Scan barcode
clairemitchell's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Moderate: Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Death, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Toxic friendship
boba_nbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This novel follows Paul Adams--a man who, as a child, was accused of brutal and ritualistic murder of a fellow classmate. Back then, Paul befriended Charlie--a boy obsessed with lucid dreaming and exacting revenge on his "enemies." It's clear Charlie was a part of the murder, but he disappeared without a trace. Thankfully, Paul was set free, but as soon as he could, Paul left his childhood home behind. It's been 25 years, and Paul still has no desire to return. But, when his mother's dementia worsens and she has a concerning fall, Paul has no choice but to come home. While in the dreaded town, Paul discovers that a detective is visiting to try and find any clues to help her solve a copycat murder of the one from Paul's childhood. Suddenly, Paul finds himself dragged back into the past, and he's discovering that, even as someone who was close to the murderer and victim, there are still things he does not know about what happened.
This book was creepy in the best way possible. The reveal was a tad lackluster, but I quite enjoyed the lead-up and the dual timeline showing Paul in both the past and the present as well as the point-of-view of the detective. Anyone who loves psychological thrillers and mysteries will eat this book up.
Graphic: Child death, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Animal death and Suicide
Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Drug abuse
opplecopter's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Violence, Blood, Dementia, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Animal death
cyndi1966's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Child death, Death, Self harm, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Animal death, Bullying, Infidelity, Mental illness, Dementia, and Death of parent
kryskross's review against another edition
3.0
Graphic: Death and Blood
ashleycmms's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Graphic: Child death, Death, Violence, Blood, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Animal death
haleybre's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
Moderate: Animal death, Bullying, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
belysagan's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Toxic friendship
blackcatkai's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
I started reading this one with such hope, and i was enjoying it initially, but as it continued i found myself bored and could not stay engaged. there was both too much going on and yet nowhere near enough. a big issue, for me, were too many characters that all felt flat and too similar, and too many time skips back and forth. i also feel the detective parts could have been completely cut out and the story would've been much better. her povs just felt like a way to make the book longer and i am not a fan.
a couple of the twists in the end were pretty decent overall, but we get fade to black in a big action end scene that felt so disappointing. i was overall underwhelmed and i wish i wasnt. still going to check out other books by North, but this one was an absolute miss for me.
Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Murder, Toxic friendship, and War
Moderate: Drug use, Infidelity, Grief, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
Minor: Addiction
beckyremillard's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
The story is told in Paul’s perspective both now and in the past. We also hear from Amanda, a detective who is working on a similar case that gets connected with the past Paul has been trying to avoid.
The book is okay. I didn’t predict everything and it was definitely a bit creepy. But nothing really stood out to me as anything special.
Graphic: Child death, Death, Violence, Blood, Dementia, Death of parent, Murder, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Animal death and Suicide