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clairebartholomew549's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was an absolutely delicious thriller. It unfolds at a steady pace, with a slowly creeping sense of wrongness that starts from the beginning. Belle is an intriguing heroine, with a lot of backbone but enough of doormat syndrome to understand why she's stayed friends with Summer for so long. The luxuriousness is lush and fun, and St. John does a great job of showing the dark underbelly of that type of wealth - extreme control, misogyny, awful business practices, etc. I was really invested in where the story was going, and the way things unravel was extremely satisfying. I loved this one!
The romance feels a little shoehorned in - I was way more invested in Summer and Belle's friendship - and the ending of course wraps things up a little too perfectly. But I can forgive those minor nits - this book is an incredibly fun romp.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Classism
kyriannaj's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
0.5
CHECK TRIGGER WARNINGS BEFORE READING THIS BOOK!!!
This book is a bit complicated. The ending plot twists help explain the main character's actions throughout, but without knowing them it seems as if the main character has no issue with the things happening to her and around her. It does an amazing job slowly delving more and more into the past giving you just enough information each time to understand another piece of the puzzle without fully knowing everything. However, the way the book deals with certain triggering topics comes across as very casual and with no regard for the severity of them. Additionally, the traumatic events are never fully dealt with in the book and simply exist in the background before eventually disappearing, or in one case are used to villify a character. There was a lot of potential with this book but I felt it missed the mark at almost every point.
This book is a bit complicated. The ending plot twists help explain the main character's actions throughout, but without knowing them it seems as if the main character has no issue with the things happening to her and around her. It does an amazing job slowly delving more and more into the past giving you just enough information each time to understand another piece of the puzzle without fully knowing everything. However, the way the book deals with certain triggering topics comes across as very casual and with no regard for the severity of them. Additionally, the traumatic events are never fully dealt with in the book and simply exist in the background before eventually disappearing, or in one case are used to villify a character. There was a lot of potential with this book but I felt it missed the mark at almost every point.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Sexual assault, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Death, Eating disorder, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicide, Violence, Suicide attempt, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail