Reviews with content warning for Adult/minor relationship - The Best Kind of People

What on earth did I just spend the last three days reading? Where do I even begin? First of all, this book was 400 pages too long. There were so many irrelevant details and plot points that never really went anywhere and just filled space. And the points that actually were important like how Sadie was coping with drug abuse or even the decision of George's trial was never really fully explained. Umm... hello? Isn't the whole point of the book about how the family copes with George's allegations and then the trial itself, and it isn't about random sub-plots and characters that don't go anywhere. Like tell me why I learned about 50 characters when only 5 of them mattered, and don't even get me started on the Kevin writing a book plot that really just felt like a waste of ink and paper. And the ending was awful! The charges were dismissed with no explanation and the men's rights activists won! What kind of message does that send, if anything it further pushes the agenda that sexual assault victims won't be taken seriously because people think that young girls lie for attention. And the main characters weren't even likeable. Sadie and Andrew were both awful to their SOs and constantly grumpy and emo to the point that I felt like that was the only part of their character. The 1/5 comes from Joan, Clara, and Jared as these three were the only good parts of the book. And don't even get me started on Whittall's writing style. It was like she was constantly trying to show off that she could have a dramatic effect with her writing or that she new some fancy words even though it was useless 90% of the time. This book was truly just a waste of my time and it wasn't even worth it in the end, it was just a slow-burn to an even worse ending.

Content Warnings

alisonburnis's review against another edition

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challenging reflective medium-paced

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

3.0

Grappling with the question of what to believe, George Woodbury’s family is shattered when he’s accused of assaulting students on a ski trip at the school where he teaches - a school where he stopped a gunman from shooting at his daughter. George is considered upstanding and honest, voted Teacher of the Year every year. And so his family is left to pick up the pieces of their shattered life, figure out what they’re going to do and what to believe.

This is a deep and contemplative look at the second victims, the family of the accused. Whittall peels apart the divisions in the family, the disparate feelings they all have, and their anger. The pacing in this book is fascinating, and while Whittall spends little time on George himself, he’s a looming presence throughout, all of them having their lives irrevocably changed because of his actions. Whittall also goes into the fraught discussions of who’s lying and where support ends up lying.

Content Warnings

melaniekarin's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This fictional book examines a sexual assault case against a high school teacher who is also a prominent community member in his home town, told through the perspective of his family members.

Content Warnings