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sneeps's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I haven't read an E Lockhart book since maybe 2010, so I just had vague memories of them making me feel unsettled as a teen. This was a fun thriller? Told backwards, reveals being later revealed to have been lies. The ending I thought was really interesting. I like not knowing much about Jules's past. It doesn't matter. She has nothing and is nothing. She is what the situation requires and her only goal is to keep going, having a good time and "improving herself." She reminded me a lot of a memoir I read recently, Sociopath by Patric Gagne. I felt I understood Jules after a certain point because I'd already lived in Patric's head and they seemed incredibly similar. Don't understand the lower star reviews who were unimpressed with the format or ending, but maybe I'm just inexperienced with this kind of story and more impressed by novelty than those reviewers.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Murder, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Sexual assault, Suicide, and Terminal illness
bookedbymadeline's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-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
4.0
I loved the unique storytelling style! Everything is revealed backwards, with the book starting at chapter 18 and showing flashbacks that led up to Julie being in Mexico.
I didn’t always like the writing style, it could get repetitive or overly descriptive at times. The reverse timeline style also made it confusing at times and led to the ending being less than exciting. Also due to the reverse storytelling, I felt like a lot was missing or unexplained. It left me with more questions than answers and a bit underwhelmed with the plot overall.
Despite the confusion and lack of details, it was still an interesting story! Plus it makes for a quick and easy read that I’d recommend if you enjoy Lockhart’s other novels, or if you’re looking for a uniquely written mystery.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Blood, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Cancer, Terminal illness, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Animal cruelty, Drug abuse, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
daniellafrella's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
The way this book is written is what makes it so wonderful. It starts at the end and back tracks, revealing more and more answers and details as we travel back in time with the main character. Beautiful writing. Really a page turner.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Murder, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Stalking
tkatt20's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I cant decide if i liked this book or not. This is the first book I've read from this author so I didn't have any expectations going into it like many other did that read the more popular We Were Liars, but I found the writing style very unique. The book itself is written backwards, so you know the aftermath of the events before actually knowing what took place and it was nothing like I had ever read before. I was extremely confused at first and it took me a bit to get in to it, but for a book that was less than 300 pages I didn't feel rushed or overwhelmed with information, and after it started to pick up and I started learning more it began to make a lot more sense to me. I do wish it had a bit more information on the characters motives, maybe an extra chapter or 2 on her past to kind of explain why she decided to take this route. I might end up rereading this in the future now that I know what happens, I'd like to see what kind of foreshadowing the author included early on and maybe see if there were any details I missed early on.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Murder
Moderate: Blood, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Rape, Sexual content, and Terminal illness
kestrel's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I really liked that the story was told backwards. I found this very interesting and original. One thing I didn't like was the the two main characters, Jule and Imogen, mainly because o didn't care about them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Murder, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Infidelity, Suicide, and Terminal illness
Minor: Sexual content
valyn_grebe's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Cursing, Death, and Blood
Minor: Sexual content, Terminal illness, Vomit, Stalking, and Death of parent