vj_thompson's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Toxic relationship, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Terminal illness, Gun violence, and Death of parent
siglerbooknook's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I truly enjoyed this book. The plot was good, not overly complicated, and moved at a nice pace. The characters didn't grow or change much in the story, but are very loveable from the start.
The dialog was top tier. I truly enjoyed the quippy back and forths throughout the story.
The mystery aspect is entertaining, but you the reader are definitely just along for the ride. You aren't given enough pieces to solve it in advance.
The ending is a cliffhanger, so I'm glad I already have book 2. It is a great ending that leaves me wanting to dive into the next book. All the little puzzles are tied up nicely by the final pages and a new one has just begun.
I can't wait to see what the next book brings.
The dialog was top tier. I truly enjoyed the quippy back and forths throughout the story.
The mystery aspect is entertaining, but you the reader are definitely just along for the ride. You aren't given enough pieces to solve it in advance.
The ending is a cliffhanger, so I'm glad I already have book 2. It is a great ending that leaves me wanting to dive into the next book. All the little puzzles are tied up nicely by the final pages and a new one has just begun.
I can't wait to see what the next book brings.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Classism, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Medical content, Terminal illness, and Homophobia
itsmemiana's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I loved this.
I feel like I knew what was going to happen and then it wouldn't be that. and there were things that I was like "I feel like this person or thing is going to be important" and then I would be like "oh nvm, maybe it's not" AND THEN IT WOULD BE. and there were parts where I couldn't even put the book down because it got so interesting. I think this was a really good book.
I'm also low-key in love with Grayson and Jameson (and pretty much all the Hawthorne brothers but specially Grayson hehe).
I loved Avery although I do think she wasn't that good of a friend (specially to Max) through a lot of the book but I have a feeling she's gonna get better.
and I also think the grandfather of the boys was a lil creepy and weird lmao but that didn't affect my experience with this book at all.
ALSO THAT ENDING?????
can't wait to read the rest of the series.
I feel like I knew what was going to happen and then it wouldn't be that. and there were things that I was like "I feel like this person or thing is going to be important" and then I would be like "oh nvm, maybe it's not" AND THEN IT WOULD BE. and there were parts where I couldn't even put the book down because it got so interesting. I think this was a really good book.
I'm also low-key in love with Grayson and Jameson (and pretty much all the Hawthorne brothers but specially Grayson hehe).
I loved Avery although I do think she wasn't that good of a friend (specially to Max) through a lot of the book but I have a feeling she's gonna get better.
and I also think the grandfather of the boys was a lil creepy and weird lmao but that didn't affect my experience with this book at all.
ALSO THAT ENDING?????
can't wait to read the rest of the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Terminal illness, Blood, Gun violence, Medical content, Murder, Child death, Death, Fire/Fire injury, and Grief
Moderate: Car accident, Classism, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship
giulianalb99's review against another edition
mysterious
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? Yes
2.0
2⭐️
⚠️THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS⚠️
(and I swear a lot, sorry not sorry)
First and foremost, why THE ACTUAL fffffffuck is this book so freaking overhyped????? I decided to give this book a try because my entire fyp on tiktok was full of people recommending this “mind-blowing, you won’t see it coming” book, but I. WAS. BORED.
The premise was SO good and the first chapters were really interesting but in the middle of it I was so mother freaking fucking bored that I thought about dnfing it a few times. I actually forced myself to read this and it took me like a whole week to finish it when that never happens to me and I almost got into a reading block AND I DIDN’T WANT THAT, so all I’m asking is WHY??
The characters are so bland, Avery is just meh; there are 4 brothers but Nash is there for moral support because HE DOES NOTHING and Xander is the cool one who appears like the fucking Aladdin’s genie when you need help like ????????? make me understand this please.
The entire family hates Avery but none of them appears, and when they do is to tell her that “this family is fucked up”: thanks, I didn’t notice🙄
And what about Libby? Another character who’s there for moral support because, again, she does NOTHING. And the Emily thing? It had so much potential and when I read what happened to her I was like “really? That’s it?”
