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elamii's review
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
angevba's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this book even though I wasn't too surprised at the end, but it was an easy and entertaining read and I always appreciate that in a book.
Also, I usually don't like romantic storylines in thrillers, but I REEEALLY liked the one in here, good job.
Also, I usually don't like romantic storylines in thrillers, but I REEEALLY liked the one in here, good job.
lelemontgomery's review against another edition
2.0
The book was okay but the plot was stretched which led me to not liking the book and not being able to spend each night with reading a chapter or two because it felt like the story would never end or begin in the first place
ihateprozac's review against another edition
4.0
They All Fall Down is evidently a book riding the coattails of Pretty Little Liars, and it’s kinda like what LA Ice is to Coca-Cola: you can see what they were trying to do, and it’s fine when you’re in a pinch, but ultimately it’s diluted and just not as good. They All Fall Down is silly, simplistic and trope-y, but it’s also very, very, very fun.
They All Fall Down centres around an average American high school and their legendary “Hottie List”: an annual list that names the top 10 hottest senior girls in the school. Our protagonist, Kenzie Summerall, has flown under the radar for years until she finds herself ranked at #5 on the list. In an instant her world changes: her crush finally starts noticing her, her Facebook friend request list grows out of control, and she suddenly finds herself part of the cool kids. This is all well and good until the girls on the list start dying in order.
One of my favourite elements of a story is when you can’t tell exactly what genre you’re reading: I love finding myself wondering “is this a possession horror or a slasher film?” or in this case “is this a supernatural curse or do we have a serial killer on the loose?” It’s not immediately clear how Hottie List girls are coincidentally dying in crazy accidents and whether this novel is going to end with a serial killer reveal in an abandoned house during a thunderstorm, or whether it’s the result of a disgruntled teen ghost vowing to get revenge on generations of hot girls just like the ones who led to her death. I love when it’s not all black and white and I’m not just trying to guess the killer’s identity, I’m trying to guess whether there is a killer at all.
I mentioned this book is filled with tropes and stereotypes, and the biggest ones of all are Kenzie, Josh, and Levi. Kenzie is the typical geek girl who doesn’t realise she’s actually super hot, and claims “I’m not like the others” because she likes dead languages instead of designer labels. I’m so over girls putting down other girls because of their interests, because *gasp* being academic but also liking shopping must be mutually exclusive, right?!
Josh is your stereotypical Abercrombie & Fitch-wearing whitebread popular jock who’s lovely but too damn safe for the protagonist. He’s got no original thoughts in his own mind and is one of those guys who will clearly peak in high school, only to end up owning a car wash and coming home to his painfully lovely but also painfully dull family each night. Conversely, Levi is your stereotypical bad boy who’s rumoured to have spent time in juvie for everything from shoplifting to killing a man in cold blood. Predictably Kenzie ends up in an awkward love triangle with them both, because god forbid a teenage girl in YA only be interested in one person at the one time.
That being said, Kenzie did have a palpable attraction to Levi and I found myself getting sucked into their little affair. He reminded me of Avan Jogia’s character Danny Desai in the CW’s shortlived series Twisted (a series where I’m still salty over its cancellation), and in spite of being a walking walking “boy from the wrong side of the tracks” stereotype, I couldn’t help but be a little bit into him.
However, I wish the author had spent a little more time fleshing out the characters and I wish the dialogue and interactions were richer. I found myself reading this and missing the conversations and characters we get in Sara Shepard’s novels, because even if she’s introducing a completely new story and world, the characters are always so fleshed out and I get a real sense of their personality and background; they don’t read like 5 bullet points on the page of a character outline. Though Roxanne St Claire did try to add complexity with Kenzie’s brother’s storyline and the effects on her family, I constantly felt that something in the character development and world-building was missing.
That being said, I LOVED the big climax and final conflict. Throughout the novel I had been in two minds as to whether this was a supernatural story or a serial killer story, and I was absolutely engrossed in the action as the story crescendoed. I followed every twist and turn and it felt like a rollercoaster I didn’t want to get off of. I looooooved the action and was stoked to read the cliffhanger that leaves the book open to be a standalone or open it up to further expansion! This was a perfect Sunday evening read with a storm thundering outside my window.
Overall: If Goodreads allowed us to rate things with quarter or half stars, I would rate this 3.5 out of 5 stars. It’s a tropey and basic AF read that’s come off the back of the Pretty Little Liars whirlwind, but it was a fun and entertaining read on a Sunday evening. The characters are two-dimensional and the dialogue could use some work, but if you’re looking for a fluffy, easy, YA girly murder mystery it’s worth picking up. It won’t blow your mind but it’s good fun!
