madison_2704's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
reclusivereader's review against another edition
3.0
Was this the epic murder mystery contemporary I have seen everyone else say it is? Maybe not. Was this hella engrossing and did I finish it in a record breaking timeframe? Yes.
I'm sure the Veronica Mars comparisons have all already been done ad nauseum and so I won't say much more about it. But I will say that while it's far and away from a direct lift of season one's plots and concepts, you might still get some of those vibes. I sure did.
You, of course, have to suspend a bit of disbelief around some of this, as one might expect going into a YA murder mystery, but I'm okay doing that. It does, overall, maybe keep it from being the perfect read, though. Hence the rating. While some of the twisting and turning plots and schemes and secrets might elicit some side-eye, though, I enjoyed the cast of characters and the multimedia aspect of the story telling. While the Marshmallow comparison is an obvious one, the media element also did give me a small amount of SADIE vibes, and one particular event felt like a throwback to a certain nineties movie franchise I can't hint at further for spoiler reasons.
So, yes, I did like this! Obviously. I've heard, though, that book two is even better than and because I'm on a completed-a-book-in-one-sitting high, I'm diving right into the sequel.
3.5 stars
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This review can also be found at A Take From Two Cities.
I'm sure the Veronica Mars comparisons have all already been done ad nauseum and so I won't say much more about it. But I will say that while it's far and away from a direct lift of season one's plots and concepts, you might still get some of those vibes. I sure did.
You, of course, have to suspend a bit of disbelief around some of this, as one might expect going into a YA murder mystery, but I'm okay doing that. It does, overall, maybe keep it from being the perfect read, though. Hence the rating. While some of the twisting and turning plots and schemes and secrets might elicit some side-eye, though, I enjoyed the cast of characters and the multimedia aspect of the story telling. While the Marshmallow comparison is an obvious one, the media element also did give me a small amount of SADIE vibes, and one particular event felt like a throwback to a certain nineties movie franchise I can't hint at further for spoiler reasons.
So, yes, I did like this! Obviously. I've heard, though, that book two is even better than and because I'm on a completed-a-book-in-one-sitting high, I'm diving right into the sequel.
3.5 stars
---
This review can also be found at A Take From Two Cities.
kmclinton's review against another edition
5.0
during the first half of the book, there were some things i didn't love. there were times when pippa was a great main character, especially when dealing with issues of race, gender, and sexual assault. but then there were times when pippa was TOO good of a main character: she knew just where to look, she was in all the right places at all the right times. but then i got to the second half of the book, and things change every page! i could NOT put it down, and my brain could not keep up with my eyes. it keeps you guessing up until the last second and wanting more. the sequel can not come fast enough!
maddiebrown0's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
miak2's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Â
"You go around asking dangerous questions, girl. You're going to find some dangerous answers."
This book started off so strongly for me and then lost steam by the time it got to the climax. Or, to put it another way, I think Jackson excelled at weaving an interesting mystery but not so much in wrapping it up.
But let me start with the pros. I loved the audiobook format, it really took advantage of the interviews that Pippa conducted. As I mentioned earlier, I thought that the mystery Jackson created was a really interesting one. There were lots of shady characters, and every bit of new information had me (and Pippa) re-thinking all my theories. For the most part, Pippa was an intelligent main character. She was excellent at connecting the dots and didn't gloss over any obvious suspects. I feel like I knew her quite well by the end of the series. Which...brings me to my next point.
I didn't really like Pippa. Now, I recognize that just disliking a character isn't grounds for disliking a book. Characters can, and should, make choices that are different than the ones I would make. But so many of her choices were brazenly reckless and selfish that it made it increasingly hard to root for her. I mean, the prologue has her teacher explicitly telling her not to contact either of the families, and then she goes and does just that in the first few chapters (and faces no repercussions). Not to mention the actually illegal and dangerous things that she got into. And, more unforgivably, I felt like Jackson fell into the habit of making Pippa stupid when she needed her to be. Clearly, she's an incredibly intelligent girl, but then she'd make dumb, out-of-character choices when it was needed for the plot to progress.
I wasn't dissatisfied with the ending. Rather, I was just...fine with it. It was okay. It didn't live up to the intriguing mystery that had been built up to that point. And maybe this is just an issue I have with most thrillers - either the 'whodunnit' is too obvious or too obscure. I won't say any more than this: I felt like Jackson's reveal had a bit of both going on.Â
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Sexual assault and Drug use
vickyscozyreads's review against another edition
5.0
From the very first page, this book drew me in. I read it in 24 hours
sherylcat's review against another edition
4.0
I'm a sucker fan an audiobook with a full cast and this did not disappoint. I thought the story was great and compelling to find out the truth. This young girl took some crazy risks, though, that only need to happen in a book!
isabellleeee's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0