A review by helhas3letters
Lakewood by Megan Giddings

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Very readable. The plot hooked me completely and despite a few awkward turns of phrase, I raced through this one.
My main gripe, however, is that I felt the ending was rushed and left too open-ended. I wanted more concrete answers and explanations as to why half the events in the book occurred. I understand that a lot of modern fiction leaves things up to interpretation for the reader, but in this case it felt less 'up to interpretation' and more 'couldn't be bothered thinking of specific reasons why specific things happened'.
The ending was also unfortunately semi-spoiled for me by a way too on-the-nose and frankly reductive pull quote on the cover of the book. It was from Essence and read:

"Reminiscent of Jordan Peele's terrifying film Get Out."

If you've read the book, you'll know what I mean when I say that reading that quote essentially told me the entire ending.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Drug use, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Cancer, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Racism, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Grief, Murder, and Colonisation

Minor: Ableism, Domestic abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Stalking, and Alcohol