THE SUPPOSED LOVE TRIANGLE between Avery, Jameson and Grayson it’s so bad like wtffffff I have more chemistry with my best friend than them and he’s gay like WAKE UP. I don’t like love triangles and maybe it’s just my opinion but it was so plain with no coherence🤷🏻♀️ and WHY do they get angry at Avery all of a sudden with no explanation whatsoever? I’m just going to laugh😂😂😂 and don’t get me started when Avery almost got shot and Jameson KISSES HER WITHOUT HER CONSENT WHEN SHE’S STILL IN SHOCK AND HE DOESN’T EVEN CARE, no no no no no no no and NO. Oh and, “your mom just tried to kill me Grayson, and you will choose your family over everything but I don’t care” CAN WE STOP GIVING TOXIC PEOPLE OPPORTUNITIES??? All Grayson did throughout the entire book was criticize Avery and at the end he was all like “I will always protect you” BE FOR REAL DUDE WTFFFFFFFFF.
The riddles? The puzzles? The whatever those were, were 100% predictable and I wasn’t surprised with the plot twists because I had it all already figured it out 🤷🏻♀️ I expected the Harry thing since the very beginning but I still thought it was stupid. Also, you’re telling me that Avery is there for the most stupid reason EVER? Nope, I refuse to believe this book had so much potential and it was totally wasted.
Good things about this book: short chapters, good writing (but not perfect), great level of english (if english is not your first language but you’re thinking about giving this book a try, you can totally do it because it’s really easy to read) and I learned new words that I didn’t know the meaning of.
Bad things about the book: I thought I was going to love this considering the hype it has but that was partly my fault too. I even thought about buying this book but a voice in my mind told me “don’t buy it just yet, wait to read it on your kindle first” and THANK whatever is in the universe that I listened to my subconscious because I would’ve gotten so freaking angry at myself if I had bought it.
Conclusion: 2⭐️ stars and I’m being generous. I don’t think I will keep on reading this series because I just don’t care what happens next and I’m not intrigued at all🤷🏻♀️ life’s too short to waste my time in books I’m not interested in.
(English is not my first language, if you find any mistakes please let me know😊).
(This is MY opinion, if you like this book then good for you but please be respectful, not all of us can like the same books).
⚠️THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS⚠️
(and I swear a lot, sorry not sorry)
First and foremost, why THE ACTUAL fffffffuck is this book so freaking overhyped????? I decided to give this book a try because my entire fyp on tiktok was full of people recommending this “mind-blowing, you won’t see it coming” book, but I. WAS. BORED.
The premise was SO good and the first chapters were really interesting but in the middle of it I was so mother freaking fucking bored that I thought about dnfing it a few times. I actually forced myself to read this and it took me like a whole week to finish it when that never happens to me and I almost got into a reading block AND I DIDN’T WANT THAT, so all I’m asking is WHY??
The characters are so bland, Avery is just meh; there are 4 brothers but Nash is there for moral support because HE DOES NOTHING and Xander is the cool one who appears like the fucking Aladdin’s genie when you need help like ????????? make me understand this please.
The entire family hates Avery but none of them appears, and when they do is to tell her that “this family is fucked up”: thanks, I didn’t notice🙄
And what about Libby? Another character who’s there for moral support because, again, she does NOTHING. And the Emily thing? It had so much potential and when I read what happened to her I was like “really? That’s it?”
THE SUPPOSED LOVE TRIANGLE between Avery, Jameson and Grayson it’s so bad like wtffffff I have more chemistry with my best friend than them and he’s gay like WAKE UP. I don’t like love triangles and maybe it’s just my opinion but it was so plain with no coherence🤷🏻♀️ and WHY do they get angry at Avery all of a sudden with no explanation whatsoever? I’m just going to laugh😂😂😂 and don’t get me started when Avery almost got shot and Jameson KISSES HER WITHOUT HER CONSENT WHEN SHE’S STILL IN SHOCK AND HE DOESN’T EVEN CARE, no no no no no no no and NO. Oh and, “your mom just tried to kill me Grayson, and you will choose your family over everything but I don’t care” CAN WE STOP GIVING TOXIC PEOPLE OPPORTUNITIES??? All Grayson did throughout the entire book was criticize Avery and at the end he was all like “I will always protect you” BE FOR REAL DUDE WTFFFFFFFFF.
