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gduds98's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Medical trauma
eule's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Oren and Alisa are kinda sus.
Want to read the whole series as so much is left unsolved and there is mysterious stuff going on. The question is: who can you trust?
Graphic: Child death, Death, Physical abuse, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Medical content, and Medical trauma
morganperks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Suicide, Terminal illness, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Alcoholism, Biphobia, Cancer, Incest, Infidelity, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Murder, Lesbophobia, and Alcohol
kallio08's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Grief and Death of parent
Moderate: Medical trauma
Minor: Homophobia
ajboyd_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I’m not a fan of love triangles, and that is the only thing that puts me off about the book. Other than that, It's absolutely worth the read.
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Medical trauma, and Stalking
Minor: Lesbophobia
hannahwhiteyy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Moderate: Child death, Death, Grief, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
johannslauren15's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Emotional abuse
Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Infertility
beautifulpaxielreads's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Stalking, and Death of parent
Moderate: Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Medical trauma, Car accident, and Injury/Injury detail
boredomandwordsofbooks's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Medical trauma, and Stalking
Moderate: Alcoholism, Car accident, and Death of parent
spearly's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Not what I was expecting. I think I went into this, based on the blurb and mysterious cover art, thinking this would be more... exciting. That pieces would click into place. I wanted that "ooooooohh!!" moment, that moment everything came together, made sense. It didn't feel like there was any urgency. And Barnes kinda tries to include a bit of murder mystery but it falls flat.
What I liked:
Avery. The house. The secrets. I could see the wisps of the grandeur riddles and mystique that the author was trying to build.
What I didn't like:
The way everything came together at the end felt flimsy. Very flimsy. And I think Barnes knew it.
You're telling me...
I will mention spoilers when talking about the main guys in the novel! You have been warned!
Also, the boys. I just didn't like them. Well, I didn't like the love interests.
It felt calculated, like Barnes purposely made Jameson less likeable so readers would ship Avery more with Grayson, who is NOT A GOOD FIT. I don't know why Barnes decided to write Grayson like he's 30 years old instead of 19, but I felt such a disparity between Avery and Grayson. He's an adult (or he's written like one). He's starting a career at his family's foundation and Avery is still in high school. 2 or 3 years isn't that big an age difference.. when you're both adults. But Avery, mature as she may be, is in grade 11. Prior to moving into Hawthorne House, she even says she hasn't even kissed a boy or been on a date.
Take it from experience. No-one out of high school should find themselves even remotely interested in someone still in high school. It's not healthy. And depending how far you go, it might not even legal.
Avery's immediate and visceral reaction to both Jameson and Greyson was honestly just boring, too. Barnes really leaned into the whole he's-so-hot-i-can't-look-away trope...both times. There's a lot of "my body leaned closer on it's own" and "he met my eyes and my breath caught in my throat"... I'm sure you know the kind of moments I'm talking about.
Also last thing I'll say is i got REAL SCARED we were gonna get an incest plot. Lmao. I know they did a DNA test on Avery and it came back negative, but at the end, when she was looking at the photo of Toby and she gasped, I was like...... that's her dad. omg.
All in all, I'm disappointed. A lot of my mutuals really liked this book, and I really wanted to, too. I might pick up the second in the series, just to see.
Still, it's a quick read and worth it if you go into it with lower expectations.
Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Medical trauma