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courtthelionberryann's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Mental illness, Sexual assault, and Suicide attempt
foldingthepage_kayleigh's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
4.5
I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about this one at first because it just reminded me so much of Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera that I read this summer that I couldn’t feel invested. But by the midway point I was hooked and all of the ridiculous small town drama sunk its claws into me. I had guessed a bunch of the major reveals but that didn’t hinder me from enjoying bingeing this fast-paced thriller. My only complaint is that I wish there had actually been podcast elements in this book, considering that one of the main characters is a podcaster!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Infidelity
simplyammee's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Death, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Suicide attempt, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, and Alcohol
Moderate: Cancer, Gun violence, Rape, Death of parent, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Vomit and Medical content
For anyone who needs info on the rape triggermeg1241's review against another edition
medium-paced
- 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? N/A
3.5
The story is good, but the book has so much filler. I feel like 1/4 of the book could've been cut out, without taking away from the storyline.
There are definitely twists in the book, but there are so many that it's almost hard to realize what is going on at times.
Nonetheless, it's worth the read.
There are definitely twists in the book, but there are so many that it's almost hard to realize what is going on at times.
Nonetheless, it's worth the read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, and Alcohol
Minor: Sexual content, Outing, and Abandonment
tiffanne11's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Why is it that people in Thrillers always insist on figuring things out for themselves and wander into potentially dangerous situations???
Naomi was attacked in the woods 22 years ago and almost died. Her testimony, along with her friends, put a serial killer behind bars. But now he's dead and the truth of what happened that day is murky and haunting her. A trip back to her small town opens up wounds, both old and new, as she tries to figure out who to trust and who is really responsible for what happened that day.
This was a good use of misdirection. There was suspicion on everyone and it was reasonable suspicion! Definitely going to haunt my psyche, because how well do you really know your friends?
Naomi was attacked in the woods 22 years ago and almost died. Her testimony, along with her friends, put a serial killer behind bars. But now he's dead and the truth of what happened that day is murky and haunting her. A trip back to her small town opens up wounds, both old and new, as she tries to figure out who to trust and who is really responsible for what happened that day.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Gun violence and Suicide
oliviawesome1's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book is a hard read. It’s page shifts frequently. But the ending- the artistry, the mystery, the story unfolding- is so worth it. It left me raw and pensive. I would definitely recommend reading it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Blood, and Murder
bergie99's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Suicide, Violence, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death
Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
xx_coco's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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? Yes
2.0
Naomi, Olivia, and Cassidy emerge from the woods one day after a terrible tragedy, leaving one of them on the brink of death and their friendship effectively broken. Roughly twenty years later, the girls are pulled back together by the crime that shook their small town and changed their lives forever. The man responsible for Naomi's near death that summer so many years ago is dead, a serial killer finally brought to justice. Or was he? A decades old secret will bring darkness to the town once again as Naomi searches for the truth they all did their damndest to bury and forget.
My biggest criticism with any thrillers/mysteries has to be how effectively they can set up and execute a plot twist, closely followed by how much I come to care for the characters in the thick of the turmoil. The first 1/2 to 3/4 of this book was sluggish to get through. There was a lot of setup establishing who these girls were when they were the target of an attempted murder at 11 years old that didn't necessarily help further the story. It simply could have been pared down. I did get a good idea of who they were in the present day and how tenuous their ties had become over the years as they distanced themselves from their trauma. Kate Alice Marshall did a great job illustrating how the way we perceive things as children can be inaccurate and heavily influenced by those around us. Sometimes as an adult it requires heavy work to understand situations from the past, especially traumatic ones.
I was able to give a good guess early on as to what the girls lied about, though I didn't fully realize until the last 1/4 of the story where exactly it was going. There were too many plot twists in a short amount of time and though they all tied the details together I would have preferred if smaller clues/details were peppered throughout the earlier parts of the story. It felt rushed and a bit chaotic as the pieces slotted into place for Naomi. I enjoyed the overall idea for this book, though it did lean a bit into what I imagine the authors YA work is like. The story read a bit juvenile for an adult thriller. Maybe I just wanted it to have a bit more edge. I did think it was smart to interweave two crimes together and this aspect of the book was handled very well; it was my favorite part of the reading experience.
Naomi was by far my favorite character in a cast of fairly unlikeable characters. Even the ones who on paper should have seemed unthreatening definitely had some skeletons hiding in their closets. Her portrayal felt accurate to what a child victim would have gone through growing up with their own trouble at home, trying to move on after a horrible attack, and navigating unhealthy coping mechanisms on top of it all. I was rooting for her to find some form of closure and healing in the end. She had her moments where I was insanely frustrated by her decisions, but it was all in line with her character.
I don't envy thriller writers because I don't know that I could orchestrate a plot twist very well or write a solid mystery myself, and if I did try then it would probably take a long time. So I commend every thriller author for their plotting. This read ended up being middle of the road for me. While it kept me guessing at the end it was more out of the sheer amount of information being thrown at me than it was the way it was crafted. This one just didn't do it for me.
My biggest criticism with any thrillers/mysteries has to be how effectively they can set up and execute a plot twist, closely followed by how much I come to care for the characters in the thick of the turmoil. The first 1/2 to 3/4 of this book was sluggish to get through. There was a lot of setup establishing who these girls were when they were the target of an attempted murder at 11 years old that didn't necessarily help further the story. It simply could have been pared down. I did get a good idea of who they were in the present day and how tenuous their ties had become over the years as they distanced themselves from their trauma. Kate Alice Marshall did a great job illustrating how the way we perceive things as children can be inaccurate and heavily influenced by those around us. Sometimes as an adult it requires heavy work to understand situations from the past, especially traumatic ones.
I was able to give a good guess early on as to what the girls lied about, though I didn't fully realize until the last 1/4 of the story where exactly it was going. There were too many plot twists in a short amount of time and though they all tied the details together I would have preferred if smaller clues/details were peppered throughout the earlier parts of the story. It felt rushed and a bit chaotic as the pieces slotted into place for Naomi. I enjoyed the overall idea for this book, though it did lean a bit into what I imagine the authors YA work is like. The story read a bit juvenile for an adult thriller. Maybe I just wanted it to have a bit more edge. I did think it was smart to interweave two crimes together and this aspect of the book was handled very well; it was my favorite part of the reading experience.
Naomi was by far my favorite character in a cast of fairly unlikeable characters. Even the ones who on paper should have seemed unthreatening definitely had some skeletons hiding in their closets. Her portrayal felt accurate to what a child victim would have gone through growing up with their own trouble at home, trying to move on after a horrible attack, and navigating unhealthy coping mechanisms on top of it all. I was rooting for her to find some form of closure and healing in the end. She had her moments where I was insanely frustrated by her decisions, but it was all in line with her character.
I don't envy thriller writers because I don't know that I could orchestrate a plot twist very well or write a solid mystery myself, and if I did try then it would probably take a long time. So I commend every thriller author for their plotting. This read ended up being middle of the road for me. While it kept me guessing at the end it was more out of the sheer amount of information being thrown at me than it was the way it was crafted. This one just didn't do it for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Mental illness, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Toxic friendship
newandhorrible's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence, Sexual assault, Suicide, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
allisonobrien's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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? No
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Murder, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Gun violence, Physical abuse, and Suicide attempt