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A review by aabdelmonem
No Beauties or Monsters by Tara Goedjen
3.0
Thank you to Delacorte and Netgalley for providing an advanced copy for review.
No Beauties or Monsters is fast-paced, suspenseful and very easy to read. I thought the author did a wonderful job of setting up the mystery right from the start. Rylie moves back to Twenty-Nine Palms, California and even as she’s arriving to town, things begin to happen. Rylie is uneasy about her return, tries to reconnect with old friends, and discovers that one of her old friends is missing – just one of several disappearances that have taken place in the area. Add to that the fact that she’s also suffering from memory loss and blackouts. It’s all so confusing at the beginning, but in a good way that keeps you turning the page to figure out what’s going on and how the various threads connect.
I will say that I didn’t necessarily connect to Rylie and her struggle. I didn’t dislike her, but she felt like a plot vehicle. Maybe because everything seemed to be moving us through plot points and to the reveal so fast that there wasn’t a lot of focus on character and relationships. For that reason, some of the emotionality felt a little thin to me. I’m not sure I understand her as an individual outside of this immediate mystery that she’s facing.
I loved that this was set in Twenty-Nine Palms and Joshua Tree. I spent a summer working in Joshua Tree and the desert there is so amazing. It’s part of what drove my interest in this book. I would’ve loved to have seen richer descriptions of setting and place because there were times I had difficulty seeing what was around the characters.
I didn’t love that some of this mystery was propelled on by interrupted or cut-off conversations and/or a lack of really digging with people you know have more information. It felt frustrating and like Rylie could’ve known more sooner if she would’ve pursued questioning people further, most especially with her mom but also her stepdad. This isn’t to say that people won’t try to hide information, but we don’t see the tensions that emerge from situations like that here – Rylie just doesn’t question what more people around her know until late in the game. I would say I prefer my mysteries where characters get available information more quickly, they run-up to the limits of what can be known and have to figure out new and creative ways to search for the information they need. But not being thorough in questioning the people around you (not even in your own head) seems a bit lazy.
In terms of the overall plot, I think this is where the book’s strength lies – the author did a great job weaving together multiple threads and connecting them in the big reveal. I thought that reveal was unique and interesting. It didn’t wow me - it had a lesser sort of Stranger Things vibe to it - but it was still fun and satisfying to finally discover what was going on.
Overall, it’s so quick that I’d say definitely worth a read!
No Beauties or Monsters is fast-paced, suspenseful and very easy to read. I thought the author did a wonderful job of setting up the mystery right from the start. Rylie moves back to Twenty-Nine Palms, California and even as she’s arriving to town, things begin to happen. Rylie is uneasy about her return, tries to reconnect with old friends, and discovers that one of her old friends is missing – just one of several disappearances that have taken place in the area. Add to that the fact that she’s also suffering from memory loss and blackouts. It’s all so confusing at the beginning, but in a good way that keeps you turning the page to figure out what’s going on and how the various threads connect.
I will say that I didn’t necessarily connect to Rylie and her struggle. I didn’t dislike her, but she felt like a plot vehicle. Maybe because everything seemed to be moving us through plot points and to the reveal so fast that there wasn’t a lot of focus on character and relationships. For that reason, some of the emotionality felt a little thin to me. I’m not sure I understand her as an individual outside of this immediate mystery that she’s facing.
I loved that this was set in Twenty-Nine Palms and Joshua Tree. I spent a summer working in Joshua Tree and the desert there is so amazing. It’s part of what drove my interest in this book. I would’ve loved to have seen richer descriptions of setting and place because there were times I had difficulty seeing what was around the characters.
I didn’t love that some of this mystery was propelled on by interrupted or cut-off conversations and/or a lack of really digging with people you know have more information. It felt frustrating and like Rylie could’ve known more sooner if she would’ve pursued questioning people further, most especially with her mom but also her stepdad. This isn’t to say that people won’t try to hide information, but we don’t see the tensions that emerge from situations like that here – Rylie just doesn’t question what more people around her know until late in the game. I would say I prefer my mysteries where characters get available information more quickly, they run-up to the limits of what can be known and have to figure out new and creative ways to search for the information they need. But not being thorough in questioning the people around you (not even in your own head) seems a bit lazy.
In terms of the overall plot, I think this is where the book’s strength lies – the author did a great job weaving together multiple threads and connecting them in the big reveal. I thought that reveal was unique and interesting. It didn’t wow me - it had a lesser sort of Stranger Things vibe to it - but it was still fun and satisfying to finally discover what was going on.
Overall, it’s so quick that I’d say definitely worth a read!