phoehems's review
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.75
Hmmm, well that’s an unexpected ending. Apart from where you work out the ending before before it’s revealed in a way that makes it seem like you shouldn’t have worked it out.
But I still liked the character development, especially in Hanna’s character.
To be honest as much as I like the way Ezra is written, he still makes me uncomfortable. And of course you feel sorry for Aria in this situation but that’s not the way to deal with something like that. I get that some people might read this and take it in the wrong way.
There were definitely times in this book that was very hard to read. But I think it is well written. People can now see these issues happen in a family, and that could be really helpful for someone.
Spencer is an interesting character. Everything she does seems to come back to her. Previously, she’d been hated because of Wren.
It’s a solid book :)
Spoiler
Spencer killer AliBut I still liked the character development, especially in Hanna’s character.
Spoiler
It seems cliché that it came in a ‘woah she finally realised how fake she was… it’s what’s on the inside that counts… you don’t need to be popular to be pretty etc etc’, but her character was already a cliché, so I don’t think it really matters.To be honest as much as I like the way Ezra is written, he still makes me uncomfortable. And of course you feel sorry for Aria in this situation but that’s not the way to deal with something like that. I get that some people might read this and take it in the wrong way.
There were definitely times in this book that was very hard to read.
Spoiler
Emily’s story is pretty tragic if you think about it. The girl she loves is black. She lives in a household with a racist and outwardly homophobic family. She either has to ‘cure’ herself, or live with an even crazier household. You feel bad for Emily, and you feel bad for Maya, because whenever they’re together, they’re so happy.Spencer is an interesting character. Everything she does seems to come back to her. Previously, she’d been hated because of Wren.
Spoiler
We find out she erases parts of her memory (or something like that), and that because of this, she can’t remember she killed Ali. But it comes back to her after she hurt Melissa. I don’t really know… it’s all a bit confusing.It’s a solid book :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Eating disorder, and Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Racism and Bullying
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