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asaraphale's review
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
thebookberrie's review
This was so cunty I really enjoyed it. Do I even know how to review anymore??? Let's go.
A Long Stretch of Bad Days is about a girl named Lydia who doesn't mind her small town but doesn't want to die there. After a school error leaves her in danger of not graduating, she has a plan to turn a local podcast into exposing long hidden truths in the town. Her first subject is investigating the "long stretch of bad days" in which her town was hit by a tornado and someone was murdered, the case still unsolved. Bristal is a girl from ~the other side of town~ who has a bad reputation and a foul mouth but also needs credit to graduate so together with their unlikely partnership, they dig into the town's sketchy history.
We got a mystery, we got small town shitty politics, we got unlikely friends becoming friends and getting to the bottom of a long unknown mystery as well as uncovering a murder no one thought even happened, we got a cat listening to audiobooks- it has it all.
Funny enough this reminded me a bit of another book by this author,[b:The Female of the Species|25812109|The Female of the Species|Mindy McGinnis|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1455917180l/25812109._SY75_.jpg|45668311]. Girls with different backgrounds becoming friends along with small town shit and murder. Thankfully this one was less sexual assault angle and more small town drama but the similarities exist. I actually went and reread that after I finished this, love the way she writes these female friendships fr.
Bristal was such a fucking badass, I loved her. She was snarky and said whatever she thought but her partnership with good girl Lydia worked SO well. Lydia herself wasn't all she seemed and girl got some fire in her too okay!!
The podcast was really fun and the mystery wasn't exactly that complicated... as in I just guessed and I was right but you know what that is fine because I had a good time.
A Long Stretch of Bad Days is about a girl named Lydia who doesn't mind her small town but doesn't want to die there. After a school error leaves her in danger of not graduating, she has a plan to turn a local podcast into exposing long hidden truths in the town. Her first subject is investigating the "long stretch of bad days" in which her town was hit by a tornado and someone was murdered, the case still unsolved. Bristal is a girl from ~the other side of town~ who has a bad reputation and a foul mouth but also needs credit to graduate so together with their unlikely partnership, they dig into the town's sketchy history.
We got a mystery, we got small town shitty politics, we got unlikely friends becoming friends and getting to the bottom of a long unknown mystery as well as uncovering a murder no one thought even happened, we got a cat listening to audiobooks- it has it all.
Funny enough this reminded me a bit of another book by this author,[b:The Female of the Species|25812109|The Female of the Species|Mindy McGinnis|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1455917180l/25812109._SY75_.jpg|45668311]. Girls with different backgrounds becoming friends along with small town shit and murder. Thankfully this one was less sexual assault angle and more small town drama but the similarities exist. I actually went and reread that after I finished this, love the way she writes these female friendships fr.
Bristal was such a fucking badass, I loved her. She was snarky and said whatever she thought but her partnership with good girl Lydia worked SO well. Lydia herself wasn't all she seemed and girl got some fire in her too okay!!
The podcast was really fun and the mystery wasn't exactly that complicated... as in I just guessed and I was right but you know what that is fine because I had a good time.
hpdischler's review
5.0
I have SO much to say about this novel. It reminded me a ton of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder and Truly Devious in that the first novels in those series were so much fun to read and guess the mystery surrounding them. Mindy McGinnis has delivered an amazing mystery that was somehow dark and lighthearted at the same time. How, you ask, can the novel be both? Bristal. My number one favorite character in the whole book.
While I empathized a lot with Lydia (I’m from a small town as well where my family is expected to do no wrong…), Bristal was the showstopper here. She made Lydia interesting in a way that she wouldn’t have been had Lydia been by herself. The relationship between Lydia and Bristal was so real and not perfect at all (which is exactly what I want to see between teenage protagonists). Bristal is able to keep this novel light and airy for the first two-thirds, and when shit does get real, somehow you still get this perfectly timed comic relief from her character. So, the book itself, because of Bristal, never feels too serious, which I loved.
With Lydia, the focus on family, class, and the way you’re supposed to act in a small town really hit close to home for me. Small towns can be brutal, but they’re also full of people you love despite their flaws. Above all, though, you’ll often find the inhabitants of a small town sticking together through thick and thin. At least, that’s my experience of it and it seems to be Lydia’s as well.
