dcmr's review against another edition
2.0
I really wanted to like this book but with the constant switch of past-present time, and the changing point-of-view, I had a tough time getting into a reading rhythm.
hollysmith54's review against another edition
4.0
This plot has meat to it. Well written and and exactly the sort of crime drama I would watch as a TV show when I’m as a teen. Happy to have found something like this in a book.
lxa_fxn's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
alliepeduto's review against another edition
2.0
So I wasn’t sure what to expect from this. I read it since the author is sort of “local” but I really just couldn’t get into it. I generally love mysteries, but I felt like the story was less about solving the mystery and more about the personal relationship between the two main characters. It wasn’t bad per say, but I just wasn’t into the small town drama with this one. I also wasn’t a fan of the writing, but I understood where the author was trying to go. Personally, I was bored with it, but if this is something that intrigues you, go for it!
jcpdiesel21's review against another edition
4.0
When I first started this book, I thought it was going to be a standard mystery where the two main characters happened to know each other from the past, but it is so much more than that. As I continued to read, the story became deeper and more intricate, and intriguing and shocking ways that the characters were connected kept being revealed. Franklin is a skilled writer and truly captured the essence of rural Mississippi. I was underwhelmed at first by the way that the girls' disappearances wrapped up, but they merely provide the framework for a more complex story.
daniem's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
This book put me in a reading slump. Looks short but took me forever to get through. The characters just didn’t feel real - and that's a dealbreaker for me. Also the plot just fell so flat because it was so predictable. Also this is so minor but I’m going to mention it anyway. I love Stephen King but the references just felt like a “hey look I know Stephen King!” Had high hopes for this one.
txmxa2509's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.0
The beginning dragged itself out, but it got better and better. Luckily a „happy ending“.
sorman0110's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book. The voice and setting in his writing made me feel like I was in my home state of Mississippi and actually interacting with the characters in his story. Although the plot was somewhat predictable, I'm still giving it five stars based on Franklin's writing style alone. I truly cared about his characters and what happened to them, which can be a difficult feat for an author to achieve.
april864's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
klara1meyer's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
I've read worse books, though this one was certainly not my cup of tea. I found it to be too slow-paced for my liking, especially in the beginning. It was especially hard to get through every one of the characters day-to-day movements in minutiae detail without getting bored. Additionally, I found it very predictable. I could see that Wallace was the killer of Tina Rutherford a mile away. To add to that I found the ending deeply unsatisfying and I think that Silas knew Larry wasn't responsible for Cindy's death and didn't say anything was really out of character for him. I just couldn't see it. I get why people might really like this book, though, and I found the discussion of racism to be really insightful. It just wasn't for me, which, admittedly, could also have been because I was forced to read the book for school. (Even though I really tried to give it a chance and like it.)