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A review by cady_sass
Run Time by Catherine Ryan Howard
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
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
3.5
December Thriller by the Book Club pick - 3.5/5
I’ve now written this review 3x and keep clicking in the wrong place by accident and losing it (goodreads, your UI needs work!) so at this point I need to keep it brief, haha.
As a horror movie nerd/fangirl I was really looking forward to this one! Hard to say if that fact is a reason why I feel let down or if the book itself is kind of disappointing. It’s tough to say exactly why it is I didn’t love this without massive spoilers so I’ll just say this: this novel flies so close to the sun with meta/self-aware writing to the point where it becomes a bit predictable.
This is a quick read, will keep you entertained and turning the page until the final chapters even once you’ve figured out what’s going down. There are a few more minor twists that did catch me by surprise and I liked that a lot! Ultimately what kept me from giving this 4 stars is the full on dialogue dump at the end, where two characters sit down and explain whodunnit and why-dunnit in great detail, which is disappointing and unfortunate. Using this plot device is just a clear cut signal, to me, that the author either knew they weren’t writing effectively what was happening as it was happening, or they’re treating the reader like they’re dumb.
I’ve now written this review 3x and keep clicking in the wrong place by accident and losing it (goodreads, your UI needs work!) so at this point I need to keep it brief, haha.
As a horror movie nerd/fangirl I was really looking forward to this one! Hard to say if that fact is a reason why I feel let down or if the book itself is kind of disappointing. It’s tough to say exactly why it is I didn’t love this without massive spoilers so I’ll just say this: this novel flies so close to the sun with meta/self-aware writing to the point where it becomes a bit predictable.
This is a quick read, will keep you entertained and turning the page until the final chapters even once you’ve figured out what’s going down. There are a few more minor twists that did catch me by surprise and I liked that a lot! Ultimately what kept me from giving this 4 stars is the full on dialogue dump at the end, where two characters sit down and explain whodunnit and why-dunnit in great detail, which is disappointing and unfortunate. Using this plot device is just a clear cut signal, to me, that the author either knew they weren’t writing effectively what was happening as it was happening, or they’re treating the reader like they’re dumb.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Infidelity, Blood, Vomit, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail