Reviews

Give Me Your Hand by Megan Abbott

minilove's review against another edition

4.0

Although this book does sometimes feel a little bit outside the realm of possibility to me, I enjoyed it's roller coaster feel. The complex relationship between the women in this story is something that is weaved in a very interesting light. Especially the way women seem to pine over what other women have but are not so grateful when they have it. Certainly an interesting read.

letsreadmorebooks's review against another edition

4.0

megan abbott is really good at telling twisted, dark stories about teenage girls.

courtneycox693's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

sharoncarter's review against another edition

5.0

I received a free copy from a goodreads giveaway!

“Sometimes I get scared of myself. Sometimes, Kit, I don’t know what I’ll do.”

Megan has done it again. I really don’t even know how to explain her novels to someone who hasn’t read them before, but they’re the most amazing, visceral, astounding books that I have ever read. She manages to capture the teenage (and adult, in this book especially) experience of women so well.

Kit and Diane reminded me so much of Addy and Beth from Dare Me, but not in a boring or recycled way. Megan writes dangerous girls so refreshingly and not in a cliche way at all. I found myself sympathizing with Diane even though I obviously don’t know what being like her is like.

All of the plot twists and reveals were so well done, and nothing felt too extraordinary. I love Kit and Diane, and this novel might even rival some of Megan’s others as my new favorite. I loved how instead of being set in one time like most of her other ones, this had “Then” and “Now” sections, showing readers how teenage life really does translate into adulthood.

This book is really just *kisses fingers* incredible.

allisonrae13's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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

keo480's review against another edition

4.0

I enjoyed the book. Hooked me from the beginning. character development. I liked how the book went from past to present bringing the story together.

novelesque_life's review against another edition

2.0

RATING: 2 STARS
2018; Little, Brown, and Company/Hachette Book Group
(Review Not on Blog)

At first, I was in this book, and suddenly I found myself feeling like I was pushed out of the story and was just getting the surface. I finished the book, but I started losing curiosity after 1/3 of the book. I felt like I was watching a preview of Dateline, without the ability of googling more on the story. To be honest, at this point I don't even remember what happened at the end. Again, I am in the minority so maybe I am reading too many domestic suspense novels. I am done with Megan Abbott's books for now but I would try another one if book friends recommended.

***I received an eARC from EDELWEISS***

readingwithhippos's review against another edition

4.0

Nobody does creepy like Megan Abbott! She’s the master of scenes that make your skin crawl. Even when nothing is obviously amiss, with each page there’s a growing sense that something is wrong, characters aren’t what they seem, and the version of events on the page may not be what actually happened. And don’t ever trust her narrators—in this case, Kit, a high-achieving academic working in a lab. When Diane, a person from Kit’s past, joins the lab, Kit is completely thrown. She and Diane have what you might call a complicated history, one that Kit decidedly does not want to revisit. When Kit finds out she and Diane will be competing for a spot on a prestigious research study run by their enigmatic and mercurial mentor, Kit’s paranoia balloons out of control, with disastrous and bloody consequences. And if you’re not sold on tension alone, Abbott also provides a lot to mull over with respect to women in the sciences and what it takes to earn a spot and keep it. Give Me Your Hand is dark, disturbing, and delightfully feminist.

kristen_eden's review against another edition

3.0

Very much the same as Dare Me. A good quick read.

afox98's review against another edition

3.0

I wanted to love this book but just didn’t. Kit and Diane were best friends in high school, up until Diane told Kit her horrible secret. They went their separate ways after graduation but both became recognized star scientists and ultimately end up at the same lab working with their high school idol, Dr. Severin. Amidst the celebration of both of them getting selected for work on a prestigious grant, something happens that Kit feels she must keep a secret and she and Diane are thrown together again, bound by things they can’t tell others. Suspenseful, with a couple of twists, but I felt like the author never quite dug deep enough on the characters to make their personalities believable.