Take a photo of a barcode or cover
amandasbookreview 's review for:
You Are Not Alone
by Greer Hendricks, Sarah Pekkanen
I have read both of Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen’s previous works and enjoyed them, so I just had to read their newest release, You Are Not Alone. This book introduces Shay, She is having a rough time at life in general. She just got let go from her job, she doesn’t have friends, and the man she is in love with is her roommate but already has a girlfriend. When she thinks it can’t get any worse, she sees a woman jump in front of a subway. This woman’s death haunts her. She decides to attend the memorial and meets a few of this woman’s friends. Cassandra and Jane just radiate confidence and Shay would love to be them. Soon they develop a friendship. However, their actions start to make Shay wonder why they want to be friends with her…
Warning!! This book does discuss suicide.
And now, the thoughts. So many thoughts. So while Hendricks and Pekkanen’s books are entertaining, they are usually a slow pace, which is the same for this book. The first chapter really captured my attention, but the pace does slow down after that. That is not the worst thing though. The book does have an intense story development. There are many strings that need to be linked. That leads to my second, “meh” moment. You all know how picky I am with time jumps and multiple points of view. This one has too much going on in that sense. Sometimes less is more. I understand that they need to connect the dots but some of the points-of-view were not necessary. I must say it all comes together well in the end, despite the lack of a jaw-dropping plot twist.
Now that being said…the premise of this book is BONKERS. Think mean girls meets criminal minds. As I was reading, I kept thinking of how Cassandra and Jane cross so many privacy boundaries. As I kept reading…it all made sense. Now for the characters. I hated all of them, except for Shay. Yes, she is naive and at times, just pitiful. But I can relate to her. I don’t make friends easily. So the fact that she ignores all the red flags just for the sake of friendship makes sense to me.
Overall, the pace is slow but it does equal an entertaining story. I rate this book 3 out of 5 stars.
Thank you to the authors, publisher, and NetGalley for an opportunity to read this book.
Warning!! This book does discuss suicide.
And now, the thoughts. So many thoughts. So while Hendricks and Pekkanen’s books are entertaining, they are usually a slow pace, which is the same for this book. The first chapter really captured my attention, but the pace does slow down after that. That is not the worst thing though. The book does have an intense story development. There are many strings that need to be linked. That leads to my second, “meh” moment. You all know how picky I am with time jumps and multiple points of view. This one has too much going on in that sense. Sometimes less is more. I understand that they need to connect the dots but some of the points-of-view were not necessary. I must say it all comes together well in the end, despite the lack of a jaw-dropping plot twist.
Now that being said…the premise of this book is BONKERS. Think mean girls meets criminal minds. As I was reading, I kept thinking of how Cassandra and Jane cross so many privacy boundaries. As I kept reading…it all made sense. Now for the characters. I hated all of them, except for Shay. Yes, she is naive and at times, just pitiful. But I can relate to her. I don’t make friends easily. So the fact that she ignores all the red flags just for the sake of friendship makes sense to me.
Overall, the pace is slow but it does equal an entertaining story. I rate this book 3 out of 5 stars.
Thank you to the authors, publisher, and NetGalley for an opportunity to read this book.