Reviews with content warning for Panic attacks/disorders - Rock Paper Scissors

I wish people were more like books. If you realize halfway through a novel that you aren't enjoying it anymore, you can just stop and find something new to read. Same with films and TV dramas. There is no judgment, no guilt, nobody
even needs to know unless you choose to tell them. But with people, you tend to have to see it through to the end, and sadly not everyone gets to live happily ever after

Sometimes you just know a person is bad news as soon as you meet them, because they’re rotten, inside and out, and instinct tells you to stay away.

this one was difficult for me to rate. when i finished it, it didn’t feel like a 5 star read BUT it also didn’t feel like a 4 star read or as low as a 3 star read. i think i hyped this one up for myself prior to diving in to it, which ultimately lead to me being disappointed and settling on 3 stars. it started out great and i really liked it until the end, which i wasn’t a fan of at all. while i didn’t guess the main/big plot twist, i still didn’t get that wow factor i look for in thrillers when the twists/reveals occur. i did really enjoy the writing style, so i’ll definitely be checking out other books by this author - this just wasn’t the book for me.

Content Warnings

rebeccaelizabeth94's review

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Content Warnings

necessary_rotting's review

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dark slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.0

I wish I could get the last 5 hours of time back.
This book has been so heavily praised and to me was beyond lackluster. The only praise I can provide is that I managed to finish it, which is the only reason it's getting 1 star instead of zero. This is my first Alice Feeney novel and most likely my last. I do see how others could tote this novel, but it was not for me.
Marketed as a page-turner but was a struggle to get through between the lack of connection and phrases used. I knew all hope was lost when I read the statement “I’ve never been great at sticking to rules”. There was no depth to the characters in this book. Not only that, but for what we know of the characters their behavior and interactions don’t make sense.
The only time I felt myself somewhat compelled to keep reading was during the “twist” that gave you an “oh” which lasted for about ten pages before spiraling to be even worse than before. The story had potential, but really fell flat.
While reading I felt as though I was watching a cringey low-budget Netflix movie that I finished just for the sake of doing so.

Content Warnings