readwithjuna's review against another edition
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
midnightsbooks's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-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
3.0
I liked the premise of this book, but not much happened and the ending was disappointing
ashley_g13's review
2.0
1.5 rounded up!
I brought this book over a year ago and i’ve only just got around to reading it. I think the reason i didn’t enjoy it is because my reading taste has changed so much this past year. I’ve moved on from ya books and so this just felt like a really dull read now. Not that all ya books are dull cause there’s a lot i still enjoy but compared to the adult horror i read now this just didn’t do it for me.
I brought this book over a year ago and i’ve only just got around to reading it. I think the reason i didn’t enjoy it is because my reading taste has changed so much this past year. I’ve moved on from ya books and so this just felt like a really dull read now. Not that all ya books are dull cause there’s a lot i still enjoy but compared to the adult horror i read now this just didn’t do it for me.
amelia1601's review against another edition
4.0
i really enjoyed this book and finished it in just over a day. the ending was a bit underwhelming but it was a great concept throughout
chloewyard's review
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
ellejo3's review against another edition
dark
tense
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
3.5
Lydia Cornwallis is spending her summer being tutored on a Caribbean island known for vacation homes populated by the ultra-wealthy. While there she meets the Harrington sisters, who are beautiful, rich, and horribly cruel. Lydia has to balance her tutoring sessions with trying to worm her way into the Harrington sisters' social circle. But neither of those is Lydia's biggest problem because Lydia isn't really Lydia. Her name's Shannon Jones and she's there to get revenge against the Harrington sisters for murdering her mother.
I really liked the concept of this story. A compelling backstory. A sympathetic main character. A revenge plot against mean girls who've always evaded responsibility for their wrongdoings. However, the pacing in this one was off. The pacing of the romantic subplot was also off. It should've followed a B-story trajectory, but it went from zero to a hundred at breakneck speed in the last quarter of the book. The ending was also so rushed. I would've liked to have seen more of the fallout.
Thank you to netgalley and sourcebooks fire for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.
I really liked the concept of this story. A compelling backstory. A sympathetic main character. A revenge plot against mean girls who've always evaded responsibility for their wrongdoings. However, the pacing in this one was off. The pacing of the romantic subplot was also off. It should've followed a B-story trajectory, but it went from zero to a hundred at breakneck speed in the last quarter of the book. The ending was also so rushed. I would've liked to have seen more of the fallout.
Spoiler
For instance, what happened when it became public that Emily's scholarship was similar to the varsity blues scandal? All we know is that the story went public and that the man who orchestrated it was being looked into. Does Emily stay at her prestigious university? The Harrington women suffered burns, but were their reputations damaged?Thank you to netgalley and sourcebooks fire for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.
hallewest's review
4.0
We lovvve baddies who commit arson, gaslight rich people, steal yachts AND identities
alexisdwat's review against another edition
3.0
First, thank you so much for the opportunity to read your ARC!! I loved the idea of this story but the execution was just not my style. Although I do enjoy a fast pace every now and then, this was actually TOO fast-paced for me and seemed pretty rushed. I also really wasn't fond of the character development and did not find myself connecting to any of the characters as I do often with characters in a story/book. Overall I've definitely read worse and didn't have to pep talk my way into finishing it, I do feel like others with different tastes will enjoy it more than I did.
greergreer's review against another edition
1.0
It was a great story and idea, but that ending was rushed and just fell flat. This book could have a bit more high drama in it. There were some fantastic scenes in it, but way too much about the burned-out house with not enough back story to it and a big lead-up about a stone creature, but nothing came to fruition. It was just thrown in there at one point, like, "Yeah, it was found in the gardener's room" Why did you even mention it then? Also, what about the housekeeper? Did she get her comeuppance? It turns out she was the culprit all along with the fire. You just let that dangle in the wind. Yeah, that ending sucked. The only saving grace I can give for this book is the cover with the girl in the pool; at least whoever did the cover read the book because she does have a birthmark on her back. Kudos to the book designer.
thebookblossomblog's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-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
2.5
2.5/5
—
thank you to netgalley and sourcebooks fire for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.
—
i said it was an honest review and i’ll be honest, i almost DNF’d this at about 20%, but right before i had decided yes or no, something interesting happened. every time it had been dull for a while, something would happen that made you want to keep reading. i’ll give it to the author, that’s a really good writing strategy, but i wish there was more happening.
i feel like the reveals of what happened to shannon’s mom were done well and at the proper times, but the pacing otherwise wasn’t my cup of tea. she tried for revenge the first time around the 40% mark and ended up not going through with it, and then the events just got more convoluted from there.
the slight romance in the story picked up a lot more in the last 20% but by that i mean it went from “oh he’s cute” and “he’s not as obnoxious as i thought he was” to just a random full blown make out session in his hotel room after she told him what she had done. not to mention she got the fastest solution to being wanted by the police that i’ve ever seen.
i know this genre is often known for having to suspend disbelief, but that was really hard for me. i think it’s really ironic that the whole time shannon’s mom worked for the harrington family that she was telling shannon all the awful things the girls would do and shannon constantly told her to just let it go, that she cared too much, that she was obsessed, and her mom didn’t listen. but when her best friend told shannon the same thing after her mom died, all of a sudden it’s okay for shannon to be obsessed. talk about hypocrisy.
not to mention, if your best friend, a person who is concerned for your health and wellbeing is telling you “hey, maybe you’re taking this too far, come here and we can talk and we will work through it” and you cut her off because you’re more concerned with getting revenge on two girls, no matter how awful they might be, maybe YOURE the problem.
—
thank you to netgalley and sourcebooks fire for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.
—
i said it was an honest review and i’ll be honest, i almost DNF’d this at about 20%, but right before i had decided yes or no, something interesting happened. every time it had been dull for a while, something would happen that made you want to keep reading. i’ll give it to the author, that’s a really good writing strategy, but i wish there was more happening.
i feel like the reveals of what happened to shannon’s mom were done well and at the proper times, but the pacing otherwise wasn’t my cup of tea. she tried for revenge the first time around the 40% mark and ended up not going through with it, and then the events just got more convoluted from there.
the slight romance in the story picked up a lot more in the last 20% but by that i mean it went from “oh he’s cute” and “he’s not as obnoxious as i thought he was” to just a random full blown make out session in his hotel room after she told him what she had done. not to mention she got the fastest solution to being wanted by the police that i’ve ever seen.
i know this genre is often known for having to suspend disbelief, but that was really hard for me. i think it’s really ironic that the whole time shannon’s mom worked for the harrington family that she was telling shannon all the awful things the girls would do and shannon constantly told her to just let it go, that she cared too much, that she was obsessed, and her mom didn’t listen. but when her best friend told shannon the same thing after her mom died, all of a sudden it’s okay for shannon to be obsessed. talk about hypocrisy.
not to mention, if your best friend, a person who is concerned for your health and wellbeing is telling you “hey, maybe you’re taking this too far, come here and we can talk and we will work through it” and you cut her off because you’re more concerned with getting revenge on two girls, no matter how awful they might be, maybe YOURE the problem.