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darth_vader's review
3.0
Great book. If you enjoy mysteries and suspense you will like this. I wasn’t clear at the end because they killed Kenny who was the culprit but then it ended by another no being abducted. I think that was weird way to end it. I’ll read another of her books. I found the characters well developed but not over developed. Just enough description to paint the picture without overdoing it.
brookey8888's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I mean this was fine. It was honestly kind of boring and I didn’t like any of the characters because I thought they were stupid. The mystery was so obvious as well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Death, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Stalking, Murder, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment
dinah_s4ur's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
hauntedantiqueshop's review
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
imagine what could have happened if Sammy and Crystal didn’t set the place on fire and burn all the evidence of abuse! 🙂 btw I hope the tutor and the mom burn in hell for both ignoring Sammy’s LITERAL cries for help.
I know that this book is meant to mirror the real cases of paperboys that went missing in Iowa in the 1980s and that those families never got closure due to the cases going cold. But that doesn’t mean the readers should get no resolution!!! Also wtf is with the ending. Crystal writes that article about the child predators being your neighbors, the good guy in town, people close to you, and then it just is some random stranger? It was a weird way to end it IMMEDIATELY after that article.
AND ANOTHER THING— what the hell was the tutor actually up to? Who was he expecting at the house when the detective showed up? Why was he at the library watching the detective and his kid? Why was he running around with binoculars?? Ain’t no way that man was actually bird watching.
I know that this book is meant to mirror the real cases of paperboys that went missing in Iowa in the 1980s and that those families never got closure due to the cases going cold. But that doesn’t mean the readers should get no resolution!!! Also wtf is with the ending. Crystal writes that article about the child predators being your neighbors, the good guy in town, people close to you, and then it just is some random stranger? It was a weird way to end it IMMEDIATELY after that article.
AND ANOTHER THING— what the hell was the tutor actually up to? Who was he expecting at the house when the detective showed up? Why was he at the library watching the detective and his kid? Why was he running around with binoculars?? Ain’t no way that man was actually bird watching.
Content Warnings
Minor: Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, and Fire/Fire injury
Nothing is graphic, everything is very vague and left to the reader’s imagination.mvilly's review
4.0
This book is a fiction based on “what maybe happened” to the paperboy murders in the 80’s. As a native Des Moines I enjoyed all the local references and exploration of how times were so different.
linusnc's review
4.0
4/5 gripping and sad. A fictional account about the missing paperboys in Iowa in the 80’s no satisfactory ending. But hard to have one when it’s unsolved.
ash_c's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.0
Good one. Interesting and tough subject matter.
mhmissey's review against another edition
3.0
Really tough to read. The subject matter is just disturbing because so real.