on I-78 earlier this month. In that regard, I thought this book was really fun and I had a good time following the adventures that Mira and the others got into.
The story reminded me a lot of Five Survive by Holly Jackson: I understand this book came out before it, but nonetheless, while I was reading this book, I kept feeling like I had already come across a book just like it. The whole roadtrip, the personification of Mira vs the main character in that book, the ""major"" plot twist, the five people aspect, it was all very similar.
I enjoyed the story for the majority of the book, but unfortunately the ending fell a little flat for me. I'd already figured out the majority of the "plot twist" thanks to the flash forward 'letter', and I had a good idea of who the suspect/culprit was, because of the one scene.As the letters were getting interesting, Josh piped up with "I WROTE LETTERS ONCE" and then proceeded to mention nothing else about it???? HUH . The ending felt super rushed: the whole book had been building up to this huge reveal, only for it to be like a page long and end super unsatisfyingly.
I have so many questions about the ending:how did Mira end up at a hospital/how did she get reunited with her mom? whatever happened to the guy who they ran over? did she ever apologize/speak to the other people in the car again? and on and on. I really enjoyed the book overall, but the ending ruined the book for me, because it was so unsatisfying. I also didn't really enjoy that the whole premise of the book was just some random guy's random obsessive stalking??? like what was the POINT? no background? just some dude being a creep?? . I did really like the flash-forward letters (though I think its been thoroughly established that I enjoy suspense books where the antagonist's perspective is seen).
There was also a lot of personal background of Mira's that was building up over the course of the book that was left unanswered: the reason that she was going home for Christmas was to see her family and help her mom navigate their complicated family dynamics, but after the Big Scene at the end, none of the family issue was brought up again?? I feel CHEATED. Why was I made to be so emotionally invested in this girl's family only for it to not even pay off in the end.
All in all, for being a quick one-day read, I really enjoyed this book. I don't think the story was particularly well done (if you want to read a book with a similar vibe, just go read Five Survive by Holly Jackson: I didn't love that book much either but I liked it more than this!), but it was a fine one to read to pass time.
In particular, I didn't realize that the book was set in the winter in Pittsburgh, and it was a particularly relatable scenario for me personally, as I'd had various Traveling Adventures getting into Pittsburgh driving on I-78 earlier this month. In that regard, I thought this book was really fun and I had a good time following the adventures that Mira and the others got into.
The story reminded me a lot of Five Survive by Holly Jackson: I understand this book came out before it, but nonetheless, while I was reading this book, I kept feeling like I had already come across a book just like it. The whole roadtrip, the personification of Mira vs the main character in that book, the ""major"" plot twist, the five people aspect, it was all very similar.
I enjoyed the story for the majority of the book, but unfortunately the ending fell a little flat for me. I'd already figured out the majority of the "plot twist" thanks to the flash forward 'letter', and I had a good idea of who the suspect/culprit was, because of the one scene.
I have so many questions about the ending:
There was also a lot of personal background of Mira's that was building up over the course of the book that was left unanswered: the reason that she was going home for Christmas was to see her family and help her mom navigate their complicated family dynamics, but after the Big Scene at the end, none of the family issue was brought up again?? I feel CHEATED. Why was I made to be so emotionally invested in this girl's family only for it to not even pay off in the end.
All in all, for being a quick one-day read, I really enjoyed this book. I don't think the story was particularly well done (if you want to read a book with a similar vibe, just go read Five Survive by Holly Jackson: I didn't love that book much either but I liked it more than this!), but it was a fine one to read to pass time.