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bbeloff425's review against another edition
4.0
This book definitely did its job of being creepy and disturbing. It will make you second guess that random noise you heard at night. Some of the scenes in this will stick with me. You think and anticipate that the narrator is going to go through the worst possible thing by the end, only for everything to happen to those he cares about around him. Which is so much worse.
I felt overall structure worked both for and against the book as a whole. Each chapter was structured to fit a theme, so certain times and events had to be revisited to fit that. But at the same time it would often feel like back tracking to move forward in time to the narrator being 15 only for the next chapter to start with him back in 1st grade again. Sometimes this lead to pre-established things feeling drawn out and repetitive, while other times it felt like it created a few plot holes.
I felt overall structure worked both for and against the book as a whole. Each chapter was structured to fit a theme, so certain times and events had to be revisited to fit that. But at the same time it would often feel like back tracking to move forward in time to the narrator being 15 only for the next chapter to start with him back in 1st grade again. Sometimes this lead to pre-established things feeling drawn out and repetitive, while other times it felt like it created a few plot holes.
lisa_d9's review against another edition
5.0
It checked the boxes to be a really really creepy read. I personally really appreciated the telling of the story as it was remembered from the perspective of a child/young man but with the childish innocence of not dwelling on the things that happened and ignoring the greater significance of them. The way the brain protected itself from the terrifying truths.
I adored the first few pages in the section called “Memories”. This book will not be forgotten, it was a great reading experience so I’m giving it 5 stars. It made me uncomfortable, it made me feel dread, it made my mouth fall open when I was particularly scared. However, it was still pretty light horror so there is nothing is there that will scar me for life. (Not saying that it wouldn’t scar other people but it’s like a walk in the park compared to some horror I’ve read)
It was just a really interesting way to tell a story and for all the pieces to come together.
Basically, it’s not a good idea to have children release balloons into the air with their pictures, asking for pen pals. That is straight up not a good idea.
I adored the first few pages in the section called “Memories”. This book will not be forgotten, it was a great reading experience so I’m giving it 5 stars. It made me uncomfortable, it made me feel dread, it made my mouth fall open when I was particularly scared. However, it was still pretty light horror so there is nothing is there that will scar me for life. (Not saying that it wouldn’t scar other people but it’s like a walk in the park compared to some horror I’ve read)
It was just a really interesting way to tell a story and for all the pieces to come together.
Basically, it’s not a good idea to have children release balloons into the air with their pictures, asking for pen pals. That is straight up not a good idea.
bookishreveriess's review against another edition
4.0
This book was given/thrown at me by one of my friends a couple of weeks ago. I decided to give it a try, because I liked the summary and wanted to check it out and you know, the summary speaks the truth, I kinda wish I could forget about what he never knew. Oh God, anyways, after having it in my backpack doing nothing, completely abandoned, I picked it up on these last few days and I finally finished it!
And guess what. . .it was better than I expected!
At first, as I started roaming through the pages of it, I was a little confused. It’s not that the book is confusing, it’s just that I was kinda lost because this book is different from what I usually read.I liked this book way lot than I thought I would; I liked how the pov worked, the way everything developed, the way it gets you by the neck and holds you there so you can see and know what happens, and finally, the way the protagonist kept discovering more and more about his forgotten and unknown childhood without confusing you. Dathan Auerbach did a great job keeping me at that point where all I wanted was to throw the book out a window and burn it, and he also did a great job making me scream “what the u-know-what?” multiple times as I processed what happened in every chapter.
This book has 4.5 well deserved stars, I can’t complain much about it. It was creepy, traumatizing and really good. The turn of events at the end still has me shocked and speechless though, (you’ll have to read if you want to know what I’m talking about). Believe me, it’s not something pretty that you would expect to happen, it’s something really unexpected, seriously. It will kind of break your heart, but it will be worth it because you’ll finally get the pieces of the puzzle of his past together and you’ll understand. And you’ll suffer. But it’s good:-)
So, if you’re looking for a random creepy,“stalkish” and traumatizing read, you should definitely check this book out. You might be a little lost at first, but then you’ll get into it and see and understand why I ended up loving/hating this book and with my feels messed up.
