rachelhodgkins's review
4.0
Well what a read, you get plunged into the heart pounding moments from the very beginning with this medium paced dark who dunnit novel. The descriptive writing is just beautiful, "As my laughter curled around the nearest branches of the oak tree, the circled traffic around me widened in total social avoidance". This would make an excellent audio book, so you could sit back listen and visualize the campus and dorms.
The characters were true and relatable, that internal struggle between a young adults' desires and that of their parent's expectations.
I loved the dark twist and it was definitely one that I didn't see coming. I loved how Jessica Cranberry kept me on the edge of my seat in finding out what actually happened to Hazel's parents, she kept me tantalised with a promise to finding out. The answer would just teater on the edge of realisation only to suddenly disperse into nothingness.
The underlying message of the objectification of women and both court and media's perception of the rape blame culture was inspiring. With only 1 in a 100 reported cases going to court(statistic from rape crisis England and Wales) this is a topic in which its raw and grittiness needs to being discussed more. Though a few of the male characters in this story definitely deserved to be villanised, I did at times feel empathy for males as a gender- they weren't painted in the best light. Luckily for me I was not subjected to this intense objectification at university and as an adult have surrounded myself by men who would think this behaviour abhorrent.
I will definitely be reading the next Hazel and Mauve installment, I hope their friendship continues to grow and Hazel can let go of some of her past emotions and be more vulnerable, letting someone get close to her.
Think this is one book that is going to stay with me for a while after reading!
The characters were true and relatable, that internal struggle between a young adults' desires and that of their parent's expectations.
I loved the dark twist and it was definitely one that I didn't see coming. I loved how Jessica Cranberry kept me on the edge of my seat in finding out what actually happened to Hazel's parents, she kept me tantalised with a promise to finding out. The answer would just teater on the edge of realisation only to suddenly disperse into nothingness.
The underlying message of the objectification of women and both court and media's perception of the rape blame culture was inspiring. With only 1 in a 100 reported cases going to court(statistic from rape crisis England and Wales) this is a topic in which its raw and grittiness needs to being discussed more. Though a few of the male characters in this story definitely deserved to be villanised, I did at times feel empathy for males as a gender- they weren't painted in the best light. Luckily for me I was not subjected to this intense objectification at university and as an adult have surrounded myself by men who would think this behaviour abhorrent.
I will definitely be reading the next Hazel and Mauve installment, I hope their friendship continues to grow and Hazel can let go of some of her past emotions and be more vulnerable, letting someone get close to her.
Think this is one book that is going to stay with me for a while after reading!
pandafan7's review
3.0
In the Trap is a captivating mystery featuring Hazel, a college freshman away from home for the first time. Hazel and her roommate Maeve experience a scary encounter with two drunk men in The Trap, the grassy courtyard outside the student union. When one of the men ends up dead, Hazel is the lead suspect. Hazel and Maeve are determined to solve the crime with the help of a technology guru, Doug.
I really enjoyed that this book was set in 2000. The internet blog aspect of the book where the killer is posting diary entries was really fascinating and kept me interested in the story. I also really loved Hazel’s character. I found the beginning of her journey to finding herself very relatable. The only fault with this book and the reason I rated it 3.5 instead of 4 stars is the lack of romance between Hazel and Maeve. I went into the book thinking they were going to get together, and I was disappointed that all that happened between them was an almost kiss. Hopefully, they get together in the next book! I can’t wait to read it!
Thank you to NineStar Press and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
I really enjoyed that this book was set in 2000. The internet blog aspect of the book where the killer is posting diary entries was really fascinating and kept me interested in the story. I also really loved Hazel’s character. I found the beginning of her journey to finding herself very relatable. The only fault with this book and the reason I rated it 3.5 instead of 4 stars is the lack of romance between Hazel and Maeve. I went into the book thinking they were going to get together, and I was disappointed that all that happened between them was an almost kiss. Hopefully, they get together in the next book! I can’t wait to read it!
Thank you to NineStar Press and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
pali_zae's review
1.0
DNF @ 60%
I tried. I really did, but this book wasn't my cup of tea at all.
So, the thing that attracted me to this book was the synopsis. I was really excited to read a fun murder mystery set in college in the year 2000, but then, the characters and the writing turned out to be a big disappointment.
I did not like Hazel or Maeve, who are the two main characters in this book. They were both extremely annoying and sometimes unnecessarily mean and insensitive to each other and other characters. There was also this dude named Doug whom I felt so sorry for most of the time because he had to deal with hazel and maeve. Poor thing was treated like trash when trying to help the girl he just went on a date with for absolutely no reason...
The writing also didn't help my liking of the book. It almost felt like the story did not know what it wanted to do... like at all. There were also a few things that didn't sit right with me regarding the way some topics were handled.
Moreover, the pacing was very slow for my liking. The actual plot/murder case happened more than halfway through the book. By that time, nothing of interest had happened and I was so exhausted and very bored.