They All Fall Down centres around an average American high school and their legendary “Hottie List”: an annual list that names the top 10 hottest senior girls in the school. Our protagonist, Kenzie Summerall, has flown under the radar for years until she finds herself ranked at #5 on the list. In an instant her world changes: her crush finally starts noticing her, her Facebook friend request list grows out of control, and she suddenly finds herself part of the cool kids. This is all well and good until the girls on the list start dying in order.
One of my favourite elements of a story is when you can’t tell exactly what genre you’re reading: I love finding myself wondering “is this a possession horror or a slasher film?” or in this case “is this a supernatural curse or do we have a serial killer on the loose?” It’s not immediately clear how Hottie List girls are coincidentally dying in crazy accidents and whether this novel is going to end with a serial killer reveal in an abandoned house during a thunderstorm, or whether it’s the result of a disgruntled teen ghost vowing to get revenge on generations of hot girls just like the ones who led to her death. I love when it’s not all black and white and I’m not just trying to guess the killer’s identity, I’m trying to guess whether there is a killer at all.
I mentioned this book is filled with tropes and stereotypes, and the biggest ones of all are Kenzie, Josh, and Levi. Kenzie is the typical geek girl who doesn’t realise she’s actually super hot, and claims “I’m not like the others” because she likes dead languages instead of designer labels. I’m so over girls putting down other girls because of their interests, because *gasp* being academic but also liking shopping must be mutually exclusive, right?!
Josh is your stereotypical Abercrombie & Fitch-wearing whitebread popular jock who’s lovely but too damn safe for the protagonist. He’s got no original thoughts in his own mind and is one of those guys who will clearly peak in high school, only to end up owning a car wash and coming home to his painfully lovely but also painfully dull family each night. Conversely, Levi is your stereotypical bad boy who’s rumoured to have spent time in juvie for everything from shoplifting to killing a man in cold blood. Predictably Kenzie ends up in an awkward love triangle with them both, because god forbid a teenage girl in YA only be interested in one person at the one time.
That being said, Kenzie did have a palpable attraction to Levi and I found myself getting sucked into their little affair. He reminded me of Avan Jogia’s character Danny Desai in the CW’s shortlived series Twisted (a series where I’m still salty over its cancellation), and in spite of being a walking walking “boy from the wrong side of the tracks” stereotype, I couldn’t help but be a little bit into him.
However, I wish the author had spent a little more time fleshing out the characters and I wish the dialogue and interactions were richer. I found myself reading this and missing the conversations and characters we get in Sara Shepard’s novels, because even if she’s introducing a completely new story and world, the characters are always so fleshed out and I get a real sense of their personality and background; they don’t read like 5 bullet points on the page of a character outline. Though Roxanne St Claire did try to add complexity with Kenzie’s brother’s storyline and the effects on her family, I constantly felt that something in the character development and world-building was missing.
That being said, I LOVED the big climax and final conflict. Throughout the novel I had been in two minds as to whether this was a supernatural story or a serial killer story, and I was absolutely engrossed in the action as the story crescendoed. I followed every twist and turn and it felt like a rollercoaster I didn’t want to get off of. I looooooved the action and was stoked to read the cliffhanger that leaves the book open to be a standalone or open it up to further expansion! This was a perfect Sunday evening read with a storm thundering outside my window.
Overall: If Goodreads allowed us to rate things with quarter or half stars, I would rate this 3.5 out of 5 stars. It’s a tropey and basic AF read that’s come off the back of the Pretty Little Liars whirlwind, but it was a fun and entertaining read on a Sunday evening. The characters are two-dimensional and the dialogue could use some work, but if you’re looking for a fluffy, easy, YA girly murder mystery it’s worth picking up. It won’t blow your mind but it’s good fun!
mehsi's review against another edition
1.0
Pretty Little Liars meets Final Destination? I think not. Both the two mentioned are very different from this book. Final Destination: You cannot escape death and it was all supernatural and the main characters had some kind of premonition.
This book? You can escape death, and it is not supernatural. And no premonitions or whatever.
Pretty Little Liars: a group of friends and a murder + lots of secrets. This one has multiple murders and the people mentioned aren't even friends for most. And secrets? Nothing between the group themselves, but more like the secret is about the list and deaths, nothing to be blackmailed with and such.
Too bad, I was kind of looking forward to the book because of that Pretty Liars x Final Destination thing. :( At least -1 star for that.
So, after reading the book completely, I am making it a 1 star. This book doesn't deserve any more than that.
The ending? A cliffhanger? Seriously? With a standalone? Or are we getting more books? I do hope not. I hate it when standalones turn into series.
Also that cover. I liked it, and then I found out there are 10 girls, not 5. 10 girls who can be killed. Why are there only 5 on the cover? No clue, but it is something I also look at when evaluating a book.
