arieslofi's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
i'm going to start with a small preface: i do understand why others would like this book. i do understand why people think this is a nice, light, comforting read. it's a no brainer, it's virtually got no stakes whatsoever, it's a ya with a love triangle. it's mindless fun. i get it! i like mindless fun too! good mourning by mgk and mod sun is one of my favorite movies!
that being said: this book is utter shit.
for starters, it's got a larger ensemble than it can possibly handle. you're writing a book for tweens, not the next agatha christie novel! when we got to the twist, i genuinely couldn't care because, with such a big cast, these two characters are virtually meaningless. they hold nothing for me.
speaking of, the characters are all so two dimensional it's not even funny. the amount of internalized misogyny coming from our main character is utterly insane, especially considering this is a book for TEENS(!!!) and came out in 2017. were we not better then? did we genuinely think a good female character shits on others for no reason other than jealousy and insecurity? you guys talk shit about twilight and bella being a "mary sue" but at least she was a girl respecter! the ensemble in general just sucks, it's spread too thin and the silly nicknames for the two brothers just made me sigh. i know this isn't for adults, but it truly did not feel endearing, just childish.
the two love interests are the classic brooding and sarcastic older guy and the sweet and protective same aged friend, which is just boring. nothing about them seemed interesting to me, and their chemistry with sophie was nonexistent. the forced moments of jealous banter were also just cringeworthy, nothing new or even plausible.
the plot itself is... something. it starts as a completely nonthreatening book, then i guess they told the author it wasn't going to sell well, so she had to throw in thriller elements that are boring and uninteresting, and then a thriller ending that is boring and uninteresting.
this also might be because of the translation, but the writing itself was pure garbage. why are there constant cliffhanger endings to the chapters? this isn't goosebumps. why is there constant lampshading that convinces me the author shoehorned the thriller aspects after her editor told her to? why is some of the dialogue so forced and unrealistic? who the fuck is pierre? literally who is that? i never went back to check because that's not my fucking job! it's your job to make me remember a character if you're going to make him be in the twist ending! which was ass, by the way. you can tell it's coming from miles away, and i'm not even a big thriller/mystery reader anymore.
tl;dr: too big of an ensemble, characters that are too shallow, writing that is too juvenile and borderline childish, cringeworthy dialogue and interactions. simply put, a waste of a whole month and space in my phone!
but it wasn't red white and royal blue, so it gets a pass for that. it could be worse!
that being said: this book is utter shit.
for starters, it's got a larger ensemble than it can possibly handle. you're writing a book for tweens, not the next agatha christie novel! when we got to the twist, i genuinely couldn't care because, with such a big cast, these two characters are virtually meaningless. they hold nothing for me.
speaking of, the characters are all so two dimensional it's not even funny. the amount of internalized misogyny coming from our main character is utterly insane, especially considering this is a book for TEENS(!!!) and came out in 2017. were we not better then? did we genuinely think a good female character shits on others for no reason other than jealousy and insecurity? you guys talk shit about twilight and bella being a "mary sue" but at least she was a girl respecter! the ensemble in general just sucks, it's spread too thin and the silly nicknames for the two brothers just made me sigh. i know this isn't for adults, but it truly did not feel endearing, just childish.
the two love interests are the classic brooding and sarcastic older guy and the sweet and protective same aged friend, which is just boring. nothing about them seemed interesting to me, and their chemistry with sophie was nonexistent. the forced moments of jealous banter were also just cringeworthy, nothing new or even plausible.
the plot itself is... something. it starts as a completely nonthreatening book, then i guess they told the author it wasn't going to sell well, so she had to throw in thriller elements that are boring and uninteresting, and then a thriller ending that is boring and uninteresting.
this also might be because of the translation, but the writing itself was pure garbage. why are there constant cliffhanger endings to the chapters? this isn't goosebumps. why is there constant lampshading that convinces me the author shoehorned the thriller aspects after her editor told her to? why is some of the dialogue so forced and unrealistic? who the fuck is pierre? literally who is that? i never went back to check because that's not my fucking job! it's your job to make me remember a character if you're going to make him be in the twist ending! which was ass, by the way. you can tell it's coming from miles away, and i'm not even a big thriller/mystery reader anymore.
tl;dr: too big of an ensemble, characters that are too shallow, writing that is too juvenile and borderline childish, cringeworthy dialogue and interactions. simply put, a waste of a whole month and space in my phone!
but it wasn't red white and royal blue, so it gets a pass for that. it could be worse!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping and Misogyny
Moderate: Incest
ob_ledbetter's review against another edition
4.0
A wonderful winter read! It felt like the Grand Budapest Hotel mixed with a hefty dose of danger and magic. My only complaint was the pacing: while enjoyable, 80% of the book moved pretty slowly. The last 20% FLEW!