After that, I tried pushing through it, hoping things would pick up and get better. However, at around 60% through, the characters, just out of curiosity and for fun, suddenly broke into a crime scene while the cops were still there and contaminated and stole a piece of freaking evidence!!!
At that point, I was really really really not into the whole story and so I decided to dnf the book. Honestly, very disappointed.
* I received an e-ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. *
// trigger/content warnings (stated at the beginning of the book) //
discussion of an on-campus murder of a student (off page); mention of the sexual assault and suicide of a family member (off page); depiction of on-campus drinking, drug use; homophobic slurs; harassment/violence against women; discussion of past trauma of a POV character; depiction of self-harm (cutting).
I tried. I really did, but this book wasn't my cup of tea at all.
So, the thing that attracted me to this book was the synopsis. I was really excited to read a fun murder mystery set in college in the year 2000, but then, the characters and the writing turned out to be a big disappointment.
I did not like Hazel or Maeve, who are the two main characters in this book. They were both extremely annoying and sometimes unnecessarily mean and insensitive to each other and other characters. There was also this dude named Doug whom I felt so sorry for most of the time because he had to deal with hazel and maeve. Poor thing was treated like trash when trying to help the girl he just went on a date with for absolutely no reason...
The writing also didn't help my liking of the book. It almost felt like the story did not know what it wanted to do... like at all. There were also a few things that didn't sit right with me regarding the way some topics were handled.
Moreover, the pacing was very slow for my liking. The actual plot/murder case happened more than halfway through the book. By that time, nothing of interest had happened and I was so exhausted and very bored.
After that, I tried pushing through it, hoping things would pick up and get better. However, at around 60% through, the characters, just out of curiosity and for fun, suddenly broke into a crime scene while the cops were still there and contaminated and stole a piece of freaking evidence!!!
At that point, I was really really really not into the whole story and so I decided to dnf the book. Honestly, very disappointed.
* I received an e-ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. *
// trigger/content warnings (stated at the beginning of the book) //
discussion of an on-campus murder of a student (off page); mention of the sexual assault and suicide of a family member (off page); depiction of on-campus drinking, drug use; homophobic slurs; harassment/violence against women; discussion of past trauma of a POV character; depiction of self-harm (cutting).
bahyreads's review
adventurous
tense
slow-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? Yes
3.25
This was definitely a fun read. I liked both Hazel and Maeve, Their characters were not perfect and I love that. Flawed characters are my absolute favorite thing to read about. The characters were easy to relate to, I am also a major introvert and love reading from that perspective especially when it is not used to not like other girls the character. The setting being in the early 2000s was a great choice as well.
I did find the progression of the plot a bit slow but I didn't stall out on reading simply because I enjoyed the main characters. I also think that the book could be better classified as YA instead of New Adult.
I did find the progression of the plot a bit slow but I didn't stall out on reading simply because I enjoyed the main characters. I also think that the book could be better classified as YA instead of New Adult.
nittiotvaan's review
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, Sexual harassment, Misogyny, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Rape, Death of parent, Suicide, and Sexism
abigail_loves_to_read's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
To sum up this book in a few words, we see Hazel(an introvert, who has just started college) who encounters some drunk guys who acted rashly and a few days letter one of the guys end up dead. And Hazel is brought in for questioning. And while all this is going on throughout the whole book we got inserts from online diary entries from an account called dead_papers who basically confesses to killing that guy. And the police suspect that Hazel is the one behind this account(dead_papers). And we also see how Hazel works with 2 other students to try and clear her name
So I enjoyed this one! Loved the online diary aspect of it. But Hazel did annoy me at times.
Also I hated how she was arguing with everyone and and had this 'ughh whateva' kinda attitude.
And Maeve!!!!! I pictured Maeve as Maeve from one of us is lying coz their attitudes n everything were pretty similar.
So overall even tho I was annoyed for the above mentioned stuff. I did enjoy the book coz it was set in the year 2000 in a college campus and it was so interesting to read about. Will def be continuing with the series:)
Thank you to Ninestar Press, Netgalley and the author for this copy of the e-arc:)
So I enjoyed this one! Loved the online diary aspect of it. But Hazel did annoy me at times.
Spoiler
In the part where she took the necklace, I mean WTF. Everyone knows that u r not supposed to mess with a crime scene and this woman went and not only got her fingerprints all over it, she also took a PIECE of EVIDENCE.(it was her necklace but still?)Also I hated how she was arguing with everyone and and had this 'ughh whateva' kinda attitude.
And Maeve!!!!!
Spoiler
In the beginning I was so annoyed with her too, coz it seemed like she only cared abt herself, did whatever she wanted, smoked wherever she wanted. But towards the end she kinda started growing on me. Hazel tooSo overall even tho I was annoyed for the above mentioned stuff. I did enjoy the book coz it was set in the year 2000 in a college campus and it was so interesting to read about. Will def be continuing with the series:)
Thank you to Ninestar Press, Netgalley and the author for this copy of the e-arc:)
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