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hannahbellz's review against another edition
2.0
I loved [b:The Dead of Summer|1427923|The Dead of Summer|Camilla Way|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1328834310s/1427923.jpg|1418414] by Camilla Way when I was in high school so I was excited to read this by the same author. I like her writing style but I didn't care for this book all too much. It dragged on a little slowly before reaching a weird and unsatisfying ending.
Spoiler
I thought it was irritating and unrealistic that everyone Edie was close to turned against her because of a mistake she made when she was 17 years old. Also, I was hoping for a better twist in this instead of a disturbing and illogical ending.anna4ce's review against another edition
3.0
Solid, quick-paced suspense novel that left me guessing up to the last 3 chapters. Definitely a good choice for a quick summer read.
jennc0720's review against another edition
3.0
I don’t know why this book was on a list of thrillers. It’s more of a suspense novel than thriller. Had a single white female type of vibe to it at points. I was disappointed with it to be honest. It wasn’t nearly as good as hyped up to be.
exorcismemily's review against another edition
4.0
This was good! It's a quick read, and the suspense builds nicely. There were a couple minor things for which you have to suspend your disbelief, but nothing too crazy. It's definitely a gloomy book, so don't expect anything cheerful. I recommend it!
abithoughtful's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Heather and Edie were best friends as teenagers. After one fateful night at the Quarry in their hometown, they never see each other again - never, that is, until Heather turns up on Edie's doorstep years later and squeezes her way back into her life. At first it seems innocent, a woman reconnecting with her old friend, but as the situation intensifies, Edie begins to wonder if the past is coming back to bite her after all.
This is told in two first person perspectives, Heather's 'Before' and Edie's 'After'. This pair of unreliable narrators creates instability in the narrative, as we only occasionally get Edie's reflections on the past to corroborate or dispute what Heather is telling us. The suspense is built skilfully, and the final reveal is pretty brutal. While it's not quite the unexpected twist I hoped for, this novel is quite daring in its finale, holding the readers' sympathies like putty in its hands.
I liked its depictions of obsession, love and abuse, and how the relationships in this book explore the interplay between those three elements. It's nuanced in this, examining the line at which something becomes toxic, and the ways abusers use someone's love as ammunition against them, as well as the choice to interpret something as harmful just because it doesn't serve you.
The reason I didn't five star this is because I find suspense that relies on the novel witholding information that is known by both narrators to be frustrating and a little cheap. I don't feel like I've been skilfully misdirected, I don't feel like I've been drawn into someone's self-deception, I just feel like I've been manipulated by characters who knew full well what they were doing. Which I suppose is thematically appropriate, and maybe the novel WANTS you to feel a bit gaslit? As psychological thrillers go, this is one of the better ones I've read, and if this is a genre you dabble in a lot this one comes highly recommended.
This is told in two first person perspectives, Heather's 'Before' and Edie's 'After'. This pair of unreliable narrators creates instability in the narrative, as we only occasionally get Edie's reflections on the past to corroborate or dispute what Heather is telling us. The suspense is built skilfully, and the final reveal is pretty brutal. While it's not quite the unexpected twist I hoped for, this novel is quite daring in its finale, holding the readers' sympathies like putty in its hands.
I liked its depictions of obsession, love and abuse, and how the relationships in this book explore the interplay between those three elements. It's nuanced in this, examining the line at which something becomes toxic, and the ways abusers use someone's love as ammunition against them, as well as the choice to interpret something as harmful just because it doesn't serve you.
The reason I didn't five star this is because I find suspense that relies on the novel witholding information that is known by both narrators to be frustrating and a little cheap. I don't feel like I've been skilfully misdirected, I don't feel like I've been drawn into someone's self-deception, I just feel like I've been manipulated by characters who knew full well what they were doing. Which I suppose is thematically appropriate, and maybe the novel WANTS you to feel a bit gaslit? As psychological thrillers go, this is one of the better ones I've read, and if this is a genre you dabble in a lot this one comes highly recommended.
bookish_emily's review against another edition
3.0
Watching Edie is a "before and after" style book that slowly reveals bits and pieces of a traumatic event from the past while following those same characters in the present day. I admit that my review is probably biased by my tendency not to enjoy this genre - I get annoyed by how little information is revealed in each breadcrumb, and when the switches between past and present are very frequent it can be distracting. That said, this book is well-written and I did not predict the ending. While the story got bogged down by an overload of angst and inner turmoil at times, the ending was suspenseful and left me thinking after it was over. A good read for fans of psychological suspense stories.
danielle__2386's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0