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bsmith27's review against another edition
3.0
Novel about a lawyer who returns to her small hometown to take on a big corporation who is polluting the local water source. The plot was a little tough to follow or maybe I didn't care enough.
casebounder's review against another edition
3.0
Krysten Ritter's compelling crime debut is - to me - as if Ruth Ware wrote a draft of Erin Brockovich. It's a mysterious, fast-paced novel full of timely controversies and personal demons. The flawed heroine, Abby, is a woman who's moved on to the big city, found success, earned a great apartment and a great wardrobe - and effectively erased the person she was in high school. But when she chases a corruption case back to her small hometown, she can't help but pull at the strands that could destroy it all.
I really enjoyed this novel, and totally recommend it to fans of the genre!
I really enjoyed this novel, and totally recommend it to fans of the genre!
izzy_616's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
kshilvock's review against another edition
4.0
I'm still not sure of how I feel about parts of this book, but most of it is just nit-picky things I think. Overall, this book was highly intriguing with an interesting main character and was most certainly a mystery I could not put down. I would have liked more character development for the main characters - more of an actual character arc - and more plot details throughout that tie it all together at the end. But I love the environmental conservation backdrop and the intimate look at the small town America I grew up with.
lockmm's review against another edition
4.0
Not much to say on this one. The last book I read – Emma in the Night – was so terrible I hit a reading slump and I decided the only way out was a short, quick thriller. A gamble I know, since Emma in the Night was a thriller too. But I was willing to take that chance and it paid off, so what more could I want?
Probably the most surprising thing about this book is it’s an actual book. With like a complicated plot and well-developed characters. You rarely see that in books written by celebrities! The ending is lacking and kind of a letdown, which seems to the theme in the thrillers I’ve read this year (all three of them.) But I wanted something quick and enjoyable and I got that. The characters feel like real people you’d know, the plot moves at a steady and engaging pace, and the ending does at least make logical sense even though that’s not where I would have gone with it. So 4 out of 5 stars.
Probably the most surprising thing about this book is it’s an actual book. With like a complicated plot and well-developed characters. You rarely see that in books written by celebrities! The ending is lacking and kind of a letdown, which seems to the theme in the thrillers I’ve read this year (all three of them.) But I wanted something quick and enjoyable and I got that. The characters feel like real people you’d know, the plot moves at a steady and engaging pace, and the ending does at least make logical sense even though that’s not where I would have gone with it. So 4 out of 5 stars.
secret_lives_of_fiction_lovers's review against another edition
4.0
Really enjoyed reading this! Bit of a twist near the end which I should have figured it out long ago. A full review coming soon.
emleemay's review against another edition
2.0
Going into this book, I had no idea who Krysten Ritter was. It was only when I went to the Goodreads page just now that I realized she's an actress. So I had approached this as I would any hyped thriller with an enticingly fiery cover. Unfortunately, though, I found [b:Bonfire|33876540|Bonfire|Krysten Ritter|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1493844645s/33876540.jpg|54837666] to have a recycled plot that lacked a certain juicy nastiness I like in my thrillers.
And isn't this a story we've seen a thousand times?
Maybe it's just me, but I feel like I've read countless versions of a woman escaping her smalltown life, only to grow up and become a detective or lawyer or whatever and return to solve a mystery and face all the people and unresolved issues of her past. I even think I've read a bunch of romance variations on this plot, too. It reminds me a little of [b:Sharp Objects|18045891|Sharp Objects|Gillian Flynn|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1475695315s/18045891.jpg|3801], but Ritter is no Gillian Flynn.
I felt like Ritter was trying to capture the "evil teen girls" vibe that so many authors want to tap into. The protagonist - Abby Williams - has a lot of personal demons and they're mostly related to the bullying she endured during her schooldays. Though I think this intense world of teenage girldom has been explored much better by other authors, from Megan Abbott to Abigail Haas.
[b:Bonfire|33876540|Bonfire|Krysten Ritter|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1493844645s/33876540.jpg|54837666] sees Abby, now an environmental lawyer, returning to her hometown and hoping to uncover the truth about Optimal, a plastics corporation. Abby believes Optimal has been polluting the town's water supply and caused a string of unexplained illnesses among her classmates years ago. One of whom disappeared. The classmates in question claimed it was a harmless prank, but Abby's convinced otherwise.
I completely appreciate the importance of environmental pollution issues but I've got to say-- it's a bit of a hard sell as a compelling thriller. I only recall [a:Paolo Bacigalupi|1226977|Paolo Bacigalupi|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1375566282p2/1226977.jpg] doing it successfully. There was just never a moment when the book took hold of me and made me desperate to know the answers.
