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leximarie06's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
huge let-down. it was unnecessarily slow for pretty much half the book almost but once things finally started falling into place, everything was sort of jam-packed together. i usually like when there’s constantly something going on to keep me from growing bored but theres a right and wrong way to do it, and this was the wrong way. not to mention the lack of closure at the end of the book. nothing ever really even happened to the killer and i get Karen was probably going for one of those “you decide the ending” things but i personally just am not a fan of them so that didn't sit right with me, especially after reading 300+ pages just to have like …4-5?? pages of the killer being confronted… and thats it. the end. no justice was ever really served, it felt a bit lackluster. another note- the book had a surprisingly strong focus on this blooming romance but considering its a Y/A book thats understandable but honestly at times it felt like that was becoming the main focus as opposed to the whole murder mystery focus which is the entire plot-line but again at least it gives readers something to focus on for that whole first half of the book that move on the slower side. I hate to admit it but i am pretty disappointed with the book considering all the hype ive heard about it. on top of everything else, there wasnt much mystery to this murder mystery at all. half the plot twists you could see coming from a mile away, they made the killer obvious way too early on in my opinion (i feel like the clues were printed boldly across the pages and the mc just never picked up on them until the VERY end), and the fact that the mc had this whole teenage sleuth thing going on and yet, all of the major information she gathered, she never really had to dig for. Everyone handed over their stories to her as she asked for it. I will admit tho, i was invested. i wanted to make it to the end to find out the truth. im heavily conflicted on the rating. im torn between a 2.5-3 ⭐️ but regardless, i dont regret reading the book, it gave me something to do and it wasnt all bad so i wouldnt say “oh never read this its trash😠” but i wouldnt push towards this one getting added to your TBR list.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Kidnapping, and Murder
Moderate: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Car accident, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Alcohol
amandab0514's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Kidnapping, Stalking, Car accident, and Murder
Moderate: Blood, Abandonment, and Alcohol
smeyer0024's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Violence, Kidnapping, Car accident, and Gaslighting
paronomaniac's review against another edition
dark
funny
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism and Murder
Minor: Child abuse, Kidnapping, and Car accident
emdowd's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Car accident, Murder, and Abandonment
Moderate: Gore
holliesatchell's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Murder, Abandonment, and Alcohol
neliadiedenise's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Car accident, Murder, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
satuhurme's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Kidnapping, Car accident, and Murder
bea_reads_books's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
I enjoyed this book, but there were some issues I had with it. For one, a lot of side characters and plot elements kind of get picked up when it’s convenient and then set back down again for an indefinite amount of time. Tripp’s mom, for example. She kind of just vanished two thirds of the way into the book even though she was part of the main conflict.
There's this reporter guy who’s supposedly trying to make it look like Tripp and his friends are guilty of murder, and the set up in the first half made it seem like this would be a much bigger issue. But then it just isn’t. Nothing happens at all.
Also, this author has her character profiles and just recycles them for new books, or at least it seems like that sometimes. She really likes the “deadbeat mom is back in town” trope too.
There's this reporter guy who’s supposedly trying to make it look like Tripp and his friends are guilty of murder, and the set up in the first half made it seem like this would be a much bigger issue. But then it just isn’t. Nothing happens at all.
Also, this author has her character profiles and just recycles them for new books, or at least it seems like that sometimes. She really likes the “deadbeat mom is back in town” trope too.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism and Car accident
Minor: Child abuse and Domestic abuse
therewillbenewsuns's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
i really appreciate how the author knows how to write a good twist. i always think i’ve solved the mystery but then new information comes up and i’m spun around. however, im a bit tired of the “middle class/rich girl warms the heart of the poor boy with parent issues” storyline! it’s used in so many of her books and i would love to see something a bit more fresh.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Car accident, and Murder
Minor: Emotional abuse