lingoreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Pregnancy and Murder
amyvl93's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This was a fairly entertaining read. The supporting characters are by-and-large stereotypes; ranging from the one character with a working class accent to to the prickly smart girl. Hannah, our protagonist, is not like the other girls in her university years, and largely defined by her pregnancy in her later years. April is perhaps slightly more complicated, but her character type does feel familiar in many contemporary thrillers (wealthy, incredibly attractive woman who manipulates everyone around her whilst struggling with some undefined inner demons). I found the introduction of November to be quite intriguing, but she tends to serve as just a sidekick to Hannah's investigating.
There are definitely moments where both the plot and character decisions stretch reality and my personal enjoyment; Hannah is easily drawn towards believing in people's potential motives and often makes some questionable decisions as a result of this, and the last 10% really felt like it jumped off a cliff (no pun intended) which undermined some of the tension that Ware had built up.
That being said, this was a pretty entertaining read, and Ware is definitely on my list of authors to check out next time I want an easier read.
Moderate: Murder, Kidnapping, Sexual assault, and Pregnancy
danajoy's review against another edition
4.25
Graphic: Murder, Medical content, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Vomit, Stalking, Violence, and Gun violence
greatexpectations77'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
Graphic: Alcohol, Death, Murder, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, and Grief
Moderate: Infidelity, Sexual harassment, Classism, Drug use, Bullying, Abandonment, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Abortion, Blood, Eating disorder, and Injury/Injury detail
mal_reads_books's review against another edition
- 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
2.5
Hannah was irritating yet bland. Her constantly ruminating thoughts about April, the murder suspects, and the baby clogged up the narrative. I felt the author chose to make Hannah pregnant to add unnecessary drama (e.g. the high blood pressure scare and jeopardizing her baby's health while six months pregnant). It was tiring to constantly read about the baby kicking or Hannah feeling faint.
April was even worse. She was like a stereotypical popular mean girl from a high school movie. I hated how she treated everyone and how Hannah still worshipped her 10 years after her death, despite how cruel April was to her. I would've liked more backstory on April to understand her motivations better.
The other characters weren't likeable, or at least interesting, either.
I usually don't read thrillers, so the reveal at the end actually surprised me. (Ok, I did figure out the murderer toward the end, but not how it was done.) There were loose ends like the DNA not found in the murder scene that I would've liked to see resolved, though.
Graphic: Pregnancy and Murder
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Toxic friendship
kirstenhewitt1993's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Death, Stalking, Pregnancy, and Murder
Moderate: Violence and Drug use
madelinequinne's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Really enjoyed this, kind of reminded me of if we were villains.
I would have NEVER guessed Hugh was April’s killer until those last few chapters, i was so sure it was going to be Will the whole time up until then, and I love a plot twist so automatically loved this book
Graphic: Death, Grief, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Stalking, Murder, Toxic friendship, Violence, Blood, Cursing, Alcohol, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Drug use, Pregnancy, Infidelity, and Toxic relationship
sampcole21's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Murder, Violence, and Mental illness
Moderate: Pregnancy, Violence, and Stalking
Minor: Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Violence, Drug use, Death, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Drug abuse, and Emotional abuse
hannahdrake42's review
4.25
Graphic: Murder and Pregnancy
bessadams's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Violence, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Murder, Gun violence, Infidelity, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death of parent