A review by danys_reads
The Woods Are Always Watching by Stephanie Perkins
1.0
I love that *friendship* was what kept them alive despite the fact that they hurled insults at each other the whole time.
Some other awful things about this book:
1. The implication that being abused is a one-way pipeline to becoming a killer.
2. The implication that working class people are stupid, despite the fact that, according to this book, theu've been getting away with murder for YEARS. Yeah, I definitely believed that these two men who have a track record of killing without getting caught would then go down because a teenage girl told one the other said he was stupid.
3. These girls, these fucking girls were AWFUL, and at no point was I convinced they would have gone into the forest for a 3-day trip in the first place.
4. National forests and parks are incredibly popular. When i went camping/hiking in one about 7 or 8 years ago, at the height of August, I saw other campers/hikers at least once per hour.
5. Homegirl breaks her ankle so bad it's described as "dangling" and yet she still manages to 1. Not bleed out for the HOURS she's trapped, 2. Not go into shock, and 3. Catch up with her friend who has hiked for HOURS within the space of what seems like avout 20 minutes.
6. Same homegirl gets her whole hand shot off, same issues as above.
7. Hand is shot off with a shot gun, whilst holding it in front of herself to block her from the shot (shot guns spray so this is even stupider than it sounds)
8. Bear ex machina
9. Homegirls dont understand that damp sticks are bad for a fire, this is something they have to LEARN on the trail (they also don't know that a hot marshmallow is what melts chocolate for a s'more and try to roast chocolate on the fire)
10. A man's penis is described as him holding a big pink worm, and I wont lie to you I did not immediately pick up on the fact she was talking about a dick
11. Sexual assualt stuff that is done for shock value and no other reason.
12. Discussions about murder EVIDENCE like the author just binge watched CSI, which makes even less sense when it's said that one of the men has a thing for necrophilia but we are never shown evidence of condoms, like, DNA is a thing but fine (again this is a shock value statement)
13. It's honestly just really bad horror. There is no atmosphere, no real motive, no backstory, no real reason to care if the characters survive, and kind of knowing they will anyway because apparently footless and handless girl can run an hour long trail in 20 minutes!
Some other awful things about this book:
1. The implication that being abused is a one-way pipeline to becoming a killer.
2. The implication that working class people are stupid, despite the fact that, according to this book, theu've been getting away with murder for YEARS. Yeah, I definitely believed that these two men who have a track record of killing without getting caught would then go down because a teenage girl told one the other said he was stupid.
3. These girls, these fucking girls were AWFUL, and at no point was I convinced they would have gone into the forest for a 3-day trip in the first place.
4. National forests and parks are incredibly popular. When i went camping/hiking in one about 7 or 8 years ago, at the height of August, I saw other campers/hikers at least once per hour.
5. Homegirl breaks her ankle so bad it's described as "dangling" and yet she still manages to 1. Not bleed out for the HOURS she's trapped, 2. Not go into shock, and 3. Catch up with her friend who has hiked for HOURS within the space of what seems like avout 20 minutes.
6. Same homegirl gets her whole hand shot off, same issues as above.
7. Hand is shot off with a shot gun, whilst holding it in front of herself to block her from the shot (shot guns spray so this is even stupider than it sounds)
8. Bear ex machina
9. Homegirls dont understand that damp sticks are bad for a fire, this is something they have to LEARN on the trail (they also don't know that a hot marshmallow is what melts chocolate for a s'more and try to roast chocolate on the fire)
10. A man's penis is described as him holding a big pink worm, and I wont lie to you I did not immediately pick up on the fact she was talking about a dick
11. Sexual assualt stuff that is done for shock value and no other reason.
12. Discussions about murder EVIDENCE like the author just binge watched CSI, which makes even less sense when it's said that one of the men has a thing for necrophilia but we are never shown evidence of condoms, like, DNA is a thing but fine (again this is a shock value statement)
13. It's honestly just really bad horror. There is no atmosphere, no real motive, no backstory, no real reason to care if the characters survive, and kind of knowing they will anyway because apparently footless and handless girl can run an hour long trail in 20 minutes!