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emymarch12's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this and the way it slowly built to that perfect ending.
ashleyraynor's review against another edition
2.0
This book was quite a let down after The Girls. The main character was just a horrible person, not one single redeeming quality about her. The story is meh. Nothing really happens in my opinion. It is just coasting along.
It was an easy read though. If you still want to read this book, then at least you know you can finish it within a day.
It was an easy read though. If you still want to read this book, then at least you know you can finish it within a day.
jenniferdbh's review against another edition
4.0
It’s stressful to be inside the head of someone who consistently makes terrible decisions. The work it takes to plan the next move while desperately trying to avoid thinking about the consequences of bad decisions is exhausting. Interesting how she can skirt around the edges of wealth and infiltrate social circles because she is pretty.
gjenn's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Terrible. I have no idea what the point in any of this was. Had high expectations of a tense, gripping story but woefully underwhelming.
kaleymb's review against another edition
3.0
A hard book to rate, because I enjoyed the impending sense of everything closing in Alex- all her past mistakes, her money issues, her ability (and sometimes lack thereof) to use people- but it was so unsatisfying and vague. Even a little bit more background instead of just hints would have been nice since she was the protagonist, but I also understand she was never supposed to be knowable, especially in this short time span. I generally love a good wrapped up ending, and while I was frustrated with this abrupt ending, it did make sense for the story. However, I feel like this could have all been conveyed in a short story instead of ~300 pages.
ninabruinhof's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
saraheyazvac's review against another edition
1.0
I was really disappointed in this book after all of the hype. All of the characters are very un-likable and there really is no climax, just alot of bad decisions.
laurgalore's review against another edition
3.0
A slow and cringeworthy train wreck I couldn’t look away from. Alex is a 20-something hot mess with almost no redeeming qualities as a human being, but the chaos and uncertainty of her desperate week of grifting among the rich kept me reading until the (very vague) end. Kept wishing Alex would turn a corner for the better tbh, which was frustrating, but I think that’s the point.
nancyflanagan's review against another edition
2.0
I read "The Girls" by Cline and hated it--it was a slow-moving, greasy, repellant story based on Charles Manson and his harem of buzzed-out, shallow women. I decided not to read any more of her books.
Then--I read that a famous (not to be named) magazine had made "The Guest" its summer beach read. So I gave Cline another try--and YUCK. I really did not like this book. Yes, it's depressing--but a sad / slow book about unattractive subject matter can be deeply moving. This book was not deeply moving.
What it was: boring. The entire plot is revealed in the first chapter or so, and the action goes nowhere, start to finish. There's a certain amount of tension--where will the lead character, Alex, sleep? How will she eat? Will all her deceptions and thefts lead to her getting caught? All of these would be interesting, if we cared about Alex. But we don't. At least I didn't.
The book is seriously overwritten, repetitive, slow moving, filled with awful, flawed people at all socio-economic levels. And the ending sucks.
Cline can write (two stars for that), but the whole premise and execution of the book? Yuck.
Then--I read that a famous (not to be named) magazine had made "The Guest" its summer beach read. So I gave Cline another try--and YUCK. I really did not like this book. Yes, it's depressing--but a sad / slow book about unattractive subject matter can be deeply moving. This book was not deeply moving.
What it was: boring. The entire plot is revealed in the first chapter or so, and the action goes nowhere, start to finish. There's a certain amount of tension--where will the lead character, Alex, sleep? How will she eat? Will all her deceptions and thefts lead to her getting caught? All of these would be interesting, if we cared about Alex. But we don't. At least I didn't.
The book is seriously overwritten, repetitive, slow moving, filled with awful, flawed people at all socio-economic levels. And the ending sucks.
Cline can write (two stars for that), but the whole premise and execution of the book? Yuck.