I appreciated the spooky ghost elements in a Christmas setting. Very Victorian!
This was going to earn a solid 3 stars until the ending.
I appreciated the spooky ghost elements in a Christmas setting. Very Victorian!
This was going to earn a solid 3 stars until the ending.
theresahaf's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Gun violence
saskia16's review against another edition
4.0
3,5 Sterne. Ich runde mal auf. đ
Zu allererst: Kein schlechtes Buch!
...aber auch eben kein Spitzenreiter...
Was soll ich sagen? Ich habe etwas völlig anderes erwartet und war perplex wie irrelevant viele Ereignisse waren. Allein der Schreibstil von Kerstin Gier hat mich am lesen gehalten, die Story hĂ€tte das nicht geschafft. Sie schreibt einfach wundervoll, egal worum es geht - dieses Buch ist der Beweis. Es macht mich wirklich traurig. Aber an Silber oder geschweige denn sogar die Edelstein-Trilogie anzuknĂŒpfen war wohl etwas zu viel verlangt đ
Zu allererst: Kein schlechtes Buch!
...aber auch eben kein Spitzenreiter...
Was soll ich sagen? Ich habe etwas völlig anderes erwartet und war perplex wie irrelevant viele Ereignisse waren. Allein der Schreibstil von Kerstin Gier hat mich am lesen gehalten, die Story hĂ€tte das nicht geschafft. Sie schreibt einfach wundervoll, egal worum es geht - dieses Buch ist der Beweis. Es macht mich wirklich traurig. Aber an Silber oder geschweige denn sogar die Edelstein-Trilogie anzuknĂŒpfen war wohl etwas zu viel verlangt đ
wonbit's review against another edition
2.0
rating arredondada pra baixo porque estou a sentir-me mĂĄ e cruel e vilĂŁ.
o livro lĂȘ-se bem e tem uns momentos engraçadinhos, mas, como muitos disseram, falta-lhe um fio condutor (ou "roter Faden" - aprendi que Ă© assim que se diz em deutsch <3 obg reviews dos germĂąnicos). nas Ășltimas 80(?) pĂĄginas a autora lembra-se de aumentar o ritmo assim de repente e ficou sĂł um bocadinho messy... o romance tmb Ă© o tĂpico ridĂculo que se espera de livros da categoria de YA e tive de revirar um bocado os olhos nalgumas partes. mas nĂŁo foi a pior coisa, sĂł nĂŁo Ă© pra mim. Ă© um livrinho aconchegante atĂ©. beijinhos atĂ© amanhĂŁ
o livro lĂȘ-se bem e tem uns momentos engraçadinhos, mas, como muitos disseram, falta-lhe um fio condutor (ou "roter Faden" - aprendi que Ă© assim que se diz em deutsch <3 obg reviews dos germĂąnicos). nas Ășltimas 80(?) pĂĄginas a autora lembra-se de aumentar o ritmo assim de repente e ficou sĂł um bocadinho messy... o romance tmb Ă© o tĂpico ridĂculo que se espera de livros da categoria de YA e tive de revirar um bocado os olhos nalgumas partes. mas nĂŁo foi a pior coisa, sĂł nĂŁo Ă© pra mim. Ă© um livrinho aconchegante atĂ©. beijinhos atĂ© amanhĂŁ
beenie_'s review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
caliesha's review against another edition
2.0
Uncertain how my fun fluffy Swiss rom-com turned into a high stakes, kidnapping children, jumping out windows jewel-heist but I guess that's YA for you.
vanamonkukka's review against another edition
4.0
tÀÀ kirja piti mut hereillÀ kolmeen saakka aamulla ja oli just sitÀ mitÀ tÀllÀ hetkellÀ kaipasinki <33
lÀmmin tunnelma, upea tapahtumapaikka, omaperÀset henkilöhahmot ja yllÀttÀvÀt kÀÀnteet piti ainakin mut mukana alusta loppuun saakka!
lÀmmin tunnelma, upea tapahtumapaikka, omaperÀset henkilöhahmot ja yllÀttÀvÀt kÀÀnteet piti ainakin mut mukana alusta loppuun saakka!