And guess what. . .it was better than I expected!
At first, as I started roaming through the pages of it, I was a little confused. It’s not that the book is confusing, it’s just that I was kinda lost because this book is different from what I usually read.I liked this book way lot than I thought I would; I liked how the pov worked, the way everything developed, the way it gets you by the neck and holds you there so you can see and know what happens, and finally, the way the protagonist kept discovering more and more about his forgotten and unknown childhood without confusing you. Dathan Auerbach did a great job keeping me at that point where all I wanted was to throw the book out a window and burn it, and he also did a great job making me scream “what the u-know-what?” multiple times as I processed what happened in every chapter.
This book has 4.5 well deserved stars, I can’t complain much about it. It was creepy, traumatizing and really good. The turn of events at the end still has me shocked and speechless though, (you’ll have to read if you want to know what I’m talking about). Believe me, it’s not something pretty that you would expect to happen, it’s something really unexpected, seriously. It will kind of break your heart, but it will be worth it because you’ll finally get the pieces of the puzzle of his past together and you’ll understand. And you’ll suffer. But it’s good:-)
So, if you’re looking for a random creepy,“stalkish” and traumatizing read, you should definitely check this book out. You might be a little lost at first, but then you’ll get into it and see and understand why I ended up loving/hating this book and with my feels messed up.
quips's review against another edition
5.0
Effective, and well paced. Unnerving and emotionally devastating.
Good read!
Good read!
sftballgrl823's review against another edition
3.0
Seemed inspired by The Lovely Bones. The creepy parts were satisfactorily creepy and the ending was beautiful and sad beyond words.
The plot was actually pretty good, but I did not like the writing at all. I almost DNF’d because of the writing, but I will say for the plot just do what I did and skim every so often to get to the meat and potatoes.
The plot was actually pretty good, but I did not like the writing at all. I almost DNF’d because of the writing, but I will say for the plot just do what I did and skim every so often to get to the meat and potatoes.
jlitsch's review against another edition
3.0
The scary parts of this book were phenomenal and really got into my head. I did not like how the timeline jumped all over and the bits in between the scary parts were really disjointed and repetitive.
zenbofication's review against another edition
5.0
Man i listened to this nosleep ages ago on youtube and immediately fell in love with it! I sadly forgotten about it as most people do with most things when life gets in the way, but as i was browsing the books on this site and caught sight of that cover and title all of my memories about Penpal came flooding back toe me and i just HAD to read it.
It was basically exactly as i remembered it, it was like talking to an old friend lost to time, of remembering all the things we used to do together and the great times we shared and the ending is like us parting once more, to go back to our busy adult lives, promising to keep in touch but knowing its all fake and empty.
I love penpal, i love the ending so much, the last lines especially. I will forget about it eventually again, and when that happens ill suddenly get an urge to look at my bookshelf and see it there and relive that story once more and feel all these feelings again.
Maybe im blinded by nostalgia but this is a classic for me and i can never see myself truly ever parting from it.
It was basically exactly as i remembered it, it was like talking to an old friend lost to time, of remembering all the things we used to do together and the great times we shared and the ending is like us parting once more, to go back to our busy adult lives, promising to keep in touch but knowing its all fake and empty.
I love penpal, i love the ending so much, the last lines especially. I will forget about it eventually again, and when that happens ill suddenly get an urge to look at my bookshelf and see it there and relive that story once more and feel all these feelings again.
Maybe im blinded by nostalgia but this is a classic for me and i can never see myself truly ever parting from it.
cyberincision's review against another edition
5.0
This is probably one of the most amazing, if not far fetched at times, horror stories I have ever read. The ending is a combination of shocking, disturbing, sickening and terrifying. Each chapter will leave you with that adrenalized feeling of "what if that happened?" Some aspects are remembered from a child's naivety, while you, the adult (or near adult) realize what it really means and can feel the horror. I highly recommend this read.
rosiitaapplebum's review
dark
emotional
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? It's complicated
5.0