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raisinreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Minor: Sexual content
ttumbletree's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
i was incredibly excited to start the book when i bought it on a whim in a bookstore after seeing it amidst the secret history, if we were villains, bunny and all the other dark academia favorites.
and in many ways it lived up to my expectations.
i have to say it wasn’t quite as addicting for me as i expected it to me. i didn’t mind putting it down for a couple of days and reading something else in between, but in some ways that might have helped my reading experience… i have learned from past mistakes and maybe it’s okay to not binge read certain books… and it probably helped my mental state to not binge the downward spiral that is happening in the book.
the story is dark, and enticing, and intoxicating in many ways. i loved the setting and the dark spiral that you can see from the beginning (or at least i could)
the twists of the story didn’t quite surprise me, simply because i already associated the book with the dark academia aesthetic, but i didn’t mind that either. it made it all the more heartaching to watch the characters drag each other down and to watch every twist and turn lead them to a darker place.
all in all it’s a wonderfully solid 4⭐️ read and i’m sure i’ll reread it within the next couple years
also: i very much enjoyed all the small pop culture tidbits, the 90s setting and the anne of green gables references :)
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Abortion, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
pilarlopezleiva's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Stalking, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cursing, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Stalking, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Alcohol
carlytenille's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Abortion, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
aimsro's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
plumdustsuns's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
I don’t know what I was expecting from the book. Perhaps I came in thinking it’ll be about friendship, which it is, in many ways. It ended up being a thriller but the pace of the book only lent to that in maybe the last 60 pages.
Diana, to me, is extremely unlikable. I know that’s the point of it. I don’t mind rooting for villains but there was nothing redeeming about her. She was simply petty and cruel, forcing her anger onto the wrong places. I would have liked to see Aurelle rise up to the challenges, and take Diana down a peg. I kept reading by the end only because I was hoping for Aurelle to make it out of this toxic, manipulative and abusive friendship. And the bisexual girl being killed doesn’t sit easy for me.
I just believe there was a lot of potential in Aurelle’s character and nuances that could have been explored to better complement and challenge Diana’s. But it was squandered in favour of her instead. In the end, it was a sheep being killed by a lion and there was no ‘thrill’ of reading a thriller. Just someone almost helpless being taken aside.
I also have questions about Diana doing the drowning painting before. It seemed as if she took Aurelle out because she was overwhelmed by her leaving. I would have liked it better that way:
In the end, what I have established is that Aurelle was the one in the friendship who genuinely cared about Diana as a person. Diana only ‘cared’ about Aurelle because she was a Taylor and she offered her what she was pining for through her windows. In the end, Aurelle was just an image and symbol to Diana as well, which she then tarnished once she was ‘betrayed’ by Marianne.
There’s just a lot of lost potential everywhere in this book. I don’t feel satisfied and feel borderline enraged.
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Abortion, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
bethany_grace's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Sexual content, Vomit, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Moderate: Abortion and Abandonment
ohennui's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
whiston01's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Grief, Abortion, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Alcohol
anniefwrites's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Abortion, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Moderate: Sexual content, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Cursing and Injury/Injury detail