A review by crisp_pages_
Fifty Feet Down by Sophie Tanen
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
“Make me believe we’ll one day be cast among the stars.”
I picked up this book after seeing a TikTok about dead boys and a lesbian journalist and finished it in TWO SITTINGS.
I want to preface this by saying I’ve maybe read three thrillers in my lifetime and I’m not really the best voice to rate and review them on a ‘thriller’ level, my rating is based on my enjoyment alone.
As someone that grew up in a town just about the size of the one in the novel I instantly connected with the Erie small down secrets and the realistic way of ‘everyone knowing everyone’ and the outsider perspective on that. I think it was a spectacular setting for this story. AND THE QUARRY’s WERE TERRIFYING. I thought the romance was cute and I overall enjoyed all of the characters on some level, though at some points there were just a LOT of names for my mind to handle.
I think the loss of a star for me was maybe the pacing? I felt that 2/4ths in the story was stuck in a loop of a few repeated scenes with the same lack of knowledge and not much else going on and it took a bit to work through until the pacing picked up again.
I enjoyed this debut so much and could very much see myself both recommending this book to others, and looking forward to the authors next work.
I picked up this book after seeing a TikTok about dead boys and a lesbian journalist and finished it in TWO SITTINGS.
I want to preface this by saying I’ve maybe read three thrillers in my lifetime and I’m not really the best voice to rate and review them on a ‘thriller’ level, my rating is based on my enjoyment alone.
As someone that grew up in a town just about the size of the one in the novel I instantly connected with the Erie small down secrets and the realistic way of ‘everyone knowing everyone’ and the outsider perspective on that. I think it was a spectacular setting for this story. AND THE QUARRY’s WERE TERRIFYING. I thought the romance was cute and I overall enjoyed all of the characters on some level, though at some points there were just a LOT of names for my mind to handle.
I think the loss of a star for me was maybe the pacing? I felt that 2/4ths in the story was stuck in a loop of a few repeated scenes with the same lack of knowledge and not much else going on and it took a bit to work through until the pacing picked up again.
I enjoyed this debut so much and could very much see myself both recommending this book to others, and looking forward to the authors next work.