Reviews

Cold, by Mariko Tamaki

capriqueen's review against another edition

reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

2.0

Easy story. Georgia was a believable young high school girl. I didn’t really feel pulled in, but the end was satisfying

libscote's review

dark emotional mysterious sad fast-paced

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

3.75

Told in alternating view between Georgia, an outcast queer teen, and Todd, the dead teen in question, this story outlines the murder of a boy and the steps that led to that conclusion. It didn't go the way I thought, which was a fun change. It is a book with another dead LGBTQ+ individual, but the author acknowledges why they did it in an author note at the end which I found helpful.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia

Moderate: Child death, Death, Sexual content, and Bullying

wolfalex's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

1.5

therewillbenewsuns's review

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

A quick and "enjoyable" read. It's about a murder and I appreciated how there was not too much running around when it came to solving the whodunnit. I read a lot of murder mysteries, and this was the first one that felt the most realistic when it came to its conclusion. It's fiction-- of course it doesn't need to be realistic, but I felt satisfied at the end because the narrative wasn't so drawn out only to be wrapped up last minute. Tamaki has been behind some of my favorite YA books, especially Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me, but this was the first time that I felt like I was not reading from the perspective of a contemporary teenager; instead, the dialogue felt like it was from an early-2000s teen film: a bit outdated and predictable. I could have done with more character development, especially for the relationship between Georgia and Carrie, as well as

Spoiler

Todd and Mark

as the former's memory starts to return to him.  

Spoiler

I did feel taken aback by Carrie and Georgia having sex. It felt like a wild jump from sharing gum to having sex to Carrie confessing her role in Todd's death. I do understand it as a last grasp at intimacy/connection with Georgia before Carrie forever changes the course of their relationship, but there was not enough intimacy/connection established before this happened to justify it. I also did feel that Mark's involvement was very predictable, although predictable doesn't mean bad. I did not predict Shirley's involvement at all or the extent of Carrie's involvement, and I did feel like there were really interesting levels of nuance re: bystander effect.

Would I recommend this book?As a quick-read for mystery-enjoyers? Sure. Not before recommending any of Tamaki's graphic novel work though. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death

Minor: Homophobia

sentientstars's review

3.0

This book is utterly chilling, just as the title suggests. With alternating perspectives between Georgia, a girl with no connection to the murder, and the now-dead Todd, the mystery slowly unravels before our eyes in the most deliciously deceptive manner.

While I wasn't personally a fan of the writing style, I don't think that should take away from my review. The only issue I really had was trying to place what group this was for. It is obviously YA—if not from the dark topic, certainly for the plethora of swears—but Tamaki also used all caps to stress words, something that felt very elementary as if the reader could not understand the flow/nature of stressed words.

All and all, I'm thankful for getting my hands on an electric copy before it is published!

chantellekitty's review

dark mysterious fast-paced

2.5

bloomingtea's review

4.0

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free ebook in exchange for an honest review! this has not affected my review in any way, all opinions are mine.

3.5/5

a quick read where interpersonal relationships could give away clues to the murder of a lonely teenage boy.

while it was a relatively enjoyable story, i think the fact that it is so quick can be detrimental to the character development. it felt like i didn't really know the detectives until the very end, and at the same time, at least one felt very stereotypical cop to me. (which there are jokes about) i found it all very interesting but lacking just a little something more from the story and characters. just a little

graceabcde's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

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

4.0

the way it was written made it easy to read and made me cry multiple times. 

octoberdream's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

wooyouknow's review against another edition

medium-paced

3.0