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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
abbyreadsbigbooks123's review against another edition
2.0
Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Outing, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
kalefactory'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
4.5
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Addiction, Bullying, Drug use, Mental illness, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Outing, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment
melissaslibraryy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Outing, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
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
mnasr's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Homophobia, Sexual content, Suicide, and Violence
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Outing
Minor: Bullying, Cancer, and Toxic relationship
kirstencholewa'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
4.5
At times it did feel a bit forced from a diversity perspective.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cancer, Death, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Outing, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment
Minor: Body shaming, Gun violence, Sexism, Sexual content, and Mass/school shootings
tabby09's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I listened to the audiobook format. Narrators were good- Bronwyn annoyed me a little and at first Addie sounded robotic, but she gets better. Cooper and Nate were good.
Graphic: Toxic relationship and Outing
Moderate: Alcoholism, Homophobia, Violence, and Abandonment
Minor: Cancer and Toxic friendship
Can't really warn about this one without giving away some of the plot.azileotulp'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
4.75
I do have to say that this was such an engaging mystery. Sadly, I did have part of the ending spoiled for me because one of the reviewers here doesn't know how to use spoiler warnings, but even with that spoiler, I was still able to enjoy it. It was just as much fun to try to figure out why the person responsible did what they did.
I also loved the characters so much. Usually in books with multiple perspectives, there's always that one character's POV that I'm just trying to get through before I can get back to the more interesting characters. This book wasn't like that at all. Even the characters I originally didn't like at first (who I did grow to love throughout the story, by the way) had such compelling perspectives that I was always excited to read them. And I have to say, I am such a Bronwyn and Nate fan...
I do also want to talk a bit about my baby boy Cooper.
All in all, I truly adored this book. I was captivated the entire time I was reading, but especially those last seventy or so pages. I was gasping, shrieking, throwing up (okay, slightly exaggerated on that last one, but I did gag once). I can't recommend it more.
Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Death, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Outing
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Confinement, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Mass/school shootings, and Car accident
While I didn't add "eating disorder" as a content warning, one character is described multiple times as becoming much skinnier and seems to lose about 10 pounds in a short period of time. This is most likely due to stress rather than body issues.