Scan barcode
starsnotshadows's review against another edition
- 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
3.0
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Gun violence and Murder
Minor: Suicide, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
adelinebal4's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Suicide, Grief, Car accident, Murder, Outing, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Moderate: Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Medical content, Abortion, and Injury/Injury detail
chelly_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical trauma, Car accident, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
bessadams's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Gun violence, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Blood, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Car accident, Abortion, Pregnancy, Outing, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Vomit and Death of parent
rochelleisreading's review against another edition
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
2.5
Graphic: Bullying, Drug abuse, Drug use, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Moderate: Abortion
kt2e56's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Again, Ware is good at setting up a plot but she gets so wrapped up in making sure there are twists and turns that her details don’t always pan out and her characters don’t seem believable or worse, she makes up new traits or details that she mushes in last minute to fill in the holes but make zero sense with the characters we’re trying to get to know and invest ourselves in.
Speaking of the characters, all of them (sans Tom) are AWFUL. I really stopped caring about what happened to any of them because they were all just the worst.
Her writing of Flo also felt mean spirited and fatphobic. Like we get it. She’s wearing clothes that would only look good on apparent waif goddess Clare. You don’t need to keep talking about Flo’s “rolls” or “excess skin.”
Nora as a POV character was frustrating because she really wasn’t sympathetic. Yes,
I also don’t buy for even a second that Nora was ever an actress let alone the understudy for the lead role in a play like Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Whether she was up Clare’s ass as a teenager or not, there’s no way someone that shy and awkward and who HATED attention would have even auditioned. This sounds like a petty gripe but I’m pointing it out because it seems like the author liked the idea of Nora and James falling in love while starring in the school play together even if it made ZERO sense for the characters. This is far from the only instance of this but it’s a noticeable one. That’s a problem to me. An author should have a better grasp on characterization.
Another example is that Nora is supposedly a successful crime novelist. Okay, fine. But this is only briefly mentioned once at the beginning of the book (and again if she was so successful, you’d think the other characters would have heard of her or her books), she shows ZERO signs of being able to solve any kind of mystery or be good at reading people (or having really any other kind of skill that you think would make for a successful mystery author) until suddenly at the very end when the explanation for everything is shoe-horned in and the killer is revealed.
The “how” and “why” of the murder at the center of all of this also feel a bit messy. There’s some gaping plot holes in how the killer was able to pull everything off and the reasoning behind it just also feels weirdly childish and doesn’t line up with the character we met (despite the author insisting on it by having characters go “Ah, yes! Of COURSE!” again and again at each reveal).
I know it sounds like I hated this book. I really didn’t. It was entertaining and a breeze to get through. I just am disappointed when I see an author with such potential sort of flounder a bit. I’d say this is a good Beach read or cozy rainy weekend read but I don’t think this book was memorable enough or good enough for me to ever really think of again once I’m done posting this review.
Graphic: Gun violence and Murder
Moderate: Gore, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Fatphobia, Abortion, and Pregnancy
brookey8888's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Murder, Outing, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
mmadill227's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Blood, Car accident, and Murder
Moderate: Drug abuse, Gun violence, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Minor: Abortion
growintogardens's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Murder, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Suicide, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cursing, Drug use, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Abortion, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
astareads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicide, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Panic attacks/disorders, and Abortion
Minor: Fatphobia