Reviews with content warning for Suicidal thoughts - She Started It

Very predictable, none of the twists were shocking at all. And none of the characters were likeable so there was no one to root for. Pay attention to trigger warnings on this one

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mandajo's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.25

I enjoy having plot twists I didn't see coming. This book is not like that; it was pretty easy to figure out what was going to happen early on. My mom and I read it together and we guessed everything right.
Even with the predictability, I still really enjoyed this book and it kept my interest. It gives me if Mean Girls was a thriller vibes. Look for trigger warnings though before reading.

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coffee_kindle's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

The party of a lifetime is nothing like what they expected...

Poppy Greer is getting married, so why wouldn't you invite your 4 old school friends to your hen party on a private island in the Bahamas, first class, all expenses paid, even if you haven't spoken to the them in 10 years.

Although the 4 friends: Tanya; Annabel; Esther; and Chloe, have drifted apart as they have gotten older, there are secrets which bond them for life and the invitation to Poppy's hen party has them too curious and intrigued to turn down the offer.

When they meet Poppy on the island they are all shocked by her transformation since school and the confidence she now has. As the hen party unfolds the party games start to reveal some hidden secrets, turning their paradise holiday into a nightmare.

There are so many twists within this fast paced book, that it had me hooked throughout. It's wonderfully catty and smart, with characters that you can't help but hate. It was a hard book to put down, it really did grip me, with the clever use of story telling and every time I thought I had it sussed, a long came another twist, it is an action packed book, with plenty of suspense.

TW: Bullying is a theme throughout this book, with some Domestic Violence and abuse..

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC.

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erinmichele_reads's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious tense

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

4.0

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amberslibrarycard's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense slow-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

2.75

In "She Started It" by Sian Gilbert, a group of friends embarks on an extravagant bachelorette party for an old "friend", only to have hidden secrets and betrayals emerge, turning the trip into a perilous ordeal. As the suspense builds, they are forced to face their past and the unsettling truths that threaten to unravel their lives. I found this book to be very middle of the road. The concept was very fresh, but the execution was a little bit of a miss for me. I found the foreshadowing to be too much, I knew the big twist before they happened which destroyed most of the excitement for me. For example, the big reveal by Poppy was very obvious to me

As soon as Poppy mentioned in diary that Wendy wanted to pursue medicine, I know that it was Wendy and not Poppy on the island. Also, the lack of a body made it obvious to me that Poppy wasn't dead.

. Also, the "accomplice" revealed at the end was not a surprise. For me, it took too long to get some of Poppy's perspective through her diary entries. I was initially turned off by Poppy's behavior at the island because I didn't have the right connection to Poppy's character at that point. I will say that I really liked the end of the book, starting around chapter 32 it picked up in quality to me. I thought the final chapters were really good, even if the initial story was too drawn out for my taste. Not bad if you want something mysterious but easy to read.

Be warned, this book does tough on some sensitive topics! I didn't know that but thankfully they were not triggers for me.

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