stacyculler's review against another edition
2.0
Not a fan.
This story was so very implausible, and I disliked some things about the writing style. The author would change setting, location, time frame and character from one paragraph to the next, which I found annoying and sometimes confusing. Time was spent with details about characters that had absolutely no bearing on the plot, such as Holly, Richard’s second wife.
I did enjoy the character growth in Phillip and Charlene as the story progressed. That was a redeeming characteristic. And I also enjoyed the Donnelly character and storyline, and Phillip’s poetry was actually quite good.
This story was so very implausible, and I disliked some things about the writing style. The author would change setting, location, time frame and character from one paragraph to the next, which I found annoying and sometimes confusing. Time was spent with details about characters that had absolutely no bearing on the plot, such as Holly, Richard’s second wife.
I did enjoy the character growth in Phillip and Charlene as the story progressed. That was a redeeming characteristic. And I also enjoyed the Donnelly character and storyline, and Phillip’s poetry was actually quite good.
selinamarcille's review against another edition
4.0
This was a very compelling book from the start. We have a wide array of characters, and all of them come through incredibly clearly. Their voices are each unique, even though the POV is 3rd person.
I loved the flowing of the story. We knew things were happening and we wanted to know why. I was a bit disappointed with the ending. It felt a bit abrupt. I would have liked to have seen more, but that is typical of my reading personality.
I did feel like I kept waiting for the story to really start. I guess I didn't feel super rushed to find out what happened. I am still unsure about how I feel about making the big discovery about the baby's father. I think I would have liked it to be more climactic, but still good overall.
Not as good as Help for the Haunted, but still a solid read! John Searles for the win!
I loved the flowing of the story. We knew things were happening and we wanted to know why. I was a bit disappointed with the ending. It felt a bit abrupt. I would have liked to have seen more, but that is typical of my reading personality.
I did feel like I kept waiting for the story to really start. I guess I didn't feel super rushed to find out what happened. I am still unsure about how I feel about making the big discovery about the baby's father. I think I would have liked it to be more climactic, but still good overall.
Not as good as Help for the Haunted, but still a solid read! John Searles for the win!
prof_shoff's review against another edition
3.0
The shifting point of view and changeable tense weren't always my favorite but I appreciate Searles' ability to weave together an interesting story out of seemingly disconnected pieces.
hendrickreads's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.25
I was not expecting the wild ride I got taken on. A mysterious pregnancy, a mourning family, and what happens after a loss all mingle with the suspicious life of an older couple. The method of storytelling eventually grew on me but I am not thrilled with it. The ending made up for the quirky prose and broken timelines.
katie_esh's review against another edition
4.0
Over 600+ books on my TBR, but this has the honor of being the book with the ugliest cover for my 2021 Popsugar reading challenge. Ronnie died five years ago, so imagine the shock when his girlfriend shows up pregnant claiming the baby is Ronnie's. This book was a page-turner, and just when I thought I knew where things were headed, the plot went sideways. This is a coming of age thriller that really took me by surprise!
thebookborrower's review against another edition
Intensely boring and not well written. Couldn’t get past the first few chapters. Sorry.
ahsimlibrarian's review
3.0
: This aptly titled novel plunges the reader headlong into an improbable situation. Five years after Ronnie Chase's death in a prom-night automobile accident, his girlfriend, Melissa, finds herself miraculously pregnant with Ronnie's baby. The fractured Chase family doesn't know what to believe upon hearing this disturbing news. Mr. Chase has remarried; his ex-wife, Charlene, is a bitter, broken woman; and their remaining son, Philip, is back at home with his mother and recovering from a nasty fall from his apartment building. Melissa's unbelievable dilemma dredges up pain and confusion yet it also stirs the vestiges of hope against all rational thought. Philip owns the heart of the story as the son who lives in the shadow of his dead brother's popularity and promise. Crisp, clear prose and shifting perspectives take us into the minds and motivations of the characters. Less issue laden than its predecessor, Searles' follow-up to Boy Still Missing (2001) is a compulsively readable exploration of the ways in which lives can pivot on one horrible occurrence. -- MishaStone (BookList, 07-01-2004, p1820)
twitchyredpen's review
3.0
Despite being told mostly or entirely in the present tense, this book did not suck. Also, this is a very good example of non-linear storytelling without making a confusing mess. From varying perspectives, no less. Without saying "5 years earlier, by Melissa" or whatever --the writing effectively showed the reader when and who instead of having to tell. Gold star.
As for the reading, funny story about that. I went into this book blind, probably having picked it up at a garage sale or Goodwill, feeding a book-hoarding habit that I've mostly gotten out of. It had birds on the cover! It was called Strange But True! I kindof assumed horror-fantasy when I picked the book up again in an effort to clear out the entire shelf I have of unread books.
It was not horror-fantasy. Probably should have picked that up from the "A Novel" on the front.
Story takes place (mostly) five years after an accident that killed a teenager, looking at his brooding older brother (who hates their mother), their mother (who hates everyone), and his [dead teenager's] girlfriend (who is pregnant and says it's his because she's been praying a lot and he was the only one she was ever with). Some jumping back to right before or soonish after accident, some checking in with teen's father (who left soon post-accident because his wife had become a hateful harpy) and the old people who the girlfriend rents a dumpy cottage from.
But it's less about the accident and pregnancy than it is about the process of grief, the process of coming to terms with your thoughts, winding back in your mind to reevaluate thoughts from the past.
I am not super fond of the ending, or not fond of the plot point that led to the ending. It's good in the sense that pretty much everything is resolved or on a clear path. And I like that it didn't feel the need to be explicit/obscene about what happened -- it just laid the evidence out clearly. But... there was all this intriguing writing about people's feelings and grief and thoughts and how they were handling being forced back together. Then, every path that came in contact with this one stopped being about intriguing feelings and became about Like the writer had a great idea of this whole family/feelings things but then went "coming in with a 5-year-late pregnancy is great, but now I'm stuck writing how that happened" and picked for plausibility rather than thematic fit.
Semi-related, my suspension of disbelief has issues with.
Overall I think it was well written, moreso than I expected, and the ending wasn't *bad* -- just below its potential.
As for the reading, funny story about that. I went into this book blind, probably having picked it up at a garage sale or Goodwill, feeding a book-hoarding habit that I've mostly gotten out of. It had birds on the cover! It was called Strange But True! I kindof assumed horror-fantasy when I picked the book up again in an effort to clear out the entire shelf I have of unread books.
It was not horror-fantasy. Probably should have picked that up from the "A Novel" on the front.
Story takes place (mostly) five years after an accident that killed a teenager, looking at his brooding older brother (who hates their mother), their mother (who hates everyone), and his [dead teenager's] girlfriend (who is pregnant and says it's his because she's been praying a lot and he was the only one she was ever with). Some jumping back to right before or soonish after accident, some checking in with teen's father (who left soon post-accident because his wife had become a hateful harpy) and the old people who the girlfriend rents a dumpy cottage from.
But it's less about the accident and pregnancy than it is about the process of grief, the process of coming to terms with your thoughts, winding back in your mind to reevaluate thoughts from the past.
I am not super fond of the ending, or not fond of the plot point that led to the ending. It's good in the sense that pretty much everything is resolved or on a clear path. And I like that it didn't feel the need to be explicit/obscene about what happened -- it just laid the evidence out clearly. But... there was all this intriguing writing about people's feelings and grief and thoughts and how they were handling being forced back together. Then, every path that came in contact with this one stopped being about intriguing feelings and became about
Spoiler
solving crime, hitting people with shovels, etc.Semi-related, my suspension of disbelief has issues with
Spoiler
an old guy surviving multiple hits with a fireplace poker, old lady never poking her head into the other cottage, Missy never saying 'no thanks every time i drink with you I wake up achy and in the wrong pajamas' or considering that weirdOverall I think it was well written, moreso than I expected, and the ending wasn't *bad* -- just below its potential.
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