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A review by hollyk
You're So Dead by Ash Parsons
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
0.5
Let me start by saying that I was so looking forward to reading this book, so I am incredibly disappointed in how it turned out.
In terms of narrative, there was a lot of telling and minimal showing, and the overall story felt dry. Furthermore, the book does not try to be subtle when dealing with some of the "influencers," outright stating "hey this person is a bad person" rather than letting the person's actions speak for themselves (for the record, I agree with the characterization but not with how it was executed). There was minimal background provided for the main character--I know more about Sofia's family and background than Plum's, and we aren't shown much characterization of Marlowe and Sofia, we're told "Sofia is x, Marlowe is y," but there's nothing to back that up in the story itself. Like what happened to Peach's mom? Why are they named after fruits? How did Peach and Plum become so close before Peach's influencer career took off?
Now for spoilers:
The killer made absolutely no sense. We never saw the video that caused the killer to decide to kill everyone, so there were no breadcrumbs to follow that even hinted at who the killer could have been until their story falls apart. Also, Marlowe showed no signs of having a crush on Plum until 75% of the way through the book, so it came out of nowhere. Meanwhile Plum is obviously crushing on Marlowe--to the point it's painfully obvious for everyone. Except Marlowe is the one who everyone saw crushing on Plum???????
Krystal should have called the authorities when her sister wasn't checking in--she knew the location of the festival, why didn't she tell someone?
The actual ending made no sense, and for all of this to be a "lesson in what you say online" was incredibly cheesy for what it was--a murder mystery. Is this an important lesson? Yes! But there are other narratives that would've been more complementary to the theme than "influencers on an island who are killed by someone they unknowingly mocked;" the influencers themselves had no clue and didn't realize it! Also how does Peach's overconsumption apply to mocking the guy?? I have so many questions and frustrations.
In terms of narrative, there was a lot of telling and minimal showing, and the overall story felt dry. Furthermore, the book does not try to be subtle when dealing with some of the "influencers," outright stating "hey this person is a bad person" rather than letting the person's actions speak for themselves (for the record, I agree with the characterization but not with how it was executed). There was minimal background provided for the main character--I know more about Sofia's family and background than Plum's, and we aren't shown much characterization of Marlowe and Sofia, we're told "Sofia is x, Marlowe is y," but there's nothing to back that up in the story itself. Like what happened to Peach's mom? Why are they named after fruits? How did Peach and Plum become so close before Peach's influencer career took off?
Now for spoilers:
Krystal should have called the authorities when her sister wasn't checking in--she knew the location of the festival, why didn't she tell someone?
The actual ending made no sense, and for all of this to be a "lesson in what you say online" was incredibly cheesy for what it was--a murder mystery. Is this an important lesson? Yes! But there are other narratives that would've been more complementary to the theme than "influencers on an island who are killed by someone they unknowingly mocked;" the influencers themselves had no clue and didn't realize it! Also how does Peach's overconsumption apply to mocking the guy?? I have so many questions and frustrations.