I don’t want to go into too many spoilers since I read this as an ARC, but the ending was honestly perfect to me. You didn’t have too much closure with specific characters, giving the novel an overall realistic feel, but you also get just enough closure to make the novel feel complete. The climax and resolution, while not totally unexpected, still gave you a little surprise as the reader, and you definitely get one of those sick and twisty moments that McGinnis is known so well for.
Overall, this novel was a wonderful read, and I can’t wait to see what other readers’ thoughts are on it. The mystery was amazing, and the characters were as well (especially the relationships between characters). Also, Uneven Steven is legit the cutest pet sidekick ever. Prove me wrong. I dare you.
Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishing for providing me with an advanced reader copy of A Long Stretch of Bad Days by Mindy McGinnis in exchange for my honest review. I seriously cannot wait for McGinnis’ next novel.
Favorite quote: “The nice thing and the right thing aren't always the same thing.”
While I empathized a lot with Lydia (I’m from a small town as well where my family is expected to do no wrong…), Bristal was the showstopper here. She made Lydia interesting in a way that she wouldn’t have been had Lydia been by herself. The relationship between Lydia and Bristal was so real and not perfect at all (which is exactly what I want to see between teenage protagonists). Bristal is able to keep this novel light and airy for the first two-thirds, and when shit does get real, somehow you still get this perfectly timed comic relief from her character. So, the book itself, because of Bristal, never feels too serious, which I loved.
With Lydia, the focus on family, class, and the way you’re supposed to act in a small town really hit close to home for me. Small towns can be brutal, but they’re also full of people you love despite their flaws. Above all, though, you’ll often find the inhabitants of a small town sticking together through thick and thin. At least, that’s my experience of it and it seems to be Lydia’s as well.
I don’t want to go into too many spoilers since I read this as an ARC, but the ending was honestly perfect to me. You didn’t have too much closure with specific characters, giving the novel an overall realistic feel, but you also get just enough closure to make the novel feel complete. The climax and resolution, while not totally unexpected, still gave you a little surprise as the reader, and you definitely get one of those sick and twisty moments that McGinnis is known so well for.
Overall, this novel was a wonderful read, and I can’t wait to see what other readers’ thoughts are on it. The mystery was amazing, and the characters were as well (especially the relationships between characters). Also, Uneven Steven is legit the cutest pet sidekick ever. Prove me wrong. I dare you.
Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishing for providing me with an advanced reader copy of A Long Stretch of Bad Days by Mindy McGinnis in exchange for my honest review. I seriously cannot wait for McGinnis’ next novel.
Favorite quote: “The nice thing and the right thing aren't always the same thing.”
angelacher's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- 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? No
3.5
areadingrosekc's review
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
tigerlillymelody's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Wow! What an ending! I went back and forth on how I felt about the book for a while, but I bet if I reread it again knowing what the book was working towards, it would probably be a four star. A slow build story about the violence inherent to maintaining the status quo and the sacrifices required to disrupt it masquerading as a true crime-esque podcast.
its_holly_m's review
5.0
At first I thought this book was a little more tame compared to Mindy’s recent books. However the more I read, I realized there was a clear slow burn leading up to an explosive finish, in true Mindy fashion! A Long Stretch of Bad Days definitely did not disappoint.
jmoura01's review
4.0
Henley, Ohio is a town with a small-town class system, maybe like one a lot of us grew up in. Back in the mid-nineties, the good citizens of Henley experienced “a long stretch of bad days” and Lydia and her friend, Bristal, are researching those days for their podcast. Assumptions are investigated and secrets discovered.
Mindy McGinnis knows how to write teenage girls! The banter between Lydia and Bristal is often entertaining. I caught myself laughing many times throughout the book. If you enjoy books such as the Good Girls Guide to Murder series, you will really appreciate this one.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books, Katherine Tegen Books for this ARC.
Mindy McGinnis knows how to write teenage girls! The banter between Lydia and Bristal is often entertaining. I caught myself laughing many times throughout the book. If you enjoy books such as the Good Girls Guide to Murder series, you will really appreciate this one.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books, Katherine Tegen Books for this ARC.