darbar's review against another edition
0.5
I hated this book so much, I can't even describe how much I hated it. The father is oblivious and the boy is a psychopath. I read it as a recommendation from a friend, but I will never read this again.
lmadill's review against another edition
3.0
I can’t say that I didn’t like this book. But I definitely didn’t love it. It had me hooked but mostly it was because I wanted to get past all the annoying characters and parts so that I could see what happened and get to the end.
Jacob Barber is probably the worst and most annoying character I’ve ever read about. I understand that this was probably a choice by the author but wow. It made this book hard to read. I was really annoyed by the cliff hanger ending. I thought it was pointless and I feel that I wasted my time with this book.
The legal jargon was hard to follow as well - something that I can get past if the story line is good enough.
I can’t believe I’m saying this but I liked the show better
Jacob Barber is probably the worst and most annoying character I’ve ever read about. I understand that this was probably a choice by the author but wow. It made this book hard to read. I was really annoyed by the cliff hanger ending. I thought it was pointless and I feel that I wasted my time with this book.
The legal jargon was hard to follow as well - something that I can get past if the story line is good enough.
I can’t believe I’m saying this but I liked the show better
waxingquixotic's review against another edition
4.0
This was a nice surprise. I stumbled across it, recognized the title, and just went with it. Boy, was that a great decision. This is like Harlan Coben meets John Grisham, but raises the bar above what those two can do. I had a hard time putting it down. It was like watching Law and Order, only it wasn't a crappy TV show. It's just a great book, and it hit me at the right time and put everything else in life on the backburner.
Read it. Take it to the beach this summer. Read it by the pool. Download it on your phone or whatever you do. Just read it.
Four stars because I had a slight issue with some of the story getting in the way and slowing things down a little. It didn't happen often, and it was all important, but it just bugged me a little.
Read it.
Read it. Take it to the beach this summer. Read it by the pool. Download it on your phone or whatever you do. Just read it.
Four stars because I had a slight issue with some of the story getting in the way and slowing things down a little. It didn't happen often, and it was all important, but it just bugged me a little.
Read it.
sameen_haque's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Child death, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Bullying, Pedophilia, and Mental illness
Minor: Grief, Rape, Sexual assault, and Animal cruelty
elainemh's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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
3.0
nancyinoregon's review against another edition
5.0
Two chapters away from the end, I knew there'd be a twist, and I knew exactly what it was going to be, I just didn't know why and how. Well there was a twist, but I was all wrong!
It's a heartwrenching story, and you can't help but put yourself in the shoes of the parents and think about what being in that situation would feel like.
The author's legal background made me trust the legal practices and the courtroom dialog, and the conversations were inflected perfectly by the narrator.
A very satisfying read.
It's a heartwrenching story, and you can't help but put yourself in the shoes of the parents and think about what being in that situation would feel like.
The author's legal background made me trust the legal practices and the courtroom dialog, and the conversations were inflected perfectly by the narrator.
A very satisfying read.
arantxalasa's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
tshockley617's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
hannahnovack's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5