Reviews

4.5 STARS! I feel like among the 4 books, this mystery was the most confusing and messy. There were so many new characters that I got confused as to who is who (E.g. Beau, Malcolm, Mason...). I don't think I managed to entirely grasp the cult stuff that was happening either... That was why I was initially so certain that I was going to rate it 4 stars... UNTIL CHAPTER 57!!!

Oh my gosh from chapter 57 till the very end, it was an emotional roller coaster ride. Spoiler!!! The part when Cassie had to confront her mother and everything that went down afterwards, I freaking cried. I really wished they had a better reunion and didn't have to end it off like this, but the writing was so beautiful and it was so sad. And when the group saw Cassie again, with Dean giving a whole swoony speech and Lia saying that she cried after finding out Cassie was gone? TEARS WERE SHED

I thought we would see more of Lia's backstory in this book. I mean we did see bits and pieces, but I thought there would be more. Not sure if I fully support Lia and Micheal together since it does feel pretty toxic, but I wanted more Micheal and Cassie scenes together! I initially disliked Celine like why is she getting in the way, UNTIL she hinted that she likes Sloan. Immediately afterwards I was just like GET IT GURL! Now get Sloan and Celine together!

I do wish that we got to see how Cassie is feeling after everything that happened, because no way this girl is perfectly fine. I just want to see her perhaps going to therapy and just letting it all out, maybe interacting more with Laurel.

Overall, I LOVED the entire series so much. Jennifer Lynn Barnes is probably my fav author and her 2 series are just the perfect amount of romance, mystery and friendship! Also love how every single character that was mentioned in this whole series was actually important one way or another, like if you think that the minor character was just there for no reason, think again. Definitely going to reread these books again so that I can look back and see what I missed out on previously.

drowningfaithh's review against another edition

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3.0

3 out 5 stars

Surprisingly, this book is my least favorite of the series. I’m quite disappointed with how things turned out—especially that conclusion, it was hastily wrapped up, in my opinion.

Seeing as this is the last book of the series, it should have been the most intriguing, and yet I found myself uninterested in the cult case. I can’t quite place it but I felt like the previous installments had higher stakes and made my heart race more than this did. I felt as if the momentum from All In’s ending wasn’t carried towards this book.

First, I think this book was a bit ambitious—mixing Michael’s, Lia’s, and Cassie’s pasts in one installment. In the beginning, we had people introduced from Michael’s side of the world. I cataloged them in my mind, thinking they were relevant to the cult case (which they weren’t, by the way). With the case related to a cult, Lia was also having some self-reflection or I-need-to-do-this-for-me moments. I really would not have minded because I want to see some character development from these two self-destructive characters. But I think there were just a lot of things happening. The three previous installments had the crime centered around one Natural—Cassie, Dean, and Sloane, respectively—with some crumbs about the others’ past. However, the author just crammed Michael’s, Lia’s, and Cassie’s into one, which felt a bit overwhelming.

Particularly, I was a bit overwhelmed with the introduction to the new town and its people from Cassie’s past. I had trouble memorizing who was who and what was what. It ruined a bit of the experience for me. Additionally, Cassie just suddenly and conveniently remembers all these memories she buried in the past about the town. I get it. Going back into town triggered her memories. But it contributed to how overwhelming it was to have all this information.

And that end.

Spoiler

Cassie and her mom reunited for all but like less than 5 minutes. They stopped fighting because of the power of love. I’m not really a fan of those. And I just feel so much for Cassie because she is once again traumatized. Someone, please, please give her a break, she deserves it so much.

After the falling action, it was also hastily wrapped up. This happened and then this. It’s like we hadn’t had time to digest what the heck went on. I felt empty afterward because it didn’t feel... concluded.

Anyway, brief rundown on things I liked, though: whenever Dean and Cassie have that you-I profiling back and forth. It’s really cool to watch. The friendships of course! I love the camaraderie they have all built with each other. As for Celine, given more time, I could like her. But somehow I feel like she was added so that Sloane could have a love interest and I don’t know what to feel about that.

All in all, it was an unsatisfying conclusion that could have gone better somehow. An overall good series, though! Kept me on my toes all the time and I would love to see a Book 5, maybe? I’m still holding on to that hope that Michael and Lia will have their own books centralized on their character developments. Yes, I have favoritism.

blygo's review

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.25

hope_elizabeth_rose's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious medium-paced

4.75

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