A review by wardenred
They Wish They Were Us by Jessica Goodman

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

2.0

Shaila was buried during a frenzied, testy storm, the kind that could only happen at the start of summer when the ocean crashes violently before sputtering to a halt. It was almost too on the nose. A funeral in the rain. How sad.

From the blurb, the cover, and a couple of reviews, I except a cross between Pretty Little Liars and Abigail Haas's YA thrillers, served with dark academia vibes. Unfortunately, I'll have to look for something else to satisfy those cravings. 

My main problem with the book is that there's so much build up to the stuff that's supposed to be the meat of the story and all of it takes so long that by the time we get there, it's nearly impossible not to lose interest already. Especially since there's not a single compelling character in sight to latch onto: everyone is bland, boring, and stereotypical. And then when the build-up supposedly pays off, things get even worse, because those reveals highly count as anything paying off. The mystery is transparent to the point of embarrassment. The killer may have as well just introduced themself in the first chapter or something. And the whole deal around the insular clique/secret society in the middle of the private school is just... eh. There's all that tension in the beginning with the MC not wanting her brother to join because then he'd know about the awful things her group's done and the dramatic suspense around the tests newbies have to go through. And then when it's finally explained, it's a bunch of embarrassing stuff drunk teenagers come up with at parties when one of them chooses dare. Humiliating and stupid for sure, but damn, not what you expect to read about when the build up to it hints at unspeakable crimes!

Speaking of Jill's relationship with her brother, I guess this was the one thing that kept me reading. I wasn't a fan of either of the characters, but there was some real feeling there, now and then—a welcome change from the flatness of everything around it.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings