Reviews

So...this was an absolute blast. It is an older book, and that is glaringly obvious when you read it. There are some things that haven't aged particularly well, but that true of nearly all older books. It was fast-paced and a whole lot of fun. I will point out that the motivation of the antagonist is a bit...of a stretch? A bit over the top but a whole lot of fun, I'd definitely read this one again.

Perfect for your summer TBR!

bookwyvern07's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

belle_north's review against another edition

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This was complete trash, which I say with surprise as I love Prom Date. Just endless paragraphs of the MC speculating over who could be playing stupid tricks on her, and overlooking the most obvious person. Awful. Very little funhouse.

athenaevarinya's review against another edition

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5.0

Is there a sequel to this, cause it drives me crazy when a story leaves it so open for the bad guy to rise again.

pulp_fiction_books's review against another edition

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mysterious 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? N/A

5.0

ohisthatluke's review against another edition

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mysterious fast-paced

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

2.5

lilacs_book_bower's review against another edition

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mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

Old YA thriller from the 90s which I just re-read (originally read as a teenager). Not one of Diane Hoh's best, as this is pretty forgettable. The characters are very flat, incredibly so; I don't care about any of them, even our heroine, and I don't quite get the motivation of the villain.

Spoiler

I get the idea of punishing the parents through their children, but, Guy Joe Jr (an interesting name choice), your own adopted dad clearly doesn't give a shit about you or Tess, so you aren't punishing him by hurting Tess or yourself. It would make more sense to just go after him.

For an adult reader, no real reason to read this book other than nostalgia or for completion's sake. Teens might enjoy this more, but even as a kid, I didn't think it was all thrilling. That is a pity, since the idea could have been really fun for a thriller.

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