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rliedtke's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
This will leave you saying what the f***. I wasn’t really sure where it was heading throughout the book but I definitely wasn’t expecting exactly what we got. The climax is about 100 pages long which sounds crazy but it was pretty epic and still felt fast paced, I couldn’t put it down once that scene started.
What I liked: multiple POVs, short chapters, the problems it discussed (homophobia, racism)
What I didn’t like: the writing felt mediocre to me and a few lines made me cringe
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Homophobia, and Violence
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Racism, and Sexual assault
katelynprice's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.0
I was really into the mood, atmosphere, and mystery of this book. The first 70% was really good, and then...it got weird. I realize that there is a social commentary going on here, but I am just not a fan of the execution.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse
Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Gore, Homophobia, and Sexual assault
lizflynn's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
3.75
That was W I L D. The first 3/4 of the book is a really well-laid, suspenseful crime thriller, and then the last 1/4 twists and turns into some good ol fashioned horror and I loved the ride. This is definitely a step above the rest of the thrillers/crime fiction out there. There are so many well-done layers and secrets and conflicts and wow, I really hated that suffocating town of Bentley.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Homophobia, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Addiction
alexdicanio's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The first 25% of this book, I wasn’t too sure if I would like it, but I kept on pushing. It doesn’t start out slow necessarily, I just wasn’t into it. I am glad that I kept reading. I say that the cast being diverse is complicated because while there is representation for people of color (minimal -1 or 2), and people (specifically men) in the LGBTQIA+ community, the setting is a small conservative town in Texas, so for the most part, people are hiding and are scared to truly be themselves. I don’t want to give anything away because it is hard to explain without spoiling something. This book deals very heavily with homophobia, racism, and sexual assault - so please be warned. I think it was written very well and I did enjoy all of the different character’s POV’s. What kind of threw me off guard was this added sort of “supernatural” element. It wasn’t, bad I just didn’t expect it. I understand why it was in there, but I also think this could have been an excellent book if the supernatural wasn’t there.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship
There are a lot of trigger warnings for this book. I wasn’t too sure where to put the warning for “adult/minor relationship” because it isn’t gone into a lot of detail. There are however, mentions of figures of authority and students being in a (primarily sexual) relationship. I can’t say much else without giving it away.folkmare's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
There are a lot of mixed reviews on this book and I think the reason is this: if you're not queer, this book isn't for you, and it doesn't care. That doesn't mean you CAN'T enjoy this book if you're not queer, it just means that it's not going to apologize and hold your hand. Additonally, if you aren't queer AND grew up in a small/medium town where high school football reigns supreme, you quite literally might just not get it.
This book is ultimately about internalized homophobia, toxic masculinity, and small town secrets closing the walls in around you. I won't spoil anything but I saw a review that called the supernatural elements a "twist" that happened 3/4ths of the way through, but I gotta say that that person just wasn't paying attention. There is spooky shit happening from chapter one, and it's not even that subtle.
I don't know. I really loved this. I thought the crime/thriller mystery elements were really well balanced with the horror-elements and the world building. I found the characters compelling even if they're not "likeable," and I couldn't stop reading it.
Note: I'm adding content warnings but the warnings themselves might spoil the book somewhat.
This book is ultimately about internalized homophobia, toxic masculinity, and small town secrets closing the walls in around you. I won't spoil anything but I saw a review that called the supernatural elements a "twist" that happened 3/4ths of the way through, but I gotta say that that person just wasn't paying attention. There is spooky shit happening from chapter one, and it's not even that subtle.
I don't know. I really loved this. I thought the crime/thriller mystery elements were really well balanced with the horror-elements and the world building. I found the characters compelling even if they're not "likeable," and I couldn't stop reading it.
Note: I'm adding content warnings but the warnings themselves might spoil the book somewhat.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, and Homophobia
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Mass/school shootings
Minor: Suicide
florencia's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
This is a pretty solid debut. The mystery is intricate enough to keep you interested, but not difficult to follow and it ties up nicely.
The small town vibe is really well achieved, and I loved the level of wtf throughout the story. There's a lot of shitty people, and shitty situations and an overall feeling of dirtyness in this town.
We have different points of view, most of which I really enjoyed and felt that added well to the story. I specially enjoyed the badass woman police officer that's really tenacious and goes against the bullshit of this town. (Every female character was pretty badass , which I appreciate).
There were some relevant themes explored here, like sexuality, shame and toxic masculinity.
The only reason I didn't enjoy it more is because it's a pretty plot driven book, and though we learn a little bit about some of the characters backgrounds, I never fell in love with them. (We do learn enough to at least care about them)
The small town vibe is really well achieved, and I loved the level of wtf throughout the story. There's a lot of shitty people, and shitty situations and an overall feeling of dirtyness in this town.
We have different points of view, most of which I really enjoyed and felt that added well to the story. I specially enjoyed the badass woman police officer that's really tenacious and goes against the bullshit of this town. (Every female character was pretty badass , which I appreciate).
There were some relevant themes explored here, like sexuality, shame and toxic masculinity.
The only reason I didn't enjoy it more is because it's a pretty plot driven book, and though we learn a little bit about some of the characters backgrounds, I never fell in love with them. (We do learn enough to at least care about them)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Drug use, and Sexual assault
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