It was also just very unconvincing overall. I couldn't understand why Abby was so adamant that the pollution took place when even those who got sick claimed it wasn't true. It's not a spoiler to state the obvious - there is something more going on, but I don't know why Abby would think that. And [b:Bonfire|33876540|Bonfire|Krysten Ritter|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1493844645s/33876540.jpg|54837666] relies heavily on Abby conveniently remembering, forgetting, or deducing (quite incredibly) as needed. Abby makes many tenuous connections between some clue - that fell into her lap - and the truth, whilst jumping to conclusions that I doubt anyone would have made.
Also thought it was strange how Abby quickly developed TWO romantic relationships with the men of Barrens, but it didn't have any impact on the story whatsoever.
There is a moment at the climax of the novel which is easily the most thrilling of the whole book, and it was my favourite part, but the culprit will come as a surprise to few. They were so obviously shady that I had almost convinced myself they were a glaring red herring.
The climax leads into an extremely rushed ending-- we discover the villain, witness a face-off, and wrap it all up in the last fifteen pages of the book. Messy and disappointing.
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And isn't this a story we've seen a thousand times?
Maybe it's just me, but I feel like I've read countless versions of a woman escaping her smalltown life, only to grow up and become a detective or lawyer or whatever and return to solve a mystery and face all the people and unresolved issues of her past. I even think I've read a bunch of romance variations on this plot, too. It reminds me a little of [b:Sharp Objects|18045891|Sharp Objects|Gillian Flynn|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1475695315s/18045891.jpg|3801], but Ritter is no Gillian Flynn.
I felt like Ritter was trying to capture the "evil teen girls" vibe that so many authors want to tap into. The protagonist - Abby Williams - has a lot of personal demons and they're mostly related to the bullying she endured during her schooldays. Though I think this intense world of teenage girldom has been explored much better by other authors, from Megan Abbott to Abigail Haas.
[b:Bonfire|33876540|Bonfire|Krysten Ritter|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1493844645s/33876540.jpg|54837666] sees Abby, now an environmental lawyer, returning to her hometown and hoping to uncover the truth about Optimal, a plastics corporation. Abby believes Optimal has been polluting the town's water supply and caused a string of unexplained illnesses among her classmates years ago. One of whom disappeared. The classmates in question claimed it was a harmless prank, but Abby's convinced otherwise.
I completely appreciate the importance of environmental pollution issues but I've got to say-- it's a bit of a hard sell as a compelling thriller. I only recall [a:Paolo Bacigalupi|1226977|Paolo Bacigalupi|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1375566282p2/1226977.jpg] doing it successfully. There was just never a moment when the book took hold of me and made me desperate to know the answers.
It was also just very unconvincing overall. I couldn't understand why Abby was so adamant that the pollution took place when even those who got sick claimed it wasn't true. It's not a spoiler to state the obvious - there is something more going on, but I don't know why Abby would think that. And [b:Bonfire|33876540|Bonfire|Krysten Ritter|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1493844645s/33876540.jpg|54837666] relies heavily on Abby conveniently remembering, forgetting, or deducing (quite incredibly) as needed. Abby makes many tenuous connections between some clue - that fell into her lap - and the truth, whilst jumping to conclusions that I doubt anyone would have made.
Also thought it was strange how Abby quickly developed TWO romantic relationships with the men of Barrens, but it didn't have any impact on the story whatsoever.
There is a moment at the climax of the novel which is easily the most thrilling of the whole book, and it was my favourite part, but the culprit will come as a surprise to few. They were so obviously shady that I had almost convinced myself they were a glaring red herring.
The climax leads into an extremely rushed ending-- we discover the villain, witness a face-off, and wrap it all up in the last fifteen pages of the book. Messy and disappointing.
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sundropreeds's review against another edition
2.0
I almost DNF this book. I found myself not caring about the characters or the story line.
sillygoosereads's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 stars.
Plot was kind of all over the place and unbelievable.
Characters and relationships were intriguing and well written though.
Plot was kind of all over the place and unbelievable.
Characters and relationships were intriguing and well written though.
booklovershangout's review against another edition
3.0
I really enjoyed this story. I think Krysten does great at telling stories. I love the prose and the writing style. It held my interest. I thought the storyline was believable and the characters were not always likeable, but definitely real.
My only trouble is that I found the story a bit predictable. I felt like I could see the ending before it happened and it was wrapped up fairly quickly.
All in all though, I thought it was a solid debut and I would definitely read more from Krysten. She is definitely multi-talented. I have loved her acting work and now I will really enjoy her writing.
My only trouble is that I found the story a bit predictable. I felt like I could see the ending before it happened and it was wrapped up fairly quickly.
All in all though, I thought it was a solid debut and I would definitely read more from Krysten. She is definitely multi-talented. I have loved her acting work and now I will really enjoy her writing.