Jay
1 star ⭐️
Highly disappointed. I was looking forward to this novela since I heard Jordaline talk about it in July. Even preordered it in July. I just feel like I had such high hopes and it met none of them.
The writing did feel pretentious with the whole thing being metaphors and similes that left me wondering wtf was going on. None of the characters were likable at all. I wondered why they were all there together celebrating a wedding if they didn't seem to like each other at all.
I was bothered at how nonchalant they acted as this haunted house was coming alive. Bickering and fighting about nothing while there are ghosts and monsters around. The library with the books came out of left field and was super convenient.
Overall, let down and disappointed.
4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Honestly, I went into this book without any high expectations. I saw a reading vlog Jacquline did on her channel on reading a Chevy Stevens book and it happened to be this one. She gave it a high rating and I figured I'd give it a go.
This book is so fast paced, things happening straight from the beginning. I will say massive TRIGGER warnings though ⛔️ If that is something you're worried about I'd look into those first. There's quite a few.
Something I didn't quite like at the beginning was how odd the time frame was. It could be days in a few pages, weeks, months and then BAM years went by. By the end of the book I was used to the timing and it didn't bother e as much anymore.
Throughout this book I kept feeling like I wasn't going to give it a high rating. It felt more like a lifetime movie to me. But man, by the end, you're so close to the characters I just had to give this a 4 stars.
A story of three sisters, trauma, and how they've overcome their nightmares together.
5 stars!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I've been hearing some mixed reviews on this one.
To be honest, while I was reading even into the middle of the book, I was unsure I was going to rate it higher than 4 stars IF that.
It confused me a bit because it was heavy on the unreliable narrator trope. I felt like I knew where the book was heading and it felt a little disappointing. I ended up predicting one of the twists but the other twist is what gave it 5 stars for me!! ⭐️
It literally made me jump up from bed and gasp and I love when books can really surprise you like that.
The very end of the book wasn't my absolute favorite but it did wrap things up enough for me to thoroughly enjoy it.
That TWIST though. That's what did it.
3.75 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
After reading No Exit back in February, I was so excited to hear that Taylor Adams new book was coming out in June. This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year.
I do believe I compared it too much to No Exit and put way too much expectation on it. It's heavy on the action which makes the book super fast paced.
Unfortunately, I was confused along the way. I wasn't sure what I was reading was actually going on and who to believe? That's definitely the way it keeps you reading but I feel like I didn't get too much clarification at the end? Maybe I missed it. The emotions of the antagonist was soooo hot or cold. I didn't like his switch of emotions at all.
The book was heavy on the gun fights and a lot of gun talk that I wasn't really into.
I enjoyed the action but wasn't sold on the story.
4.5
I absolutely loved this book. It was pretty creepy and I have to admit, I mostly read it during the daytime haha. I was hooked from the Prologue.
The mystery behind the Kill Creek house was captivating and I just wanted to know so badly what was going to happen. I did NOT see that ending coming.
I didn't give this a 5 stars as I originally thought I would because I had some questions that were left unanswered or were ambiguous. I would've like to go a little in depth in a certain part of the story that gripped me from the beginning.
Overall, highly highly enjoyed as the first horror novel I've read!
4.25⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A story of wanting to be accepted, seen, loved but at what cost? A true mean girls book. Obsession, destruction, lies, guilt, murder, revenge. All things I wasn't expecting but it sucked me in until the very end.
It was an interesting and uncomfortable take to be in the POV of one of the mean girls. To be inside her head and thoughts as things spiraled out of control.
I would've loved a bit more clarity at the end. But I guess that's what keeps you thinking about it even after you've finished reading it.
I enjoyed it a lot!
3.25 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Overall it was a good book. I really like the atmosphere of it being in Italy during a storm. I loved the different areas of the island like the grottos, labyrinth, and artist colonies. The setting itself was my favorite character.
The actual characters were a little pretentious (the Comptons). They read more as though they were British royalty rather than a couple from Nashville. But I did quickly overlook that to try and enjoy the book.
It was very slow paced. A little annoying that chaos and murder was ensuing and the characters seemed quite nonchalant about it. The major twist was pretty much known from the beginning. There was a smaller twist at the end I wish it went into depth a bit more with that rather than the main focus.
This definitely could've been cut down about 100 pages. By the end I felt like it dragged. There were a lot unnecessary stories or explaining that I felt didn't really add any value.
Over all I did enjoy the book, it just wasn't one of my favorites.
5.0
Wow! It's all I kept saying from the very beginning. I love when books just hook you right from the start and this one did it!! I always see this word from authors as blurbs but it was quite literally, unputdownable!! It made me uncomfortable, it definitely sparked my anxiety but I was so invested. All the twists were so clever I saw none of them coming. It was such a great time reading this! Definitely a favorite!
4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Honestly, I wasn't expecting how this book turned out at all and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I enjoyed watching things play out and unfold. The ending is what really got me. I just wasn't expecting those twists at all. They came from left field and it's what made me go from giving this book a 3 or 3.5 to a 4 star. I feel like it was be a great lifetime movie.
