morgantaylor927's review
4.0
I don't really understand all the comparisons I've seen between this book and Gone Girl. I don't think they are anything alike. Not to say that this one is not a good book. It was a very quick read for me, just like Gone Girl. I think Gone Girl's story was a little more unique and shocking. Both had pretty bizarre, unsatisfying endings. I did enjoy trying to figure out the mystery though.
morgangoesbam927's review
4.0
I don't really understand all the comparisons I've seen between this book and Gone Girl. I don't think they are anything alike. Not to say that this one is not a good book. It was a very quick read for me, just like Gone Girl. I think Gone Girl's story was a little more unique and shocking. Both had pretty bizarre, unsatisfying endings. I did enjoy trying to figure out the mystery though.
ptorrens's review
2.0
So...this book had its problems. For example, why on earth would the homicide detective take the victim's mother with him to interrogate suspects?! That made no sense. Also, the characters in this book, while entertaining, were ultimately a little too over the top. Amelia's BFF was a stereotypical selfish slut who was mean to the MC, but we're supposed to like her and feel bad for her because they've been friends since kindergarten. Then there were the Maggie's...what was the deal with Dylan anyway?! I still don't understand her issue. And why exactly was Amelia so obsessed with her? Again, this girl is supposed to be super smart or whatever, but she sure makes a lot of terribly un-smart choices. There were so many secrets in the book that you could trip over them, and it just read like there were too many ideas and the author couldn't make up her mind so she just shoved them all in there. Overall it kept me reading, but definitely not the best thought out book ever.
steph_stone's review
4.0
Quick, easy read that was a nice break from some of the heavier nonfiction reading I'm doing at the moment.
sandrareilly513's review against another edition
4.0
Disclaimer: YA, but NOT middle-grade appropriate. Lots of mature language (curse words galore) and sexual content between minors discussed several times. No sex scenes but sexual situations talked about very often.
Entitled private-school-privileged teenagers, secret clubs, terribly selfish parents, misunderstood situations, bullying, LGBT, and suicide weave together a compelling story that hits a little too close to home. Despite the upper-class setting, this plot could happen at any school, in any part of the country. Children have become so creative in their meanness, and even more ignorant to its consequences, as us adults have, as well.
Disclaimer aside, this book was really incredibly enjoyable. Many people have compared it to Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl, and I can see a bit of a parallel of it for a YA version. Many twists and turns keep the story moving at an incredibly fast pace, even with interlaced chapters from the days/months leading up to the death of one of the main characters (no spoiler alert necessary -- this plot element is on the back cover) to give readers back story in an effort to help them figure out the mystery before her mother does. There are quite a few characters to keep track of, which does get tricky at times, but this does not take away from the plot.
All in all, a really interesting, fast-paced story that hopefully teens and parents can learn from, before it's too late...
Entitled private-school-privileged teenagers, secret clubs, terribly selfish parents, misunderstood situations, bullying, LGBT, and suicide weave together a compelling story that hits a little too close to home. Despite the upper-class setting, this plot could happen at any school, in any part of the country. Children have become so creative in their meanness, and even more ignorant to its consequences, as us adults have, as well.
Disclaimer aside, this book was really incredibly enjoyable. Many people have compared it to Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl, and I can see a bit of a parallel of it for a YA version. Many twists and turns keep the story moving at an incredibly fast pace, even with interlaced chapters from the days/months leading up to the death of one of the main characters (no spoiler alert necessary -- this plot element is on the back cover) to give readers back story in an effort to help them figure out the mystery before her mother does. There are quite a few characters to keep track of, which does get tricky at times, but this does not take away from the plot.
All in all, a really interesting, fast-paced story that hopefully teens and parents can learn from, before it's too late...
emrache's review against another edition
3.0
While by no means great literature, this book was gripping and intriguing.
tawnsolo's review
5.0
This book was like a combination of Gossip Girl and Law and Order. I didn't expect to enjoy it so much. I was hoping for a different ending, but it was still interesting nonetheless.