becks's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
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
3.75
sydleit's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.75
teekraenzchen's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
klichtle's review against another edition
1.0
This book could have received more stars because the characters were well developed, the mysteries were interesting and I really wanted to know what happened. HOWEVER, I had three major problems with this story. One - the case wasn't solved!! So frustrating that so much story and emphasis was placed on the disappearance of 2 kids and then you never find anything out, ever. Two - I was able to figure out who killed the girl way too early on and this person gets away with it. Bad guys should never win. Three - the main characters sabotage their "amazing friendship" with one event and pretty much never speak to each other again......that might be ok for teen fiction, but was really annoying in this book. Grrrrrrrrrrr
emilyaix's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
treehuggeranonymous's review against another edition
2.0
Can’t say I was surprised by the ending - it was kinda obvious after that meeting with Jessica if not earlier. Also Det Ryan came off as gross and pervy before the reveal that she was only 17.
The conclusion is disappointing. There are two mysteries and only one of them (the less interesting one) is solved, and the person who orchestrated it doesn’t get held accountable. It seems like if they hadn’t been so focused on the disappearance that Kathy’s case probably would have been solved sooner, so the one that did get solved was kinda drawn out unnecessarily.
Ryan is largely unlikeable. I like Cassie but not enough to slog through another of these books.
The conclusion is disappointing. There are two mysteries and only one of them (the less interesting one) is solved, and the person who orchestrated it doesn’t get held accountable. It seems like if they hadn’t been so focused on the disappearance that Kathy’s case probably would have been solved sooner, so the one that did get solved was kinda drawn out unnecessarily.
Ryan is largely unlikeable. I like Cassie but not enough to slog through another of these books.
hazeyjane_2's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. I enjoyed this, on the whole, although it suffered from a few flaws.
The pacing was maddeningly frustrating (as frustrating as it must have been for the detectives). The novel revels in taking you through the paces of the mystery step by step and the prose is uncommonly poetic compared to some crime authors. It's a good mystery with a somewhat satisfying conclusion.
The big issues I had were that the mystery of who killed the three was never solved, and that French falls prey to the ridiculous cliche of having Cassie and Adam kiss each other. The major stumbling block was the repressed memory/flashback mechanism: as we all know, memories don't tend to unfurl in ribbons and then disappear again. But these were bumps in an otherwise rewarding novel.
The pacing was maddeningly frustrating (as frustrating as it must have been for the detectives). The novel revels in taking you through the paces of the mystery step by step and the prose is uncommonly poetic compared to some crime authors. It's a good mystery with a somewhat satisfying conclusion.
The big issues I had were that the mystery of who killed the three was never solved, and that French falls prey to the ridiculous cliche of having Cassie and Adam kiss each other. The major stumbling block was the repressed memory/flashback mechanism: as we all know, memories don't tend to unfurl in ribbons and then disappear again. But these were bumps in an otherwise rewarding novel.