Reviews with content warning for Mass/school shootings - La Chica Que Lo Tenia Todo

I’m glad I went into this one kind of blind because every turn was a surprise to me. I listened to the audiobook and had many gasp-aloud moments. Grim and compelling.

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januaryghosts's review against another edition

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challenging dark 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

2.5

I could not handle all of the eating disorder and body dysmorphia in this novel. There are pages of this book that could be cut down if we weren’t subjected to paragraph after paragraph about what food Ani is eating or trying to not eat or how much weight she has gained or lost to fit into more equally over-described clothes. It’s just this ongoing neurosis in the novel that doesn’t contribute to the plot or character’s journey. By the end, we’re supposed to believe that Ami is committed to becoming a better person and to getting help for herself, but her disordered eating isn’t really addressed. It honestly kind of felt like the author included all of that to bag on women and how they treat their bodies and the bodies of others.

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misschelle007's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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

4.75

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abigailhall's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective 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? Yes

3.75

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curiousfox's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I resort to murder or crime thrillers as palate cleansers in between readings since they're easy to digest and are usually fun - for me, at least - no-stakes stories. They seldom leave an impression but you can't reinvent the wheel nor should you expect it.

The Luckiest Girl Alive fits in those molds and, yet, leaves an aftertaste. Maybe it's because it is based on the author's own life, or because it is actually realistic in some plot points - more than can be said about plenty of crime novels. It's the story of a girl, now a woman, who went through hell and is desperate to prove to everyone that it only changed her for the better. She is not likeable, which is an interesting aspect of the plot, since she could be seen as the author's insert and I wonder how well the audience would react if the author painted herself as the perfect character. And she doesn't try to be or to sugarcoat her behavior. She doesn't expect you to endear to her as so many people haven't before and it is almost a wall break how we are treated like one of her classmates, ready to despise her (I'm sure I'm reading too much into it). And yet, while you read and discover what happened in her past, you can't help but understand why she behaves like this. I've seen plenty of reviews mention her as shallow, deceitful, or elitist and she is all that, she's not the perfect victim and that was interesting to me.

Again, this is not a reinvention of the wheel but it's a somewhat smooth drive.

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squeakypeach's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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ajano2's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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