The riddles? The puzzles? The whatever those were, were 100% predictable and I wasn’t surprised with the plot twists because I had it all already figured it out 🤷🏻♀️ I expected the Harry thing since the very beginning but I still thought it was stupid. Also, you’re telling me that Avery is there for the most stupid reason EVER? Nope, I refuse to believe this book had so much potential and it was totally wasted.
Good things about this book: short chapters, good writing (but not perfect), great level of english (if english is not your first language but you’re thinking about giving this book a try, you can totally do it because it’s really easy to read) and I learned new words that I didn’t know the meaning of.
Bad things about the book: I thought I was going to love this considering the hype it has but that was partly my fault too. I even thought about buying this book but a voice in my mind told me “don’t buy it just yet, wait to read it on your kindle first” and THANK whatever is in the universe that I listened to my subconscious because I would’ve gotten so freaking angry at myself if I had bought it.
Conclusion: 2⭐️ stars and I’m being generous. I don’t think I will keep on reading this series because I just don’t care what happens next and I’m not intrigued at all🤷🏻♀️ life’s too short to waste my time in books I’m not interested in.
(English is not my first language, if you find any mistakes please let me know😊).
(This is MY opinion, if you like this book then good for you but please be respectful, not all of us can like the same books).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Death, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Suicide, and Toxic relationship
livvmarks's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Pregnancy, Violence, Blood, Dementia, Gun violence, Murder, Stalking, Grief, Classism, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Car accident, Racism, and Terminal illness
just_me_reading's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
I’m one of those people who can read a ton for like a week and then nothing for a year. This was my one for the week lol. I was in the mood for a good read and this was it for me. The writing was easily digestible and definitely a quicker read. The plot was more centrally focused on the mystery that is the Hawthorne brothers than the actual mystery, but I still enjoyed it. Whenever something was revealed, I was left with more questions and wanted to keep reading to find the answers. I immediately bought the second book after finishing!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Grief, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Gun violence, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Chronic illness, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Blood, Violence, and Car accident
rafaelabossoni's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Grief, Domestic abuse, Death, Terminal illness, Alcoholism, Violence, Murder, Toxic relationship, Blood, Gun violence, Cursing, Death of parent, Infidelity, and Injury/Injury detail
cc_shelflove's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book was like a CVS receipt… long, twisty, and never stops unraveling! The whole book was great but the last fifty pages were AWESOME. You can tell the author must have done a lot of research on wills, conservatorships, etc. and she even has her hand in some Sherlock Holmes-type puzzles. We even learn so much about our characters. For example, there are four Hawthorne brothers, and so far I can’t choose which one is my favorite. If you find yourself thinking, “Aw, man. That can’t be the ending,” don’t worry. It’s not!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence
Moderate: Classism, Gaslighting, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, and Car accident
Minor: Terminal illness and Stalking
whoreforaaronwarner's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, and Terminal illness
sakina330's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I think this was a pretty good read. I was concerned about a third of the way through that the mystery seemed to not be leading anywhere but it did pick up. I’m not giving it a 5 star because it did take that while for it to pick up and I didn’t think it was written in any great way. The prose didn’t particularly capture me or anything. But I do think it was well executed which makes it a 3.5 and I would read it again personally and enjoyed it which is why it’s a 4. I was a bit underwhelmed initially but the final twist was pretty good. The Emily subplot was a little annoying but I liked the banter enough to make it a 4.
Content Warnings
Minor: Terminal illness, Gun violence, and Physical abuse