Reviews

I Am Margaret Moore by Hannah Capin

marieintheraw's review

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4.0

Hannah Capin maybe the smartest author out there when it comes to retellings. Do I feel frustrated with the characters and everything going on? ABSOLUTELY! But! Is it an accurate and enjoyable retelling? Oh you bet your french toast it is!

I received an ecopy of this book through Netgalley; however, my opinions are my own

kleonard's review

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5.0

I really enjoyed this book, with its unstable narrative and moments of intensity, anger, fear, and retribution. The narrator was less well-fleshed out (pun partially intended) than the other characters except perhaps for Jack, but that ultimately makes sense, since the book is really about the girls who fight to end the lies that circulate around their friend--about how they are true Marshall girls to the end, in every way. This novel is excellent, surprising me when I though there were no more surprises (or obvious secrets) left, and concluding just the way readers will want it to.

michely66's review

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3.0

I wanted to like this book, and I am so disappointed that I didn’t. It’s description was so intriguing. Overall, this book had a great storyline, but I just could not read this style of writing. I did not care for how many times the character repeated the same words over and over throughout the entire book. It got a bit confusing at times with the going back and forth through time. Most of the time, I didn’t know what was happening. I thought it could’ve been written better. I honestly was going to give this book 2 stars, but I liked the storyline so I gave it 3.

Thanks you Netgallery for this ARC!

charlottereidsma's review

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

1.0

gabizago's review

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4.0

I like that this book is beautifully written - it reads almost like a poem. At first I was annoyed at how the story is told but little by little I got used to it. It is a quick read about Margaret Moore, one of the girls that every Summer would go to the Marshall Naval school. There she would learn things, see her friends, and also gossip and meet up with boys. But instead of a linear story, you get told from her perspective in a non linear way.

ameserole's review

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2.0

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was honestly really happy and intrigued when I requested and got accepted to dive into I Am Margaret Moore. Mystery thriller books can sometimes give me life and the synopsis for this book made it sound freaking amazing. Well, it had potential to be but I think the book and I were not vibing together.

This is definitely about a group of girls that were kind of close but definitely became super closer after a tragic and unfortunate event. It all started on a stormy night and then things get wild after that. I wont lie, I was definitely confused with what was happening for most of this book. Also the pace was kind of all over the place and I just wanted connecting with anyone.

Then the second half came and things were starting to pick up. Or maybe I was starting to see the light. Either way I was excited to get some answers. Unfortunately, the book took it's sweet time to do a semi big reveal and I'm still left with questions. It was definitely a lot to take in but I really wished that I found someone to connect to or something to connect with.

In the end, I'm glad that I got a chance to dive into this. It was definitely something I'm not used to and I hope that I dive back into this another time to see if my opinion changes or not.

abrittlebee's review

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5.0

By all rights I should hate this book. It is surreal and fragmented; stream of consciousness and filled with characters that do stupid things. But that’s the thing about a really good book. A really good book will find a way, no matter its style or genre, to grab you by the throat and make you want more. I am Margaret Moore is a chaotic and lyrical masterpiece, with language like broken paint chips of beautiful colour. It is painful and haunting, but it screams to every part of growing up a girl, and learning the world isn’t fair and love might not always be worth it, but loyalty is.
I am getting ahead of myself.
The first thing that struck me about this novel was how beautiful the writing is. It is over 300 pages, but I felt none of that because the words Capin spun drew me onward. I finished this in one sitting because I couldn’t put it down. Among that beauty is pain and mystery. Who is Margaret Moore, and who are these girls that are so connected to her? What did they do and what was done to them? As time lines fracture and the narrative moves from past to present to past over and over again, Margaret guides you through. She tells you as she remembers it, and that is probably what makes her confessions so captivating.
I know I haven’t told you much. It is difficult to mention the plot, the characters, any of it without betraying the secrets of this book. It is an experience, and one I highly recommend, though it will probably leave you sobbing by the end.
To speak plainly, this is the easiest 5 stars I have given out so far this year.

trisha_thomas's review

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2.0

I wanted to love this one! I wanted to love it so very very much. I am a huge fan of books written in verse and I do love a good cryptic, odd, lyrical story. But this one was neither of the things I love so much about those stories.

First, the writing style is odd. It's not quite a book in verse but it's close. It has poetry and lyrics and written in quick, short chapter breaks. But the few lines it gives aren't really verse, they are a lot of full sentences, but they are the same things repeated a lot. There are whole sections that felt like the same chapter over and over. The beginning, the intro to the summer camp and their style, was jarring. I don't know a lot about a navy type summer camp so the levels and chants and line ups were a lot to catch up on with little intro.

I felt like what was maybe supposed to be the twist was really easy to spot pretty early on. So the layers I was hoping to dig through or the spooky parts I was hoping to get goosebumps from just never happened. The end was good but didn't quite pull together the story. I wish I'd loved it more.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

kieraisreading's review

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2.0

I was so intrigued by the description of this book but I just don’t think this book is for me. The first half of the book I found boring and hard to get through, the last half however was entertaining.

I also wasn’t a huge fan of the writing style. It is written in a very lyrical and poetic way, that I found difficult to read and stay engaged. However if you like books written like that I think you would really enjoy it.

This book reminds me a lot of We Were Liars, so if you liked that book I would definitely recommend checking out this one.

Overall I would give this book two stars because I found the story hard to read because of the writing style.

tessa_talbert's review

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3.0

⭐⭐⭐

I Am Margaret Moore is a paranormal thriller unlike any I've ever read before. We follow Mar, or Margaret, and her three friends: Flor, Nisreen, and Rose in their time at Marshall. A navy-esque summer camp where their love for each other is limitless, where everything is perfect, and where they can be their true selves — until something goes terribly wrong.

As this is written, there isn't much I can tell you about the plot that isn't a spoiler. All we know is that Margaret is deeply depressed, her thoughts and feelings are a constant spiral. She feels empty and lost, clinging to her girls, her friends, the true loves of her life. Last summer, there was a boy. And something within that spiral of events led Margaret Moore to shame, and Deck Five to be sent home early.

This book is like trying to wade through a dream. It's written near in prose, deeply poetic, full of symbolism and repetition. It is not a style that everyone is going to enjoy or understand. I, personally, found the repetitive nature almost maddening to get through at times, no matter how beautiful the writing actually was. Things start to pick up about 60% in, but it is still a long trek to the point and the ending swallowed me up so quickly I almost didn't realize what had happened. I was *satisfied* with the events that folded out, I just wish it hadn't felt like staring into the sun to get there.

I so desperately wanted more backstory on the other girls. I wanted to know how they became friends, how Flor and Nisreen fell in love, what made their loyalty to each other so deep and true and all-consuming. Their friendship was my favorite part of the book. It is almost obsessive, but not suffocating. They know that who they are at camp cannot be who they are in real life, they understand they have responsibilities to handle once they leave, but their love for each other is as deep and true as anything to exist and it was a beautiful thing to behold.

If you want to enjoy a book that is part daydream, part nightmare, part poem—check this book out on 12 October 2021. It is an experience I'm unlikely to forget.

*My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for gifting me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.*