tklassy's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I was fascinated by the concept of this book, but unfortunately its execution left me disappointed. Overall, the story came across as a little bit underdeveloped. I never felt as if I got to know the main character of Hannah, or her sister, or her love, interest, and especially not her dead best-friend. The overall execution felt jumbled, like the book wasn’t sure what it was trying to be. Part mystery, part young adult romance, part meditation on grief, and part a soliloquy on the dangers of eating disorders? Oh, and don’t forget paranormal? Because the main character is haunted by her dead best friend. Also, I have a lot of questions about the random subplot that’s never really explained of a bird virus killing all the birds. Like, they’re just dropping dead from the sky. It’s weirdly introduced in the first page of the book and then never explained and it has nothing to do with the story. Does it? Am I missing something? I kept reading the book after wanting to DNF it at both 30% and 60% because reviews assured me that the plot twist at the end was worth it. It wasn’t.
Although I was often left confused after picking up this book, it was beautifully written, and I highlighted plenty of it. But, unfortunately, it can’t be redeemed by its poetical phrasing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Child abuse and Eating disorder
pastelwriter's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I have to say this book caught me by surprise! When I first started it, I was sure I was going to give it a maximum of 3 stars. The set-up of the book was rough—especially because of the character descriptions—but once the story really got going it was super easy to keep reading.
One of the things I really appreciated about this book was the complex relationship between Hannah and Lillian. The two of them have a fraught friendship because Lillian was a pain in the ass when she was alive, but Hannah still loved her. Their dynamic is further complicated by the fact that Lillian had an eating disorder that lead to her death, and Hannah is feeling guilt over “not doing enough” while also being mad her friend “did this to herself.” Although the conversations started by their relationship weren’t really resolved, I still appreciated having this discussed at all. I don’t think enough books feature friendships that border on toxic.
I also liked the “unconventional” love interest in this book who is a “bad boy.” The author really didn’t fuck around when it came to using him as an example of how troublemakers are quickly expected to do the worst things. Even if what he has actually done isn’t major, everyone still sees Finny as capable of a lot of wrong-doing. Even Hannah at one point questions if she can trust him because of his reputation. Apart from all that, though, I just liked Finny. He was really sweet and caring. Naturally, I adored him once I got to know him. I will always stan love interests that treat the main character with overwhelming kindness and good-will.
Finally, I rated this 4 stars instead of a 4.5 or a 5 stars because there was some language used in here that I was not into at all. Check my content warnings for what I mean. In addition, the resolution of the murder mystery was meh. At first I was super hype to find out who the killer was, but the big reveal was lackluster. Still. All of this just affected my rating mildly. I would still definitely recommend picking up this book.
One of the things I really appreciated about this book was the complex relationship between Hannah and Lillian. The two of them have a fraught friendship because Lillian was a pain in the ass when she was alive, but Hannah still loved her. Their dynamic is further complicated by the fact that Lillian had an eating disorder that lead to her death, and Hannah is feeling guilt over “not doing enough” while also being mad her friend “did this to herself.” Although the conversations started by their relationship weren’t really resolved, I still appreciated having this discussed at all. I don’t think enough books feature friendships that border on toxic.
I also liked the “unconventional” love interest in this book who is a “bad boy.” The author really didn’t fuck around when it came to using him as an example of how troublemakers are quickly expected to do the worst things. Even if what he has actually done isn’t major, everyone still sees Finny as capable of a lot of wrong-doing. Even Hannah at one point questions if she can trust him because of his reputation. Apart from all that, though, I just liked Finny. He was really sweet and caring. Naturally, I adored him once I got to know him. I will always stan love interests that treat the main character with overwhelming kindness and good-will.
Finally, I rated this 4 stars instead of a 4.5 or a 5 stars because there was some language used in here that I was not into at all. Check my content warnings for what I mean. In addition, the resolution of the murder mystery was meh. At first I was super hype to find out who the killer was, but the big reveal was lackluster. Still. All of this just affected my rating mildly. I would still definitely recommend picking up this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Eating disorder and Misogyny
Minor: Ableism, Child abuse, and Fatphobia
There’s also a suicide joke, but this is challenged by the protagonist.
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