readingwithgee_'s review against another edition
4.0
This book was a re read for me and once again I really enjoyed it.
During this book we follow a girl called "Zoe" who is desperate to confide in someone about her darkest secrets, thanks to a recent school project she decides to write letters to a man who knows all about dark secrets, a man who is currently on Death Row for murder.
I did feel awful for Zoe, the weight she must have had on her shoulders couldn't have been easy. I will say though she came accross as wlquite immature and child like. She was clearly older than she came accross but it was rather confusing.
I found myself feeling slightly emotional towards the end of the book which doesn't happen that often anymore.
During this book we follow a girl called "Zoe" who is desperate to confide in someone about her darkest secrets, thanks to a recent school project she decides to write letters to a man who knows all about dark secrets, a man who is currently on Death Row for murder.
I did feel awful for Zoe, the weight she must have had on her shoulders couldn't have been easy. I will say though she came accross as wlquite immature and child like. She was clearly older than she came accross but it was rather confusing.
I found myself feeling slightly emotional towards the end of the book which doesn't happen that often anymore.
sandraagee's review against another edition
4.0
This book has a really unfortunate title. If you can get past that, the story is excellent. Thoughtfully written.
im0gen'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? Yes
4.0
wombat_88's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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
3.0
pkc's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
kitty31478's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book. I’m probably a little old to be reading this but I bought this book when I was 14/15 and I’m sure my 15 year old self also would’ve loved it. I loved the angsty teenagers not knowing how to navigate relationships and life in general and not being able to communicate properly because you’re a teenager who thinks they know better. But the mystery was so fun to read and so fun to see her crime unfold in front of you as it was getting closer and closer you could feel the tension and for a book aimed at young adults/teens it had quite a bit of tension and suspense. And the whole idea of writing to a prisoner about her crime and him never being able to write back must’ve sucked for him lol. Overall I loved it and I loved the characters, kinda typical characters but it got the story so I was with it.
cherryswift's review against another edition
3.0
I liked the concept and the plot twist, but some characters were a bit unlikeable.
jorjar27's review against another edition
3.0
This book was absolutely great. It was such an easy read, I finished it in two days. I loved the fact that Zoe’s, the main character who lives in England, and Stuart’s, the dude in Texas waiting for the death penalty, lives intertwined. Their story’s linked so well, even though we never got to hear from Stuart.
I love how this book portrays guilt and trauma. It shows how it can destroy someone. I also loved the fact that this book entirely consisted of letters, from Zoe (or Alice) written to Stuart. It shows Zoe sympathising with Stuart because she feels like they commuted the same crime, even though I believe they committed very different crimes.
The only thing I didn’t like about this book (hence the 4 stars) was the fact that it was written In quite a childish style, which on its own would have been great. But this crossed with the dark themes in this book (including sa) made me feel a bit uncomfortable at times. On the cover of the book, it says this won the Waterstones children’s book prize, which made me think it would be light and the themes suitable for kids, but this is definitely not the case!
Overall I loved the book, it had plenty of great pot twists and had an amazing storyline that kept me gripped, I just think they should make it more clear about this book not being suitable for children.
I love how this book portrays guilt and trauma. It shows how it can destroy someone. I also loved the fact that this book entirely consisted of letters, from Zoe (or Alice) written to Stuart. It shows Zoe sympathising with Stuart because she feels like they commuted the same crime, even though I believe they committed very different crimes.
The only thing I didn’t like about this book (hence the 4 stars) was the fact that it was written In quite a childish style, which on its own would have been great. But this crossed with the dark themes in this book (including sa) made me feel a bit uncomfortable at times. On the cover of the book, it says this won the Waterstones children’s book prize, which made me think it would be light and the themes suitable for kids, but this is definitely not the case!
Overall I loved the book, it had plenty of great pot twists and had an amazing storyline that kept me gripped, I just think they should make it more clear about this book not being suitable for children.