cassstillwill's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
holl3640's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
3.0
tiffyb's review
3.0
3.25 stars ⭐️
I read this book in one day, so I can’t be too critical of it (but of course I will be!). I LOVED the premise of this book, and I LOVED the twist near the end. This book was such a solid idea.
BUT three things:
1) too many plot holes at the end
2) several sections of the book moved so slow, I kept skipping paragraphs
3) Sera is most definitely insane, but it seems like the author doesn’t know that she’s insane
Sera is just such a hard main character to like. You really want to feel some pity or understanding for her, yet you find yourself overwhelmed by how DUMB she is. She’s supposed to be going “undercover” to find out what happened to her favorite podcast host (Rachel), yet she tells every person she meets exactly what she is doing, asks direct questions (basically on the level of “did you kill Rachel?!”)every 15 pages of the book, and does *literally nothing* to keep herself safe. Also she refuses to believe anything anyone says about Rachel, insisting that she knows Rachel better (through a podcast) than anyone else ever knew Rachel in real life!
Her obsession with Rachel also isn’t believable, to the point that, like many other readers, I spent much of the book wondering if Sera is insane or possibly if she is Rachel herself (and doesn’t know it - some sort of dissociative disorder). The author could have made her obsession more understandable… for example, if Sera had ever actually communicated personally with Rachel, or if she had been part of an online group of avid podcast fans who were all wondering why Rachel had disappeared. Identifying with Rachel’s message was not enough reason for Sera to drop everything, move to the mountains to do manual labor, and literally risk her life.
In a book clearly written on a (great) premise of “women are not taken seriously enough” and “women are not just here for the men,” it is truly bothersome to find the the main character is in fact a bit insane and that she is in fact just there for the man.
Also, I’m sorry, but the ending and the (perfect) twist was so weak. SO MANY plot holes, which I won’t write about to avoid spoilers. The entire book could have easily been written in such a way to lead up to the ending, and Sera could have been a true hero. Instead, she supports the bad guy blindly and puts a bunch of other people in danger. And again, the details DO NOT make sense given the ending. Ugh
I read this book in one day, so I can’t be too critical of it (but of course I will be!). I LOVED the premise of this book, and I LOVED the twist near the end. This book was such a solid idea.
BUT three things:
1) too many plot holes at the end
2) several sections of the book moved so slow, I kept skipping paragraphs
3) Sera is most definitely insane, but it seems like the author doesn’t know that she’s insane
Sera is just such a hard main character to like. You really want to feel some pity or understanding for her, yet you find yourself overwhelmed by how DUMB she is. She’s supposed to be going “undercover” to find out what happened to her favorite podcast host (Rachel), yet she tells every person she meets exactly what she is doing, asks direct questions (basically on the level of “did you kill Rachel?!”)every 15 pages of the book, and does *literally nothing* to keep herself safe. Also she refuses to believe anything anyone says about Rachel, insisting that she knows Rachel better (through a podcast) than anyone else ever knew Rachel in real life!
Her obsession with Rachel also isn’t believable, to the point that, like many other readers, I spent much of the book wondering if Sera is insane or possibly if she is Rachel herself (and doesn’t know it - some sort of dissociative disorder). The author could have made her obsession more understandable… for example, if Sera had ever actually communicated personally with Rachel, or if she had been part of an online group of avid podcast fans who were all wondering why Rachel had disappeared. Identifying with Rachel’s message was not enough reason for Sera to drop everything, move to the mountains to do manual labor, and literally risk her life.
In a book clearly written on a (great) premise of “women are not taken seriously enough” and “women are not just here for the men,” it is truly bothersome to find the the main character is in fact a bit insane and that she is in fact just there for the man.
Also, I’m sorry, but the ending and the (perfect) twist was so weak. SO MANY plot holes, which I won’t write about to avoid spoilers. The entire book could have easily been written in such a way to lead up to the ending, and Sera could have been a true hero. Instead, she supports the bad guy blindly and puts a bunch of other people in danger. And again, the details DO NOT make sense given the ending. Ugh
minimicropup's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Fanatical, sanguine, peculiar
Our MC, struggling with their life of loneliness and instability, finds solace in true crime podcasts. When their favourite host stops posting, the last bright spot in their life is gone and they fear the worst has happened.
🇺🇸 Set in Happy Camp and a nearby ranch in Northern California, USA
🐺Growls, Howls, and Tail Wags🐕
😃 The present tense narration directed exclusively at the podcast host added to the creepy elements and drew me in from the first chapter. I did not want this book to end and there were multiple times where I thought "where could we possibly go from here?"
👍😃 If you aren't big into true crime I think this would still be an interesting story, but if you are a fan or regular consumer, it's enhanced by references to common tips and actual 'infamous' true crime cases paired with fictionalized ones that seemed so plausible I found myself looking them up. Each chapter starts with a blurb from a case that hints at the theme and event to come.