Now for the characters. In short I didn't like them that much. Kenzie (Or Mack, or Mac or Fifth or Babe) was just annoying. Her ability to read Latin? Nice touch, however it was highly disappointing when she had to translate something and only could do the basics and nothing more. I was just laughing and shaking my head at that.
And she kept saying that she didn't care about the list? Well lets just say she made it sound like it was a big deal. The list and why she is on it is mentioned every time, practically every page. No no, you don't care about it... *rolls eyes* I also didn't like that she wasn't honest with Josh. Just tell him honestly about what you think about him. Don't kiss and such and just act with it, and in the meantime kiss and play with another boy. I hate things like this. Make up your mind, you can't have both, and you don't even want Josh.
The list and the curse? Oh so much of a disappointment. I thought it was some sort of supernatural thing (like you are on the list and suddenly accidents!), but instead it turns out to be
Then we have the last part of the book, or I should say: The boring, unbelievable things that happened there and which were utterly boring making me skip a bit, read a few, then yawn, then skip and so on. I think the book should and could have done with a lot of pages less. I think that would made it a 2 star. Now get rid of the silly whodunnit and I would raise it to a 3 star. More than that, nope. We still have the cover and the catch phrase that failed and add to that silly characters.
It is too bad, I was really looking forward to this book. :( Would I recommend this book? No, I would say watch the Final Destination movies, they are much better! :)
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
This book? You can escape death, and it is not supernatural. And no premonitions or whatever.
Pretty Little Liars: a group of friends and a murder + lots of secrets. This one has multiple murders and the people mentioned aren't even friends for most. And secrets? Nothing between the group themselves, but more like the secret is about the list and deaths, nothing to be blackmailed with and such.
Too bad, I was kind of looking forward to the book because of that Pretty Liars x Final Destination thing. :( At least -1 star for that.
So, after reading the book completely, I am making it a 1 star. This book doesn't deserve any more than that.
The ending? A cliffhanger? Seriously? With a standalone? Or are we getting more books? I do hope not. I hate it when standalones turn into series.
Also that cover. I liked it, and then I found out there are 10 girls, not 5. 10 girls who can be killed. Why are there only 5 on the cover? No clue, but it is something I also look at when evaluating a book.
Now for the characters. In short I didn't like them that much. Kenzie (Or Mack, or Mac or Fifth or Babe) was just annoying. Her ability to read Latin? Nice touch, however it was highly disappointing when she had to translate something and only could do the basics and nothing more. I was just laughing and shaking my head at that.
And she kept saying that she didn't care about the list? Well lets just say she made it sound like it was a big deal. The list and why she is on it is mentioned every time, practically every page. No no, you don't care about it... *rolls eyes* I also didn't like that she wasn't honest with Josh. Just tell him honestly about what you think about him. Don't kiss and such and just act with it, and in the meantime kiss and play with another boy. I hate things like this. Make up your mind, you can't have both, and you don't even want Josh.
The list and the curse? Oh so much of a disappointment. I thought it was some sort of supernatural thing (like you are on the list and suddenly accidents!), but instead it turns out to be
Spoiler
assassins? Lol wait what? Assassins? Who make lists so they can do target practice? And pass their silly exams? Who in their right minds would think of this, seriously so lame and anti-climatic and it also pisses me off, it totally destroys the book for me.Then we have the last part of the book, or I should say: The boring, unbelievable things that happened there and which were utterly boring making me skip a bit, read a few, then yawn, then skip and so on. I think the book should and could have done with a lot of pages less. I think that would made it a 2 star. Now get rid of the silly whodunnit and I would raise it to a 3 star. More than that, nope. We still have the cover and the catch phrase that failed and add to that silly characters.
It is too bad, I was really looking forward to this book. :( Would I recommend this book? No, I would say watch the Final Destination movies, they are much better! :)
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
ashurq's review against another edition
2.0
This book could have been so good, but instead it was just freaking weird. I don’t know…somehow I thought there was going to be a little bit more of a mystery involved that the reader could try to solve. Instead, it’s just a big conspiracy thing that’s plopped in your lap in the last 50 pages. The characters were strange while also being blatant stereotypes (brooding bad boy, aggressive jock, mean girl cheerleaders). In addition, I thought Kenzie’s best friend was basically the most annoying side kick of a character I’d ever read. She only cares about becoming more popular and gets super upset when Kenzie isn’t interested in being popular as well. That drama was so unnecessary and just made the book that much harder to get through. Don’t read this.
preciouselby's review against another edition
4.0
A bit slow at first but overall was great really and a series potential !
Hooray for the first book ever in mylibrarycleanup shelves.
Hooray for the first book ever in mylibrarycleanup shelves.