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twistykris'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? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Murder, and Death of parent
Moderate: Death and Grief
danielle70's review against another edition
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
This was really fun. I love reading books where the character has some sort of mental ability, (in this case, a medium of sorts) so I was all for this. The audiobook narrator is good too. I listened to this faster than I have listened to an audiobook for a WHILE.
So basically our girl is forced to move to California with her mom to move in with her new stepdad, who happens to be a famous producer. Her father died in front of her not long before so she's not happy about all these changes. Then she starts to hear and see things no one else does, and after talking with a possibly too-interested-in-the-murders classmate, she realizes she may be able to help catch the killer.
This is just a good time. Very much a 2014 YA book and man some of the dialogue and the romance parts made me cringe so hard, but in a way where you laugh and kinda love it for its cheesiness. The characters are stereotypical and the main character is 'broken' and 'not like other girls.' It is still a solidly written book with the cool idea of having a serial killer base his murders off of famous death scenes from Hollywood films. There are lots of Hollywood mentions, both of movies, the lifestyle (stepdad is a producer (director? idk) and her friends at school have famous parents), and the setting. I did like how the parents weren't mysteriously missing the whole time. The main character's mom is actually really loving and tries to reach out and help her daughter multiple times. The stepdad is actually respectful of his role in her life too and acknowledges that he's not her dad and never wants to try to pretend like he is and he wants to be friends lol. Ngl that sounds cheesy but the sentiment is there
The plot twist actually caught me off guard. I thought it was going in one direction and was going to be kinda meh but then it took a turn. The ending was solid. I know a lot of people will read this and say it's cheesy garbage, but you can tell the author is good at what she does, and if you take the time it was written into account, it's exactly what the market was calling for at the time. This was solid all the way through and exactly what I wanted. It was a good ole time and a fun, easy read. I'm not even a huge fan of books set in and around Hollywood but it was super fun.
So basically our girl is forced to move to California with her mom to move in with her new stepdad, who happens to be a famous producer. Her father died in front of her not long before so she's not happy about all these changes. Then she starts to hear and see things no one else does, and after talking with a possibly too-interested-in-the-murders classmate, she realizes she may be able to help catch the killer.
This is just a good time. Very much a 2014 YA book and man some of the dialogue and the romance parts made me cringe so hard, but in a way where you laugh and kinda love it for its cheesiness. The characters are stereotypical and the main character is 'broken' and 'not like other girls.' It is still a solidly written book with the cool idea of having a serial killer base his murders off of famous death scenes from Hollywood films. There are lots of Hollywood mentions, both of movies, the lifestyle (stepdad is a producer (director? idk) and her friends at school have famous parents), and the setting. I did like how the parents weren't mysteriously missing the whole time. The main character's mom is actually really loving and tries to reach out and help her daughter multiple times. The stepdad is actually respectful of his role in her life too and acknowledges that he's not her dad and never wants to try to pretend like he is and he wants to be friends lol. Ngl that sounds cheesy but the sentiment is there
The plot twist actually caught me off guard. I thought it was going in one direction and was going to be kinda meh but then it took a turn. The ending was solid. I know a lot of people will read this and say it's cheesy garbage, but you can tell the author is good at what she does, and if you take the time it was written into account, it's exactly what the market was calling for at the time. This was solid all the way through and exactly what I wanted. It was a good ole time and a fun, easy read. I'm not even a huge fan of books set in and around Hollywood but it was super fun.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death of parent, Grief, and Murder
Drowning is described in detail multiple times, as well as being drugged and forced to drown.
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