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aichaa's reviews
348 reviews
Dead Girls Don't Talk by Joanne Carlton
syl’s story – viola mistreated me and killed me
viola’s story - i mistreated syl and killed her but it wasn’t totally my fault
viola’s POV was just “yeah i did all that but it was because syl was the daughter of someone who destroyed my family.” she didn’t feel realistically manipulative to me, there was no point in her keeping syl around. yeah, she needed to feel superior to someone, but she wasn’t getting that feeling from syl anymore. viola kept coming back because she couldn’t deal with being replaced, which many psychos like her do, but this didnt match her behavior at all – she got NOTHING out of having syl around anymore. she actually hated it so much ahshhsjd
then there was syl and that last moment “plot twist” of her being actually manipulative too. that didn’t feel well constructed at all to me, especially her getting a gun?? where did that escalation come from? and swerving the car to kill viola??? there was no hint of this type of personality in any other scene of hers. even when she stood up to viola it wasn’t nasty just “wow she’s finally speaking up for herself”.
then the last scene where viola was like “everyone thought i swerved the car to save myself and kill syl but actually syl was trying to swerve to kill me :((“ (….) “and then i swerved to save myself and kill her. oh this is my big secret.” girl there’s no drama there. she tried to kill you, you saved yourself. why the hell would you complicate this whole thing?
i also didn’t feel like viola trying to “protect” syl after her death felt genuine. it was supposed to be a “they hated each other, tried to kill one another, but also toxically love one another” moment. but it wasn’t. other books have done it sm better. but these bitches didn’t hate each other in a deep, meaningful, almost loving way; they didn’t give a fuck about the other at all.
also why tf didn’t syl ever say that viola swerved at the last minute??? she was so adamant on blaming viola and didn’t tell the truth about that???? WHAT WAS ALL THIS FOR THEN???
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
since this book was said to be “two versions of the same story” i thought it was gonna be something like:
syl’s story – viola mistreated me and killed me
viola’s story - syl was manipulative and i acted in self defense
but it actually was:
viola’s story - i mistreated syl and killed her but it wasn’t totally my fault
i just read the same story twice, when i expected the same story to be told differently.
then there was syl and that last moment “plot twist” of her being actually manipulative too. that didn’t feel well constructed at all to me, especially her getting a gun?? where did that escalation come from? and swerving the car to kill viola??? there was no hint of this type of personality in any other scene of hers. even when she stood up to viola it wasn’t nasty just “wow she’s finally speaking up for herself”.
then the last scene where viola was like “everyone thought i swerved the car to save myself and kill syl but actually syl was trying to swerve to kill me :((“ (….) “and then i swerved to save myself and kill her. oh this is my big secret.” girl there’s no drama there. she tried to kill you, you saved yourself. why the hell would you complicate this whole thing?
i also didn’t feel like viola trying to “protect” syl after her death felt genuine. it was supposed to be a “they hated each other, tried to kill one another, but also toxically love one another” moment. but it wasn’t. other books have done it sm better. but these bitches didn’t hate each other in a deep, meaningful, almost loving way; they didn’t give a fuck about the other at all.
also why tf didn’t syl ever say that viola swerved at the last minute??? she was so adamant on blaming viola and didn’t tell the truth about that???? WHAT WAS ALL THIS FOR THEN???
finally, i feel like there was no need for this story to have a ghost at all. we didn’t get anything from syl’s pov of what happened after she became a ghost and there were no more paranormal things in the story. the idea i have wouldn’t work for a “flip over” version but i’m sure the author could’ve come up with something.
so much wasted potential.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Car accident, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Religious bigotry
Minor: Injury/Injury detail
You Are Not Alone by Sarah Pekkanen, Greer Hendricks
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
Moderate: Sexual assault
All Your Twisted Secrets by Diana Urban
like amber’s trauma: because her sister was cyberbullied before she k*lled herself, amber didn’t use ANY social media. obviously there must be cases similar to these in real life, but it felt like this was just for plot convenience so she wouldn’t know sasha was cyberbullying priya. and also amber gets triggered if someone sneaks up behind her because that’s what her sister did the last time they spoke. idk, everything just felt so flat.
i also feel like, since cyberbullying was a thing in this book, why tf didn’t this “revenge” on sasha involve something online? when amber was like “i did all this to teach sasha a lesson, i planned everything, blahblahblah”, i just kept thinking “girl, just post her on tiktok and call her a mean girl. that fucks things up for ppl.”
the escalation was not well done lmao i didn’t feel tensions rising. sasha started out panicking and ended that way. those who were calm stayed calm. and, by the way, we get it sasha sucks and she uses uppers! but panicking is completely expected. there was a whole dude with a broken ankle who DIDN’T panic at <b>any</b> point. did they all take xanax before this or something?
about the end: i was so frustrated seeing everyone ready to forgive amber. i love stories about “revenge” where everyone promises to keep quiet about something because the person who died sucked and the guilty one is a good person. but in this case, because this whole plot of amber’s was ridiculous and unnecessary and she wanted to play god, I DON’T GET IT.
i liked that at the end amber decided to turn herself in instead of pitying herself but it would’ve been so much better if she didn’t realize that what she did was fucked up but her friends did. if she kept trying to justify everything the same way sasha used to (which would show the influence she had on amber). nobody would turn her in but they’d not want anything to do with her anymore and only then amber would realize she need to take accountability.
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
the writing felt a little… obvious? idk how to put it but the story started with amber basically saying “omg my jock bf can’t figure out i like the school nerd!!” and the book just kept trying to cement their roles all the time in the first half of the book. we get it, this is a breakfast club thingy. move on.
there was no suspense or twists. we knew the true target , it’s not like the story tried to confuse us by making everyone look a little suspicious and shitty . it was also no surprise who put them there. like, even if you read without trying to figure it out, when they reveal it, it’s just like “yeah”.
i didn’t care about any of the characters; everytime something was presented about their life to make me feel sympathetic, i just didn’t care. even when the subjects were heavy (su*cide, bullying, addiction), they were written in a way that felt shallow.
anyway, this was completely underwhelming to me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Drug abuse, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Suicide
Blu, como a cor azul (Sucesso no TikTok) by Marie-France Léger
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
damn i spent half the pages wanting to beat this man up
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship
Moderate: Eating disorder and Self harm
Malibu Renasce by Taylor Jenkins Reid
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Carrie Soto está de volta by Taylor Jenkins Reid
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
bowe 🩷💞
Friends Like These by Jennifer Lynn Alvarez
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault and Gaslighting
No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai
dark
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
damn, he's dramatic, huh. R rated jughead fr
also he's all like "women are a different species from men, they make no sense, they're inherently uninteresting and difficult, blah blah blah" and then "i never pay attention to what a woman's saying" ????? THAT'S WHY YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND THEM
also he's all like "women are a different species from men, they make no sense, they're inherently uninteresting and difficult, blah blah blah" and then "i never pay attention to what a woman's saying" ????? THAT'S WHY YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND THEM
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Misogyny, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Forced institutionalization
Minor: Rape
The Awakening by Caroline Peckham, Susanne Valenti
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
Moderate: Mental illness and Sexual content
Minor: Racial slurs and Self harm