Scan barcode
ak97x's review against another edition
dark
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Grief, and Stalking
Moderate: Gore, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Blood, Police brutality, Lesbophobia, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Vomit, Abandonment, and Classism
Synopsis free of spoilers / in first pages of book: Anna's best friend, Elise, is brutally murdered while they're on vacation in Aruba. The story swings back, forth, sideways in time. Main points in time are: the incident, Anna's incarceration, and Anna's mother's battle with cancer. The meeting of Elise, Anna, and Anna's new(ish) boyfriend, Tate, and inciting incident for the vacation to Aruba- on which Elise is murdered- is also traced asynchronously throughout the novel. The story, while being one you may recognize from headlines or other novels, is told originally and through the eyes of the accused, making it a very good book. Key moments where clarity was lacking (vs. Leaving certain things open to interpretation) and amateurish side character dynamics were the main reasons I did not give this one 5 stars.