janerose123's review against another edition
5.0
He’s part Win, the lonely teenager exiled to a remote Vermont boarding school in the wake of a family tragedy. The guy who shuts all his classmates out, no matter the cost.
He’s part Drew, the angry young boy with violent impulses that control him. The boy who spent a fateful, long-ago summer with his brother and teenage cousins, only to endure a secret so monstrous it led three children to do the unthinkable. Over the course of one night, while stuck at a party deep in the New England woods, Andrew battles both the pain of his past and the isolation of his present.
I love the whole book, but the end was a little sad but it was great. It was about Win and Drew.
He’s part Drew, the angry young boy with violent impulses that control him. The boy who spent a fateful, long-ago summer with his brother and teenage cousins, only to endure a secret so monstrous it led three children to do the unthinkable. Over the course of one night, while stuck at a party deep in the New England woods, Andrew battles both the pain of his past and the isolation of his present.
I love the whole book, but the end was a little sad but it was great. It was about Win and Drew.
blakehalsey's review
5.0
While reading this book, many thoughts ran through my head.
At first, there was this:
WHAT THE WHAT?
Followed by:
WHAT THE WHAT?
And then:
OH, NO. NO, NO, NO.
And finally:
DAMN.
At first, there was this:
WHAT THE WHAT?
Followed by:
WHAT THE WHAT?
And then:
OH, NO. NO, NO, NO.
And finally:
DAMN.
emilyusuallyreading's review against another edition
3.0
What I Liked
I read this in a single sitting. I couldn't put it down because I wanted to just know what was going on.
The use of the five senses was phenomenal in this book. Things were mentioned that put me right in each scene (for example, mentioning the imprint of grass on thighs after sitting outside). This novel is tangible and not only written.
I enjoyed the switching back and forth between past and present. This isn't always a technique that I like, but for a mystery like this one, it helped pieces of the puzzle slide together slowly while also adding to that sense of total confusion.
What I Didn't Like
There didn't seem to be much of a plot. There wasn't a story arc at all, if you think about it. Win certainly didn't change throughout the novel, unless you count the flashbacks to the present... but even then, he was always the strange, tormented boy. (I guess he changed in the last few pages, but that didn't bring the story to much of an arc.) The biggest arc of the story was the "big reveal," which began to feel like page after page was written only to create the anticipation. I wanted more than a big reveal because it was pretty easy early on to guess what that would be.
I read this in a single sitting. I couldn't put it down because I wanted to just know what was going on.
Spoiler
Pretty early on, I realized that mental illness or trauma of some sort was the issue over something supernatural. However, this is a fine little mystery. I just wanted to know, even it meant putting aside everything else in life until I put down the book.The use of the five senses was phenomenal in this book. Things were mentioned that put me right in each scene (for example, mentioning the imprint of grass on thighs after sitting outside). This novel is tangible and not only written.
I enjoyed the switching back and forth between past and present. This isn't always a technique that I like, but for a mystery like this one, it helped pieces of the puzzle slide together slowly while also adding to that sense of total confusion.
What I Didn't Like
Spoiler
While this was certainly an interesting take on abuse, it was still yet another young adult novel about someone abused with a horrible past. And perhaps I'm getting tired of seeing that, again and again.There didn't seem to be much of a plot. There wasn't a story arc at all, if you think about it. Win certainly didn't change throughout the novel, unless you count the flashbacks to the present... but even then, he was always the strange, tormented boy. (I guess he changed in the last few pages, but that didn't bring the story to much of an arc.) The biggest arc of the story was the "big reveal," which began to feel like page after page was written only to create the anticipation. I wanted more than a big reveal because it was pretty easy early on to guess what that would be.
lexieb's review against another edition
4.0
pretty incredible, fantastically depressing, and a hell of a mindfuck. I just wish the ending had been a bit less abrupt/more believable. it seemed too radical of a change.
lessa_riel's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
annebennett1957's review against another edition
4.0
A really strange but surprising charming book. Puns intended.
nadjad14's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
punkgremlin's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
kimreadsthings's review against another edition
3.0
This is a good book. It's well written and characterized, and handles some tough subjects in a raw way. It just isn't the type of book that resonates with me emotionally.