lesliecuellar's review against another edition
4.0
The ending made me want to rate this book 5 stars because I realized I really did care about how it ended.
fantasmariana's review against another edition
3.0
Nota real: 3.5
Les doy 3 estrellitas sencillamente porque el tema del libro no me atrapó y me costó mucho terminarlo. Sin duda mi King favorito es el King de lo sobrenatural y en este libro brilla por su ausencia. Como todo lo de King, está escrito de una manera ligera y que te envuelve. Hay momentos conmovedores y personajes memorables, sin embargo, como mencioné, la historia no me encantó. Todos los flashbacks de Billy sobre su estadía en Irak me aburrieron un poco. Mis partes favoritas fueron cuando se menciona al Overlook Hotel. No creo que sea un libro malo, sencillamente no fue de mi interés. De los dos que publicó en 2021, me quedo con Later que me encantó.
Les doy 3 estrellitas sencillamente porque el tema del libro no me atrapó y me costó mucho terminarlo. Sin duda mi King favorito es el King de lo sobrenatural y en este libro brilla por su ausencia. Como todo lo de King, está escrito de una manera ligera y que te envuelve. Hay momentos conmovedores y personajes memorables, sin embargo, como mencioné, la historia no me encantó. Todos los flashbacks de Billy sobre su estadía en Irak me aburrieron un poco. Mis partes favoritas fueron cuando se menciona al Overlook Hotel. No creo que sea un libro malo, sencillamente no fue de mi interés. De los dos que publicó en 2021, me quedo con Later que me encantó.
lolarmoore's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars.
I really wanted to like my first Stephen King novel, but this one fell pretty flat for me. I'm unsure if we were supposed to like Billy and Alice's weird little Freudian relationship, but if we were, that was done poorly. If we were supposed to hate it, then kudos. I found this book pretty slow, and I was left wondering if all the setup was really necessary. I really respect King's style of writing and I'm sure it really works in his other books, but in this one, I found it tedious and a little overbearing. I'm also unsure if Alice really did have Stockholm syndrome or not, but I think she probably did because yikes. Maybe crime is just not my genre because all of the crime parts of the plot (the setup for the assassination, tracking down Nick in Vegas, finding and killing the pedophile) bored me. I thought the way of telling Billy's backstory through his story was incredibly interesting, and very well done. The part towards the end, when tenses changed from third person to Billy's first person, was also an interesting choice that I thought was executed well, to demonstrate his life and his story catching up with one another and becoming one. I thought Alice's story was a good idea, but it could've been done in a few other ways that would have made for a better read to me personally. I also thought sprinkling in political details and COVID foreshadowing was a little gauche and should've gone without. there is a time and a place for subtlety, especially when it comes to incorporating real-world/pop culture elements into a book, and, depending on the book, it really has to be done a certain way.
I really wanted to like my first Stephen King novel, but this one fell pretty flat for me. I'm unsure if we were supposed to like Billy and Alice's weird little Freudian relationship, but if we were, that was done poorly. If we were supposed to hate it, then kudos. I found this book pretty slow, and I was left wondering if all the setup was really necessary. I really respect King's style of writing and I'm sure it really works in his other books, but in this one, I found it tedious and a little overbearing. I'm also unsure if Alice really did have Stockholm syndrome or not, but I think she probably did because yikes. Maybe crime is just not my genre because all of the crime parts of the plot (the setup for the assassination, tracking down Nick in Vegas, finding and killing the pedophile) bored me. I thought the way of telling Billy's backstory through his story was incredibly interesting, and very well done. The part towards the end, when tenses changed from third person to Billy's first person, was also an interesting choice that I thought was executed well, to demonstrate his life and his story catching up with one another and becoming one. I thought Alice's story was a good idea, but it could've been done in a few other ways that would have made for a better read to me personally. I also thought sprinkling in political details and COVID foreshadowing was a little gauche and should've gone without. there is a time and a place for subtlety, especially when it comes to incorporating real-world/pop culture elements into a book, and, depending on the book, it really has to be done a certain way.
cebolla's review against another edition
4.0
The first novel I ever read was It, in 1987. Over the next twelve years I read everything Stephen King book. Then I convinced myself that I had outgrown him. A month ago I read Stephen Graham Jones and he reminded me of the old days, so the next time I visited the library I picked up Billy Summers having no idea if I would love or hate it. I freaking loved it! So much that I now regret the past 23 years of my life.
caitlinfaria's review against another edition
Got a little less than halfway through and it felt like everything that was going to happen happened and also like nothing happened at all.
nicolaspratt's review against another edition
4.0
As with most of King's books, he does a superb job of making a dark and often violent situation feel relatable, believable, and personal. The characters and world that is brought to live feels like the reader could be an unknowing part of it, creating relationships, friendships, and losing them in a violent end. The integration of writing as a character attribute feels natural and relatable since King himself is one of the most prolific horror authors ever. The connections to King's other books is present, as always. One of King's better works in the last few years.
svenja1603's review against another edition
5.0
I feel like after taking some time off Stephen King novels this one was a great one to get into them again. It has everything I love about King: great characters, great relationships and in my opinion one of his better endings.
shelby_crane's review against another edition
4.0
Probably more like 4.25ish for me. Loved Billy’s soft side throughout the novel. Could’ve done without so many war flashbacks but that might just be me personally.
mmk4725's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Not your typical Steven King, a different type of horror. The book takes a big really unexpected turn less then half way through it. Plus looking at the different character of Billy Summers. I enjoyed the book. However, I’m not an assassin, but wouldn’t you want to test the gun before you use it?
susandamm's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0