tigger89's review
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I can see why some people would really like this book, but it didn't hold a lot of appeal to me. I thought the mystery was well done, particularly some of the reveals leading into the climax. I wasn't really a fan of the wealthy community setting, but I think it was used well even though I didn't personally like it. The fact that we had two narrators was used to great dramatic effect plot-wise, though I did find their narrative voices difficult to tell apart. The chapters are labeled with their names, but sometimes if I got distracted I'd forget partway through a chapter who I was following, and I'd have to flip back until I found a clue to remember, oh yeah, this is Iris or this is Alice.
I was somewhat disappointed that the involvement of Christie was limited mostly to literary quotes at the beginning of chapters and the fact that the main characters like her books. This might have been an unfair expectation on my part, based on the marketing for the book, but I was expecting something where specific scenes or twists would be referenced from Christie's canon to apply to the situation at hand. That didn't really happen, apart from the most general inspirations. But this really is kind of a quibble. If I'd read a different blurb that didn't stress Christie's importance so much, I don't think I would have complained about this at all. Blame it on the marketing!
The other thing that I couldn't help but laugh at is the chase at the climax. If you know, you know. The whole time I was like, that's not how horses work! None of this is realistic for your relationship/trust level with thispanic machine horse! It's a silly horse girl fantasy moment in an otherwise serious title, which sticks out. But again it's not a major complaint, and the unrealistic nature of the climax doesn't really affect the mystery itself, just the drama surrounding it.
All in all, I didn't like the book, but I think that's more down to us not being for each other than any significant fault in the book itself. There is definitely a kind of person out there who would be very into this story. In fact, if I'd had this book in my hands 20 years ago, I know exactly which girl in my scout troop I would've handed it to. It's just not my thing, and that's okay.
I was somewhat disappointed that the involvement of Christie was limited mostly to literary quotes at the beginning of chapters and the fact that the main characters like her books. This might have been an unfair expectation on my part, based on the marketing for the book, but I was expecting something where specific scenes or twists would be referenced from Christie's canon to apply to the situation at hand. That didn't really happen, apart from the most general inspirations. But this really is kind of a quibble. If I'd read a different blurb that didn't stress Christie's importance so much, I don't think I would have complained about this at all. Blame it on the marketing!
The other thing that I couldn't help but laugh at is the chase at the climax. If you know, you know. The whole time I was like, that's not how horses work! None of this is realistic for your relationship/trust level with this
All in all, I didn't like the book, but I think that's more down to us not being for each other than any significant fault in the book itself. There is definitely a kind of person out there who would be very into this story. In fact, if I'd had this book in my hands 20 years ago, I know exactly which girl in my scout troop I would've handed it to. It's just not my thing, and that's okay.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Child abuse, Death, Stalking, Violence, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Classism, and Car accident
library_kb's review
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
This is a good YA mystery to hand to fans of We Were Liars and Karen McManus. It was a slow start for me, and I didn't get fully invested until the second half of the story. I did like the twists the story took toward the end (I didn't guess them at all), even though I feel like the school district needs to take a hard look at their professional development because all the teachers in this story could definitely be fired or have their license revoked for ethical violations. Actually all the adults in the story need to take an ethics course. Even students who know nothing about Agatha Christie will be good, because while referenced, it is not integral to the plot. I will have to say that I wanted to know more about the mysteries in Iris' and Alice's lives and was a little disappointed with the development of those reveals. Overall, recommend to 8th grade and up!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Domestic abuse
amberinpieces's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Car accident, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Classism, Domestic abuse, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Blood
Minor: Body horror, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Cursing, Grief, Stalking, Alcohol, Death of parent, and Sexual content
lisaarnsdorf's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I loved these teen sleuths! Their unlikely friendship and teamwork (and really questionable decision-making) were spot on. The ending was definitely a surprise and a bit out there! I also thought it was great that the authors included information about where to get help for domestic and teen relationship abuse. I love that this is now a series!
I had to doc a star for the alternating perspectives. I really struggled with putting myself in the correct character’s head because both protagonists were written in the first person. I wish they had both been third person, or only Iris had been first. Every switch took me out of the story while I reoriented.
I had to doc a star for the alternating perspectives. I really struggled with putting myself in the correct character’s head because both protagonists were written in the first person. I wish they had both been third person, or only Iris had been first. Every switch took me out of the story while I reoriented.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse
libbyferg99's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse
hannahfaith25's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Physical abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Car accident and Violence
audreylee's review
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Child abuse
bailey_the_bookworm's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
fast-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
4.25
I enjoyed a YA book! Will wonders never cease. The story is fast-paced, well-written, and hard to put down. The class tensions of the town and high school feel archetypal without being (overly) clichéd, and the tensions between the main characters are drawn out nicely throughout the book.
Some of the clues in the writing felt a little ham-handed (Steve! Was acting! Weird! Was Steve acting weird? Steve was acting so weird!!), but on the whole it was a really fun read.
Some of the clues in the writing felt a little ham-handed (Steve! Was acting! Weird! Was Steve acting weird? Steve was acting so weird!!), but on the whole it was a really fun read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Domestic abuse, Murder, Bullying, and Car accident
spaghettii's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Definitely left the ending open for more books 👀
Shipped the main characters so hard but I'm thinking they're both straight, unfortunately.
Shipped the main characters so hard but I'm thinking they're both straight, unfortunately.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Bullying, Death, Toxic friendship, Murder, Toxic relationship, Blood, Car accident, Cursing, Drug use, Grief, Child death, Child abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, and Stalking
bookaholics_anonymous's review
emotional
mysterious
fast-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse