ladylothlorien's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Spoiler
once again though the ending is kind of throwing me off. Like of course killing Matt isn’t going to result in a breakup with Chess like Emily was hoping for in a mirror of what she thought happened with Mari and Lara. It’s just going to make Emily beholden to Chess forever since Chess knows this huge secret. I don’t really have a problem with that. I don’t really like the revelation that pretty much all of the Mari sections were fictionalized by Mari to make what happened more interesting. Maybe it’s less the betrayal of Emily who clearly used it as a blueprint for freedom and more the betrayal of me the reader. I’m sensitive to stories where the author (in this case Hawkins) deliberately lies about something without there being any indication of it that I can point to and go “oh I missed that hint!” <\spoiler>So the ending ended up knocking off a star but I still overall enjoyed the book. And I’m really enjoying Hawkins’s penchant for these sort of literary retellings, so definitely going to read more by her.
Moderate: Murder, Blood, Child death, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Chronic illness, Adult/minor relationship, Violence, Suicide, and Vomit
The age gap relationship is Mari and Pierce who got together when Mari was still an underage teen, but Mari is 19 for most of the events of this book. Emily is also going thru a contentious divorce which for anyone who has been thru one might feel uncomfortably familiar.elisalasater's review
- 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? It's complicated
3.0
Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Murder, Violence, Drug abuse, and Drug use
Minor: Pregnancy
heypretty52'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
4.5
Graphic: Drug use, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Addiction, Alcohol, Child death, Death, Grief, Infidelity, Murder, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Cancer, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Vomit, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Violence, Suicide, Stalking, and Blood
Spoiler
The grieving of an description of child death is explicit. The miscarriage by another character isn't explicit and is only briefly mentioned.olives_18's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Minor: Suicide attempt, Suicide, Chronic illness, and Violence
jkarki'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
4.5
I don't think I really liked a single character in this book, but I loved to hate them. Emily and Mari were tolerable, but not sure why Emily didn't also
Spoiler
"let" Chess drown too.A nice easy read, would be a great beach read! Maybe don't read it if you're planning a trip to a remote Italian town and staying in an old villa though.
Graphic: Death of parent, Drug abuse, Suicide, Murder, Child death, Infidelity, Drug use, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Alcoholism, and Alcohol
Minor: Chronic illness, Sexual harassment, Violence, and Stalking
nykolereads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Murder, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Minor: Pregnancy, Miscarriage, and Chronic illness
hannah_and_her_stories'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
Moderate: Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Drug use, Grief, Alcohol, Death, Violence, Murder, Toxic friendship, Adult/minor relationship, and Child death
Minor: Miscarriage, Terminal illness, Suicide, Pregnancy, Drug use, Abortion, Blood, Vomit, and Murder
mariavdl's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Child death
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Vomit, Violence, Suicide, Miscarriage, Alcohol, Blood, Terminal illness, Pregnancy, and Infidelity
carissa230's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
When they get to Italy it becomes clear that the girls are more frenemies than best friends. They have been friends forever, but there is an imbalance in the relationship. In Italy Emily is inspired to right a true crime book based off the house they're staying in. Chess is seeing some writers block and wants to hop on the book with Emily. Why Emily would even consider this is beyond me. What could she possibly need from Chess in this situation besides the fans she already has?
In the other (and far more interesting) storyline we have a group of famous musicians on a vacation. There are a lot of drugs used and a lot of fighting and jealousy. Mari and Lara are 16-year-old girls (16!) that are staying and partying with the rockstars. Maris is also compelled by the house to write a book. Lara wants to be a musician in her own right. While the rock stars party, the girls balance between trying to mend their fight and jealousy. Turns out both girls are in love with Pierce (I don't have any idea why, probably because they're 16).
The storyline of the fighting, jealousy, and drug-fueled parties was by far more entertaining to me. I think that can happen in books with multiple timelines. One is generally more entertaining. Obviously, the fact that both Emily and Chess want to write about the part makes it more interesting.
Graphic: Murder, Infidelity, Child death, and Violence
Minor: Miscarriage
frenchvanillapowdercreamer'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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Toxic relationship, Murder, Infidelity, Child death, Death, Drug use, Toxic friendship, Drug abuse, Violence, Pregnancy, and Chronic illness
Minor: Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, and Suicide