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violentte's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
For starters these kids are bad af, however this book does do a great job at depicting how fast kids are in the UK.
As readers we are baited into thinking something more sinister has happened but,no a death didn’t happen. I thought this maybe a murder mystery but it wasn’t - so you can imagine how disappointed I was. Below are some spoilers.
-
Taylor is the classic UK mean girl. She becomes territorial over the men in her life (Leo and Dylan), and lashes out on the girls around her. Because her own mother is just like her (and encourages this bad/dangerous behavior) there’s no one to fix how she is. The fact that she didn’t get caught annoyed me the most
The only good character in this is Pip, she acts her age and is one of the most harmless kids in this story. I read this for her and I loved the innocence she brought into the book.
Grace is rude, too rude at that, but to give her a fair chance in this review, she is peer pressured into growing up too fast by the group of kids she hangs around. The fact that she covered for the girls that attacked her was insane, but like Pip said, it allows them to continue to do this to others.
Claire is a bad mother, and not a well developed character. I think all of these parents are neglectful in a way, and have a very hands off approach to raising their kids once they are pass the age of 9. She keeps their father away from them which makes sense as to why BUT this isn’t developed enough. There is a lot of things (for all characters) that happens off the pages and we are readers are just supposed to be fine with that. It weakens the characters and the plot. The only smart thing she did was move her family out of that area because all those girls were a danger to her children.
Now that I’m at the end of the book I don’t think Leo is as much as of a threat that Pip makes him to be. I think he is a bit touchy feeling (in the way of someone that hugs almost everyone) but I do not think he’s after any of the girls. That being said, Pip is just really well aware of how fast all those other children are which is why she’s so on edge.
Dylan seems like a nice kid, he cut of Taylor and I think it’s partly because he knows she is CRAZY. But the closer of him and Grace still being together really wasn’t enough.
Overall, I wish the characters were more developed. The parents allowing their children to get away with putting another child in A COMA is crazy. Adele allowing Taylor to move in after all that is stomach turning.
As readers we are baited into thinking something more sinister has happened but,
-
Taylor is the classic UK mean girl. She becomes territorial over the men in her life (Leo and Dylan), and lashes out on the girls around her. Because her own mother is just like her (and encourages this bad/dangerous behavior) there’s no one to fix how she is. The fact that she didn’t get caught annoyed me the most
The only good character in this is Pip, she acts her age and is one of the most harmless kids in this story. I read this for her and I loved the innocence she brought into the book.
Grace is rude, too rude at that, but to give her a fair chance in this review, she is peer pressured into growing up too fast by the group of kids she hangs around. The fact that she covered for the girls that attacked her was insane, but like Pip said, it allows them to continue to do this to others.
Claire is a bad mother, and not a well developed character. I think all of these parents are neglectful in a way, and have a very hands off approach to raising their kids once they are pass the age of 9. She keeps their father away from them which makes sense as to why BUT this isn’t developed enough. There is a lot of things (for all characters) that happens off the pages and we are readers are just supposed to be fine with that. It weakens the characters and the plot. The only smart thing she did was move her family out of that area because all those girls were a danger to her children.
Now that I’m at the end of the book I don’t think Leo is as much as of a threat that Pip makes him to be. I think he is a bit touchy feeling (in the way of someone that hugs almost everyone) but I do not think he’s after any of the girls. That being said, Pip is just really well aware of how fast all those other children are which is why she’s so on edge.
Dylan seems like a nice kid, he cut of Taylor and I think it’s partly because he knows she is CRAZY. But the closer of him and Grace still being together really wasn’t enough.
Overall, I wish the characters were more developed. The parents allowing their children to get away with putting another child in A COMA is crazy. Adele allowing Taylor to move in after all that is stomach turning.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
c0d3nam3qt's review against another edition
2.0
This is the second Lisa Jewell book that I have read. (The first being “None of this is true”) If I hadn’t bought this one years ago, I don’t think I ever would have read another from her. After reading this one, I can confidently say, this one is my last.
I really dislike the marketing of these two books. They don’t lead on to the type of content within and I think it is inappropriate to not make the reader at least somewhat aware. These two books deal with very dark and disturbing content. From looking into this author’s backlist, it seems that the majority deal with the same few incredibly dark and triggering subjects, but no where is it warned. The front of this book has this kitschy whimsical drawn map, but there is no whimsy here.
Following spoilers also spoil “None of this is true”.
There are so many parallels between this story and “None of this is true”. Both have men that are objectively bad people, that don’t get even a slap on the wrist for their abhorrent behaviour. Or other characters try their absolute hardest to defend those men’s actions. The whole time you are supposed to think it is one of these awful men that did yet another awful thing, but sike it’s actually a female victim(s) turned evil/crazy/violent. Everyone who could have stopped it or could prevent something else from happening, just makes excuses and basically says it’s none of their business. Or even goes so far as to destroy evidence. There is no justice for anyone in either novel.
