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pollyhall's review against another edition
- 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
3.0
Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
julienicole1106's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Alcohol
Moderate: Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Car accident, and Death of parent
avidreaderandgeekgirl's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Medical content, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Car accident, and Death of parent
Minor: Cancer, Incest, Infidelity, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Vomit
thesaltiestlibrarian's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
So, here's a fun little story. I read Kara Thomas' THE CHEERLEADERS back when it came out, and I wasn't taken with it at all. Hence my hesitation to really dig into this despite the great blurb. But man, am I glad I gave her another chance, because THAT WEEKEND was fantastic.
Claire and her best friends Kat and Jesse go to stay at Kat's family's lake house in upstate New York instead of going to prom. They arrive Friday, planning to spend Saturday hiking up the mountain, but something goes horribly wrong. Claire comes to in the forest, her hands covered in blood, and with no memory of what happened. Now Kat and Jesse are missing, and the only person who could give the authorities information has amnesia. How long before any clues turn up, or worse, the bodies?
I'm trying my darndest to find a critique that doesn't sound nitpicky, but that's all I can summon. Nitpicks. And any reader or writer can tell you that that's pretty impressive. The one thing I can bring to mind immediately treads deep into spoiler territory, so I'll let you figure out what this means, dear reader: some of the characterization lacked depth. I really liked Claire and her parents, though.
The pacing is probably the thing I appreciated most about this book. Point A to Point B takes some heavy backroads, a few U-turns, and when the Big Reveal comes about, you feel satisfied, but expectant. Clearly not everything has unraveled, and then that unexpected...thing...comes out and makes your eyebrows hit the roof. Usually I'm spot-on with forecasting the Twist, and with this one, I was right. But there was more that I didn't anticipate and could have had I been watching closely. Made me sit back and say, "Kara Thomas, you clever bastard."
I blew through this once I got over my hang-ups, and I'm really glad that I did. This book is definitely worth the investment.
Content Warning:
Domestic abuse, blood, kidnapping, alcohol abuse, incest
Graphic: Cursing, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug use, Infidelity, Violence, Kidnapping, and Car accident
Minor: Cancer and Incest