tobyyy's review against another edition
4.0
This was a fairly enjoyable book, written in a very intriguing style — the story is told backwards and as such, the chapters also go backwards until the final chapter. The characters weren’t very likable but the plot was fascinating.
I’ve read a lot of complaints that this was basically a retelling of The Talented Mr Ripley by Patricia Highsmith. However, as I’ve not read that book (yet anyway — #goals!), the sense of this being an unlabeled retelling wasn’t there and as such did not stifle my enjoyment.
I’ve read a lot of complaints that this was basically a retelling of The Talented Mr Ripley by Patricia Highsmith. However, as I’ve not read that book (yet anyway — #goals!), the sense of this being an unlabeled retelling wasn’t there and as such did not stifle my enjoyment.
absalomabsalom's review against another edition
3.0
it's solid. i don't feel a great deal about it emotionally which is of course what i crave in all my book and movie consumption. but: it has the strange simultaneous tilt of me NOT feeling much and also me feeling so compelled to binge this entire book that holds so many of the themes i am obsessed w/ and think about all the time: performing identity, gender, ugliness.
biblio23's review against another edition
4.0
It was confusing but interesting to read. as much as I wanted to stop reading It because I would get confused, I kept reading.
kathleenreads4898's review against another edition
5.0
I LOVE THIS BOOK so fun to read and absolutely fantastic…..it is exciting and there are always plot twists…tho the time line was a bit confusing
286anne's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
adina_'s review against another edition
2.0
So I finished this in less than 24 hours…. It was a quick read but wasn’t for me. I feel like I didn’t find hardly anything out about the characters and was left thinking: what is the point? What is going on? And not in a good way.
saleen's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
jfictitional's review against another edition
3.0
Gender-flipping "The Talented Mr. Ripley" is a good jumping-off point for a story. But this YA modernization is best suited to those unfamiliar with Ripley, as they're least likely to suspect how derivative it is, with much of the plot and even some pivotal scenes being virtually identical.
In fairness, this can't be taken as an inherent flaw - plenty of good stories are retellings. And Lockhart is a strong writer, keeping her tale swift and her cast of shallow, unlikable yuppies well-drawn. However, her one attempt to distinguish this from its ancestry is a mistake.
Telling the story in reverse chronology, asking not what happens but why it happened, works when small details we know pay off later are mentioned. Mostly, though, it drains all tension as it becomes clear that nothing presents any real threat to sociopathic antihero Jule. She, by the way, is actually even less sympathetic than Tom Ripley when her solution to nearly every problem is violence rather than cunning. Lockhart tries to subvert this by showing how Jule deludes herself with kitschy girl-power ideals, but there's little satisfaction in seeing her get away with anything when she can't even fake any redeeming qualities.
For the right audience, this is a quick and satisfying entry into the world of crime. For those with a little more sense of history, however, it can't help feeling like a bit of a pale imitation.
Content warning: murder, identity theft, a brief moment when a character is threatened with rape.
In fairness, this can't be taken as an inherent flaw - plenty of good stories are retellings. And Lockhart is a strong writer, keeping her tale swift and her cast of shallow, unlikable yuppies well-drawn. However, her one attempt to distinguish this from its ancestry is a mistake.
Telling the story in reverse chronology, asking not what happens but why it happened, works when small details we know pay off later are mentioned. Mostly, though, it drains all tension as it becomes clear that nothing presents any real threat to sociopathic antihero Jule. She, by the way, is actually even less sympathetic than Tom Ripley when her solution to nearly every problem is violence rather than cunning. Lockhart tries to subvert this by showing how Jule deludes herself with kitschy girl-power ideals, but there's little satisfaction in seeing her get away with anything when she can't even fake any redeeming qualities.
For the right audience, this is a quick and satisfying entry into the world of crime. For those with a little more sense of history, however, it can't help feeling like a bit of a pale imitation.
Content warning: murder, identity theft, a brief moment when a character is threatened with rape.
bookishdryad's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-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? Yes
2.75
by_emilymarie's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5