I really dislike the marketing of these two books. They don’t lead on to the type of content within and I think it is inappropriate to not make the reader at least somewhat aware. These two books deal with very dark and disturbing content. From looking into this author’s backlist, it seems that the majority deal with the same few incredibly dark and triggering subjects, but no where is it warned. The front of this book has this kitschy whimsical drawn map, but there is no whimsy here.
Following spoilers also spoil “None of this is true”.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Alcohol
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Incest, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Violence, Blood, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Eating disorder, Misogyny, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, and Medical content
madisonrose1519's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Fast paced. Kept my attention, particularly after a really tough-to-beat reading slump.
Likeable characters. Weird to read a book from the perspective of so many young teens now that I’m an adult. But it was done very well. The perspective shifts were exceptionally written. Pip’s point of view sounded exactly like my own early teen diary entries. Skillful writing for sure.
I wasn’t blown away by the ending. The “red herrings” referred to by some reviews were quite obvious to me. I was not particularly shocked by the whodunnit. I would say the ending was satisfying and everything was tied up into a neat little bow. Personally, I like to be left a little mind-blown and frustrated by the ending of a mystery, but I can’t say I hated this ending. It just felt a smidge lackluster.
Overall glad I read it, but I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it to a friend unless I was asked about it.
Likeable characters. Weird to read a book from the perspective of so many young teens now that I’m an adult. But it was done very well. The perspective shifts were exceptionally written. Pip’s point of view sounded exactly like my own early teen diary entries. Skillful writing for sure.
I wasn’t blown away by the ending. The “red herrings” referred to by some reviews were quite obvious to me. I was not particularly shocked by the whodunnit. I would say the ending was satisfying and everything was tied up into a neat little bow. Personally, I like to be left a little mind-blown and frustrated by the ending of a mystery, but I can’t say I hated this ending. It just felt a smidge lackluster.
Overall glad I read it, but I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it to a friend unless I was asked about it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Blood, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Fire/Fire injury
sydvaldez's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Blood, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Bullying, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
minimicropup's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Atmosphere: 👌 This story couldn’t have taken place anywhere else. The park and surrounding homes were a vital character, and the scenes brought to life so well - both for the environment and how people let their guard down in such familiar, communal settings.
Main POVs: 👌
-a parent with a 12 and 13 year old who is kind but distracted and exhausted, dealing with the hospitalization of their spouse who has paranoid schizophrenia
-a parent with one preteen and two teens who is well-meaning in homeschooling and insulating their family from the world, but results in them letting their guard down and missing glaring red flags. They are lenient with the hopes of their children growing up to be unashamedly their true selves…but they have never considered if those true selves may be rotten ones
-a 12 year old younger sibling who is observant, intuitive, and unfailingly loyal to their family but suspicious of strangers
Reading Journey: 👌
Riding through the neighbourhood in a golf cart on a crisp, relaxing summer day.
Show’n’tell: 👌 Perfect show - I wasn’t just in the characters heads I briefly became them. Includes a little map of the park and houses.
Great match if you like:
-neighbourhood mysteries
-dark cozy mystery
-coming-of-age drama
-nostalgic summer energy
-people giving off creepy vibes behind closed doors
-teens behaving badly
Vibes: 🙂😲🤭
Format: Kindle Unlimited
Main POVs: 👌
-a parent with a 12 and 13 year old who is kind but distracted and exhausted, dealing with the hospitalization of their spouse who has paranoid schizophrenia
-a parent with one preteen and two teens who is well-meaning in homeschooling and insulating their family from the world, but results in them letting their guard down and missing glaring red flags. They are lenient with the hopes of their children growing up to be unashamedly their true selves…but they have never considered if those true selves may be rotten ones
-a 12 year old younger sibling who is observant, intuitive, and unfailingly loyal to their family but suspicious of strangers
Reading Journey: 👌
Riding through the neighbourhood in a golf cart on a crisp, relaxing summer day.
Show’n’tell: 👌 Perfect show - I wasn’t just in the characters heads I briefly became them. Includes a little map of the park and houses.
Great match if you like:
-neighbourhood mysteries
-dark cozy mystery
-coming-of-age drama
-nostalgic summer energy
-people giving off creepy vibes behind closed doors
-teens behaving badly
Vibes: 🙂😲🤭
Format: Kindle Unlimited
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Medical content and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Drug use, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, and Blood
Medical content is related to diabetes and paranoid schizophrenia. Adult/minor relationships are inferred and suspectedkenmorxo's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
The book really did have me asking "whodunit" alot but the more I got to the end the more I found myself saying "umm no way. This isn't enough. What!" and I think that's why I couldn't give it a full 4. It is however a really good book and something to think about when reflecting on your life and how you interact with neighbors.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Violence, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Bullying and Blood
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
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