Reviews with content warning for Child abuse - Penance

The girls that get it, get it; the girls that don’t, don’t. and I get it. As someone well-versed on Tumblr and its lore, this book does a really good job of recreating the darker communities that live on the site and how easy it is for its younger users (often teenagers who are isolated and lonely IRL) to be drawn in and radicalised by the content they interact with. All of the characters involved in the murder are explored in such depth that they are all somewhat sympathetic but still unsettling, and the tension builds until it seems inevitable that these three girls do something unforgivable.

But that’s only half the story. The book (which is presented as a fictional non-fiction true crime account of the murder) also details the fictional author’s efforts to gather as much information as possible relating to the three murderers, sometimes resorting to unethical means as far as stalking and harassing their relatives for details. As his account progresses, we start to wonder how much of it is accurate and how much he has projected onto the girls himself, turning it into something akin to the school shooter RPF one of the killers wrote. That aspect of the story-within-a-story is just as intriguing.

Dark and unsettling, not just because of the heavy, graphic content but because of how realistic it feels, this book is totally worth the read.

Content Warnings

bella_cavicchi's review against another edition

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dark sad tense fast-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

4.0

What a twisty and chilling ride. I struggle with the level of violent detail in both this and BOYS PARTS—it feels gratuitous, are we readers not any different than the people Clark critiques?, etc., etc.—but I suppose my conflicting feelings are the very point. The dynamics of teenage girls can be a world unto themselves.

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nicoleanthony's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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jmaci's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective 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? Yes

4.5

Really clever book! Reels you in despite your knowledge of the narrator. Thought it highlighted a lot of my own feelings over the true crime industry. Couldn’t put it down, only wish the last section was a touch longer.

Content Warnings