Reviews

Pretty Girls, by Karin Slaughter

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paigedc's review

1.0

Overlong. Torture porn. Non-thriller. Zero payout. Missing resolution.

What more terrible things can I say about this book? Claire and Lydia have always mourned the loss of their missing sister Julia. Twenty years later, Claire's husband Paul is gruesomely murdered in front of her, and then she begins to unravel clues that lead her to uncover secrets about another side of him. Then more people begin to go missing, and Claire has to put all the pieces together to save the day.

This is NOT a thriller like it is purported. There are no page-turning, climactic events, no "whodunit" moments, no spoilers to be wary of. There are stomach-turning torture scenes written in vivid detail, so much that I had to tune out while I listened or skip entire sections. By the end, there was an epilogue of sorts for what became of several characters, but not some who were related to the main characters. A total letdown.

I was going to give this two stars, and while I was writing the review, I downgraded it to one star. Save your 688 pages or your 17+ hours for something way more worthwhile.

cassandrahcooke's review

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challenging dark mysterious sad tense fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

Holy. Crap. I bought this last year, and have been meaning to read it sooner... Why did I wait so long?

Many state the book is (too?) graphic, which I find necessary to the story to depict the hardships and sorrow placed on the family.

You will cry, then regret crying, then want everything to BURN. This novel is action packed, wondering what is going to happen next, which will make you blow through this in almost one sitting.

I have enjoyed other of Karin Slaughter's work, and this book easily deserves 5 stars for its mystery and suspense.

jozan's review

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dark emotional 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

3.5

The plot behind the book was good. My only real complaint was that it became so unnecessarily convoluted at some parts and redundant at others. A decent book, but not one of my favorites.

krislynv's review against another edition

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2.0

This started out good for me. It had me intrigued. As it went on though I found it unnecessarily violent. Like way too graphic, dark, disturbing. It lost me and I skimmed over quite a bit to try and finish it faster. I thought it was so over the top unbelievable that I just started feeling really annoyed with it. Just not my cup of tea. I would like to give this author a second chance, as I've read a lot of reviews saying this book is nothing like her others.

charnrudai's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

Homegirl can write but I question her choices. Wtf was that?!

amdeboer's review against another edition

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5.0

This is my first Karin Slaughter novel and that woman has a new fan. Her writing is beautiful and the premise was really unique in a creepy "who thinks of this stuff" kind of way. It made my heart race several times and it was one of those books that I really didn't want to put down.