Scan barcode
readingwithmeredith's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content
Moderate: Confinement, Death, and Pregnancy
Minor: Gun violence, Suicide, and Fire/Fire injury
jen_again's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Suicide, Terminal illness, Medical content, and Pregnancy
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
stevie's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Racism, Suicide, Terminal illness, Grief, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury
spearly's review against another edition
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
I've unintentionally read way too many books about a pandemic during our actual pandemic.
A college girl falls asleep and can't be roused awake. An entire college dorm floor is quarantined, but the virus is new and unknown, and soon, the entire town of Santa Lora is cordoned off before the virus can spread to the rest of the world.
This was a cool read! I'm usually not a huge fan of 3rd person POV but it really worked in this case. We really got to see the way this virus quietly infiltrated the lives of of these small-town folk.
The end leaves readers with questions, but personally, this still worked a lot better for me than Wilder Girls (which was my last pandemic read). Sometimes not knowing has to be enough.
Given the nature of the way this was written, I can't speak much to the characterization. Matthew made me mad, that's for sure. People were certainly acting stupid, given the dangers of the virus, but hey, people are being equally as stupid during our very real virus, so I guess Walker gets points for accuracy.
I wouldn't say this is a great read if you're trying to use reading as an escape from these ~trying times~ but maybe in a few years?
Content Warnings
Minor: Child death, Death, and Death of parent
brooke_burns's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I couldn't put this book down; it was a bit of a slow start, but once the illness started seriously spreading and the town was sealed, I kept reading until I finished at 4:00 a.m. Ultimately, I didn't appreciate that it seems like Mei was ultimately a casual of her relationship with Matthew but I really recommend the book.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death and Death of parent
cynn_gam's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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? No
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement
Moderate: Death
Minor: Gun violence
xx_coco's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Death
Minor: Gun violence, Suicide, Violence, Medical content, and Dementia
jenah's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Death
Moderate: Confinement