Reviews with content warning for Mass/school shootings - 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

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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