panikos 's review for:

The Other Lives of Miss Emily White by A.J. Elwood

3.0

mysterious sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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This book had a great premise and a delightfully uneasy atmosphere which unfortunately didn't really go anywhere. I was initially intrigued, but the first 80% of the book is very repetitive - something unsettling happens, all the girls at the school blame Emily White for it, Ivy defends her but ultimately changes nothing, and around and around we go. Ivy didn't have enough agency to really draw me in as a protagonist, even though I did find her sympathetic and thought the bones of her character were interesting. 

The conclusion of the novel introduces some interesting twists, but I can't help but wish they'd been seeded in throughout the story more effectively. The exposition and release of tension is too backloaded and it doesn't really make up for how sluggish the rest of the novel is. 

There was a really great story buried in this book, but the execution was lacking for me. The pacing was too slow and the events of the novel seemed to unfold around the protagonist, rather than her shaping the story. Despite that, the eerie atmosphere was still well-captured, and there were several twists at the end that I didn't anticipate.