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mitchell_1's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Mass/school shootings, Suicide attempt, Outing, and Gaslighting
charlee_'s review against another edition
3.75
Great ending too. Will definitely try the sequel.
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Homophobia and Suicide
Minor: Mass/school shootings
slimepuppy'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
2.0
If you manage to suspend your disbelief past that start, the book still doesn’t make it worth your time. The main characters are flat - them having made mistakes in the past doesn't change the fact that they're still the only nice, normal people in a school filled with assholes.
So, one main character is experiencing prejudice and the only person in the entire school willing to stand up for him is ANOTHER main character? Great. No character is allowed nuance, not our heroes or our villains. Simon was the only one who could have been three dimensional, and he was in it for a second, never to return, not even through flashbacks, which would have been a great way to explore his psyche and his motivations for the terrible things he did.
The pacing was... exquisite. Halfway through the book Addy's arc is basically concluded while Cooper's is just starting to unravel. It makes for a bumpy, uneven read, when you go from reading a character that kind of has nowhere left to grow to one just starting his journey, then to a hamfisted romance between two of the least interesting main characters.
Finally, the ending felt very rushed. The final confrontation was fun! The resolution of the mystery was well done and there was even an important detail that had been foreshadowed earlier, which was satisfying to see coming back. But following that scene, the book seems to be dying to be over.
We don't get to see Nate face life outside of jail and him reconnecting with his mom, we don't get to ever see Cooper interact with his family again, nothing. We're just told things are happening, all so we can have more time devoted to a stupid break up that makes no sense and feels extremely forced. So you spent the entire book telling me that Bronwyn is headstrong and willing to fight tooth and nail for what she wants, and at the first cold shoulder she just gives up? Great characterization, LOL.
Ok, so to mention the things I actually liked for posterity: Cooper was a good character. He was consistent and his actions made sense with what he was going through. He had internal and external conflicts to deal with - you very much get the sense that Cooper could lose his chances of being a pro player because of the scandal, while Browwyn never gets so much as a glare from a teacher for having cheated on multiple tests for an entire semester (?!).
Anyways, Cooper's outing made me feel genuinely sick - the police station scene was well written, I could feel the dread that Cooper was feeling as he realized what was being done to him.
A lot of it had to do with their inner lives - Cooper's friends and family felt the most realistic of the four, people with flaws and qualities and their own lives going on - Bronwyn's parents were just like every other YA parent. Her two friends might as well be cardboard cutouts. Addy's mom is an ugly caricature that fails to ever develop a single trait that might make her seem like a real person. Nate's mom is not flat, but she's barely there - we could have gotten so much more out of their relationship.
That's the basic TLDR of this book, I guess: it could have been waay better, but the author was just not interested in fleshing out characters or situations beyond the the surface level.
Also, the synopsis is just kind of misleading!
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, and Outing
Moderate: Suicide and Mass/school shootings
Minor: Cancer, Self harm, and Suicide attempt
jessanicolesingh'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
The book was written in multiple POVs, giving you a glimpse into each of the main characters' high school lives throughout the investigation. I actually kept notes on all suspects, determined to figure it out. I had to put the book down and tell my husband my guess at who the killer was around the 75% mark, and I was right!!! That's not to say the book wasn't good enough to surprise me, I'm just really proud of myself for figuring it out AND not skipping to the end to spoil it for myself (I have admittedly very little self control sometimes).
Albeit this book is about murder, be warned there are some additionally heavy triggers with some warnings at the expense of ruining the ending, so keep that in mind if you decide to pick this one up!
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Murder, and Outing
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Drug use, Gun violence, and Mass/school shootings
catiecat2_5's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Homophobia, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Violence, Police brutality, Grief, Mass/school shootings, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
readbycarina'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? Yes
2.75
Graphic: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Stalking, and Murder
Moderate: Bullying, Homophobia, Infidelity, and Sexism
Minor: Mass/school shootings, Car accident, and Abandonment
sophiebastow's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Homophobia, Mental illness, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Mass/school shootings, Suicide attempt, and Outing
justab's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Mass/school shootings
dianazheng'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
Moderate: Mass/school shootings
michellebub's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
3.75
Due to the investigation those 4 students find an unlikely friendship in eachother and get close as no one understands them like eachother. Well and they want to find out who actually did it so they can get their peace.
All in all I actually liked the book. It was a nice young adult mystery, but the sub-romance plot was a bit too much for me. It just seemed unnecessary and if I’m honest,
Graphic: Homophobia, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Mass/school shootings
Minor: Suicide