maggietokudahall's review
5.0
has the lightest touch of "hell hath no fury like" but I swallowed it whole
adhammie's review
1.0
This book was a struggle to get through and it was very anticlimactic. I feel like too much of the story revolved around a character who wasn’t even that important. I was expecting more because the TV show is so good. I wasn’t impressed. I don’t understand how how everything that happened was started by an event that was only mentioned briefly at the end of the book. Not a fan.
peaceandemi's review
3.0
I honestly read this book with the goal to see what happens in the end since the TV show ends with a cliffhanger. Its a mystery book in a small town narrated by a cheerleader. Nonetheless, it was a good read because you can feel the darkness and ominous vibe. The only complaint I would have is how much Addy talks about cheerleading and the way she talks about it, but that’s understandable since it seems like it’s her escape and keeps her going.
milfslurs's review
2.0
christ. that was disappointing. i’ll try to make it short, because i’d rather not spend much more time on this book.
pros:
- the technical writing. abbott knows what she’s doing
- the first half was good.
- beths lesbionic obsession with addy was interesting. would not have liked this book at all if not for it. (which makes the slurs even worse. really?) it’s the only fucking thing that explains her motives or anything in this goddamned book, to be honest.
cons:
- the dialogue. abbott has never heard a teenage girl speak in her life. what the hell? not only that but some of her word choice. stylization. downright questionable. extremely cringey and hard to read.
- the twists were boring. i did not pause, did not think about them at all because she tried so hard to be confusing. and she excelled at that. the cryptic shit on both ends was infuriating and stupid and ruined the entire book for me.
- were the slurs necessary. really. you can always tell when someone gets too excited to say something they normally shouldn’t. it was an excuse. not necessary at all.
- so boring. there was no character development, no reasoning, no explanation for anything.
in sum, boring and stupid and convoluted in a way that was extremely disappointing. the first and second halves of the book were so disjointed. ugh.
2 stars because i really truly did enjoy the non-edgelord slice of life part of the book. sigh.
pros:
- the technical writing. abbott knows what she’s doing
- the first half was good.
- beths lesbionic obsession with addy was interesting. would not have liked this book at all if not for it. (which makes the slurs even worse. really?) it’s the only fucking thing that explains her motives or anything in this goddamned book, to be honest.
cons:
- the dialogue. abbott has never heard a teenage girl speak in her life. what the hell? not only that but some of her word choice. stylization. downright questionable. extremely cringey and hard to read.
- the twists were boring. i did not pause, did not think about them at all because she tried so hard to be confusing. and she excelled at that. the cryptic shit on both ends was infuriating and stupid and ruined the entire book for me.
- were the slurs necessary. really. you can always tell when someone gets too excited to say something they normally shouldn’t. it was an excuse. not necessary at all.
- so boring. there was no character development, no reasoning, no explanation for anything.
in sum, boring and stupid and convoluted in a way that was extremely disappointing. the first and second halves of the book were so disjointed. ugh.
2 stars because i really truly did enjoy the non-edgelord slice of life part of the book. sigh.
laurelinwonder's review
4.0
This is my second foray into Abbot's writing, and it's less thrilling than the first, but still worthwhile. Abbott's work has never really caught my eye, at least how it is marketed, but she's been recommended to me a lot as of the last year. Here's what she does well, girls, she writes real girls. Sure, they are catty, awful, and often desperate, but that is what she captures, and hurtles readers into the lives of girls at full force. This is what keeps me reading, even when I cannot connect with the characters, especially in a book about cheerleaders... And this authentic voice, and writing of girls, is why you should read on.
blburslem's review against another edition
1.0
This book was so far from any reality that I've ever experienced that all I could do was scoff the entire time.
lexkv66's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-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
3.75