🥺 The character development (respectfully) plays in the area between highly sensitive neurodivergence and completely unhinged delusional danger. At first I was there for all the cringe Sera brings to the story but then I started to care for her. It isn't contrived or convenient, but she was still annoying so you may struggle with this if you don't like think-yelling things like "what is WRONG with you?!" and "No, no do NOT go over there and say those things!"
🤪 Creepy small town isolation with an odd family done right. Each character is 'off' in their own way and we go back and forth about trusting them and their explanations for what is going on. The isolation comes from not knowing where the safe spaces are anymore and being too invested to leave...but still being able to.
😳 I wish there was a ranch map at the start. The ranch has all these well drawn out regions where we spend a lot of time and I kept misplacing them in relation to others.
😍 The suspense comes from the eerie undercurrent, figuring out who to trust, getting invested along with the MC in what is going on and if anyone is even in danger and if so, who? There are times where nothing much happens but I love that in stories as long as it's used to build more suspense and mystery and is paired with good character, plot, or world development.
🤷♀️ This is the kind of story where you can predict what happened because we are consistently getting clues (and lets face it, our MC is rather dense), but possibilities are varied so even if you guess the 'big bad', there is still the mystery of why and how. The ending felt too chaotic and rushed at one point, but it evened out.
📺 I want this to be a mini-series. It reminded by of Bloodline on Netflix (vibes, not story).
🐺Growls, Howls, and Tail Wags🐕
😃 The present tense narration directed exclusively at the podcast host added to the creepy elements and drew me in from the first chapter. I did not want this book to end and there were multiple times where I thought "where could we possibly go from here?"
👍😃 If you aren't big into true crime I think this would still be an interesting story, but if you are a fan or regular consumer, it's enhanced by references to common tips and actual 'infamous' true crime cases paired with fictionalized ones that seemed so plausible I found myself looking them up. Each chapter starts with a blurb from a case that hints at the theme and event to come.
🥺 The character development (respectfully) plays in the area between highly sensitive neurodivergence and completely unhinged delusional danger. At first I was there for all the cringe Sera brings to the story but then I started to care for her. It isn't contrived or convenient, but she was still annoying so you may struggle with this if you don't like think-yelling things like "what is WRONG with you?!" and "No, no do NOT go over there and say those things!"
🤪 Creepy small town isolation with an odd family done right. Each character is 'off' in their own way and we go back and forth about trusting them and their explanations for what is going on. The isolation comes from not knowing where the safe spaces are anymore and being too invested to leave...but still being able to.
😳 I wish there was a ranch map at the start. The ranch has all these well drawn out regions where we spend a lot of time and I kept misplacing them in relation to others.
😍 The suspense comes from the eerie undercurrent, figuring out who to trust, getting invested along with the MC in what is going on and if anyone is even in danger and if so, who? There are times where nothing much happens but I love that in stories as long as it's used to build more suspense and mystery and is paired with good character, plot, or world development.
🤷♀️ This is the kind of story where you can predict what happened because we are consistently getting clues (and lets face it, our MC is rather dense), but possibilities are varied so even if you guess the 'big bad', there is still the mystery of why and how. The ending felt too chaotic and rushed at one point, but it evened out.
📺 I want this to be a mini-series. It reminded by of Bloodline on Netflix (vibes, not story).
Mood Reading Match Up:
- Plot and themes around true crime (podcasts and listeners) and domesticity
- Missing person that reads like a true crime case
- Slightly ‘off’ broken narrator + creepy everybody
- Eerie isolated small town and secretive ranch world building
- Stuck together/forced proximity romance
Content Heads-Up: Obsession. Mental Illness (anxiety, panic, sleep disorders). Gaslighting. Loneliness. Vomit. Animal death and cruelty. Sexual content (consenting). Alcohol use (self medicating, addiction). Childfree by choice rep. Car accident.
For animal death and cruelty:
For animal death and cruelty:
Spoiler
some of it is just what come from being surrounded by nature and living on a ranch with wild animals around, some of it is cat and horse murder, and the rest is cruelty where livestock are harmed because of human inaction to prevent itFormat: Paperback
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Vomit
Minor: Sexual content and Car accident
slavic_bookworm's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
jessicapc's review
3.0
Meh.
I wish this had been better edited, because the writing gets way too repetitive.
Also I guessed the plot pretty early on which is always disappointing.
2.5 stars
I wish this had been better edited, because the writing gets way too repetitive.
Also I guessed the plot pretty early on which is always disappointing.
2.5 stars
booksxy's review
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
rosiebeee's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
nikkilovesbooks01's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.5