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A review by enmcurrie
One for Sorrow by Amy McCulloch, Zoe Sugg
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
I actually enjoyed this book a lot, I loved the atmosphere (the secluded boarding school feel) and I loved the character development. The plot definitely kept me hooked. However, I think the first half was actually stronger than the second half of the book.
I had 3 main issues with it:
1. The transitions between chapters weren’t very smooth, and I think that sort of comes naturally when you have two different writers. There were also some inconsistencies (albeit some were quite tiny, such as Audrey - the American, saying ‘sofa’ or ‘shall’). Also, it’s pretty easy to tell Zoe wrote Ivy’s parts and Amy wrote Audrey’s parts.
2. The plot was very predictable in the second half (and maybe that’s my fault for reading too many YA mystery books) but it’s always the same stuff. The book is also scattered with cliches - especially Ivy and Audrey. Ivy is the epitome of your typical intense overachiever student that’s good at everything and is definitely burnt out and Audrey is your stereotypical American moving to England - rich and a Southern sweetheart, who had the typical and probably unrealistic popular high school student life previously. Some parts of the plot just felt slightly forced - such as the attempts at romance, but it wasn’t awful to the point where I didn’t enjoy it. Maybe younger readers wouldn’t notice it so much.
3. The ending. I’m all for having an open ending to set up for a sequel/series, but I hated the way it ended so abruptly and practically mid-conversation. There was the big build up and culmination of tension and then it just ended. (More of a nit-picky one but still)
Even though it sounds like I had lots of issues with it, I still enjoyed it and I’ve already ordered the second book to read. It has potential, so I hope the sequel rounds the story off in a satisfying way.
I had 3 main issues with it:
1. The transitions between chapters weren’t very smooth, and I think that sort of comes naturally when you have two different writers. There were also some inconsistencies (albeit some were quite tiny, such as Audrey - the American, saying ‘sofa’ or ‘shall’). Also, it’s pretty easy to tell Zoe wrote Ivy’s parts and Amy wrote Audrey’s parts.
2. The plot was very predictable in the second half (and maybe that’s my fault for reading too many YA mystery books) but it’s always the same stuff. The book is also scattered with cliches - especially Ivy and Audrey. Ivy is the epitome of your typical intense overachiever student that’s good at everything and is definitely burnt out and Audrey is your stereotypical American moving to England - rich and a Southern sweetheart, who had the typical and probably unrealistic popular high school student life previously. Some parts of the plot just felt slightly forced - such as the attempts at romance, but it wasn’t awful to the point where I didn’t enjoy it. Maybe younger readers wouldn’t notice it so much.
3. The ending. I’m all for having an open ending to set up for a sequel/series, but I hated the way it ended so abruptly and practically mid-conversation. There was the big build up and culmination of tension and then it just ended. (More of a nit-picky one but still)
Even though it sounds like I had lots of issues with it, I still enjoyed it and I’ve already ordered the second book to read. It has potential, so I hope the sequel rounds the story off in a satisfying way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Mental illness and Suicidal thoughts