warlocksarecool21's review against another edition
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I have mixed feelings about certain things in this book but it was a wild ride. The concept of it being written as a teleplay was really cool and I thought the inclusion of articles and social media posts was fun too. Overall, I thought it was really engaging, like I didn’t want to put it down, which is what I want from a crime thriller. I thought the last third of the book was a little convoluted. The author uses cliffhangers and partial reveals to propel the story and it definitely worked sometimes, I thought it was too much at the end. She kept trying to fake us out about who the killer was, which again can be done effectively, but way too many characters got accused for me, like she was trying too hard with the shock value so the reveal of the killer wasn’t all that shocking because we eliminated everyone else. I also kind of guessed who the killer was before all this, not because of any clues but bc I was like wouldn’t it be funny/ironic if it was this character and then I was right. There were also certain things with the plot that I felt weren’t developed or explored all the way. Mainly, I think the part where Nick, the producer, reveals that everything was orchestrated that all the cast members have a connection to the case somehow and some of the details just thrown out there but it was never really reflected on. I was at least expecting more information on how Nick was able to do all this investigative work before calling on any of the experts that were on the show, and he mentioned some mysterious backers that he was doing all this for and it was never really revealed who it was. I know Bill was working for that one family but it was not clear who Nick was working for. The final thing I’ll bring up is Mitch’s whole storyline was so 🥴🥴🥴 to me. Like not necessarily the fact that he had a relationship with Maura while she was very underage, while it’s still icky it could have been explored in a certain way that didn’t excuse it. His whole thing about how he was just a “kid” and didn’t know better like no you’re 21 you’re an adult. The whole thing was grooming of a young girl but no they were “in love”. While I’m not the one to definitively speak on this, I felt that certain parts of his character and plotline played into some racial biases, but I can’t say for sure.
My rant aside, I did have fun with this book and if you’re looking for a quick thriller to get out of a slump this is your book.
My rant aside, I did have fun with this book and if you’re looking for a quick thriller to get out of a slump this is your book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Adult/minor relationship, Sexism, and Blood
Minor: Car accident, Racism, Suicide, Cancer, Rape, and Sexual assault
horizonous's review against another edition
Initially the format made this very intriguing but after the first episode was done I didn't care enough to continue.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder and Death of parent
Minor: Alcoholism, Cancer, Dementia, and Misogyny
soobooksalot's review against another edition
challenging
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Cancer, Death, Dementia, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Violence
3readingcircus's review against another edition
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Racism, Terminal illness, Car accident, Homophobia, Hate crime, and Cancer
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