A review by sarahweyand
The Roanoke Girls by Amy Engel

dark mysterious sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.25

I thought THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS was going to be my low-rated book on the month, but look at me exceed expectations. Maybe part of the reason here is on me, but I thought this book was a YA mystery when it was in fact a very adult thriller that centers heavily around the first listed trigger warning here. The book's synopsis in no way alludes to this being the crux of the story, reader be warned. So....not the most fun surprise.

I can understand and appreciate some dark, disturbing literature when done right. I read a lot of horror and I like a lot of horror. But in this context I cannot stand for the girl-on-girl hate and women blaming this book is full of. Every woman is alluded to being or just flat-out described as a slut, a mean girl, trailer trash, or some other nasty moniker that is not equally ascribed to the male characters. And given what this book is about at it's core, that's really fucking disgusting.

Unfortunately, I think this means I'm done with Amy Engel as an author, but maybe that's for the best. Please don't read this book. If you need something dark and depraved, read PRETTY GIRLS or something. And if you're a contrarian and this means you really have to read it now, please read the content warnings so you know what you're getting into. I'm not messing around.
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