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mtoothman3's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Loved the twists, but the plot is a little hard to stomach. I still couldn't put it down.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Murder
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Gore, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Grief
masone's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.25
Every character in this book is cartoonishly villainous. Every decision is the classic wrong choice for a horror movie. The twists are ridiculous, and the book is difficult to get through. The ending is very rushed, to fit in the ridiculous plot twists.
Content Warnings
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Sexual assault
magym's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Intense to read and touches on topics that some people may not be comfortable with
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
beccah9191's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
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? No
5.0
Really great book. I am really enjoying Frieda McFadden books at the moment. Enjoyed the twist at the end. It actually took me 10mins after finishing the audiobook to twig about the ending. Very cleverly done.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Stalking, and Murder
jessyjessx's review against another edition
tense
medium-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
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
moodyreader375's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
chapters_and_pages's review against another edition
challenging
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? Yes
4.0
I’ve literally just finished this book and I have no idea what to say…
Eve has a good life, she has a great job and a wonderful husband. Life is good. Last year, Caseham High was rocked by allegations of a student-teacher affair. With student Addie at the centre, but Eve knows there is more to the story, and that Addie might be someone you can’t trust.
Honestly, this book is a wild ride and I feel quite torn. On the one hand, I did enjoy reading this book, well as much as you can enjoy a book revolving around grooming and pedophilia, but on the other hand, I was left with some questions.
Starting with characters, I wasn’t a fan of Eve. She was rude, materialistic, annoying and honestly not a great teacher if her treatment of Addie is anything to go by. Nate seemed alright at the beginning but, let’s be honest, if you’ve read the book, then you know that changed very bloody quickly. Addie was probably my favourite of the three. Was she perfect? Hell no. Did she make some poor decisions? Many. But the fact that no one but a predator seemed to notice that she was on a downwards spiral and seriously needed help and support is beyond me. It’s a terrible school.
I wasn’t surprised when Nate showed his true colours, between grooming multiple young girls and the events between him, Eve and Addie towards the end of the book, he honestly had it coming to him. I thought the twist with Eve practically coming back from the dead was hilarious. If that’s not karma, I don’t know what is. I didn’t see the fact that Eve was one of Nate’s earliest victims coming, even though I probably should have, but it definitely made sense.
I really liked how Addie’s life started to improve, how she was no longer the subject of bullying, she got her old friend back and made new ones and had found people who understood her abuse that she could talk to.
The final twist of the book was Jay. Honestly, I had to read those last couple pages multiple times to wrap my head around it. But it left me with questions. One, did Eve know Jay’s real identity? Two, if she didn’t, how is that possible? Considering he attends the same school she works at and he’s a fairly popular football player. Three, even if you gave her the benefit of the doubt, surely this sixteen-year-old didn’t look like he could possibly be married with a baby? Surely he looked, you know, like a teenager! Either Eve had no idea and just the worst luck, or the victim became the abuser… honestly, my brain hurts.
Overall, I found this book very intriguing and it will definitely not be my last Freida McFadden book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Stalking, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
jmkendall0218's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Murder, and Toxic friendship
mrscorytee's review against another edition
dark
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? Yes
0.5
How do these books get published?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Pedophilia, and Murder
lexithelion's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This was an interesting read. The writing was really good, as Frieda McFadden always writes well, but the subject matter is very uncomfortable. I can understand that that was the point, however I have read many of her other novels, and comparatively, this one feels out of place. This book is super predictable, which is also something different from her other novels. This was still well-written and for the most part entertaining, except that middle section was very uncomfortable to get through. I also think that Addie as a character is super frustrating. Yes, she is a child and when I was 16, I made bad decisions too, but she went way over the line of what would be an expected amount of stupidity for a teenager. I wouldn't recommend this if you like Frieda's other novels but maybe you would enjoy it if you want to explore darker material.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Stalking, Murder, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Body horror, Confinement, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Teacher/student relationship