Tegan
I liked this a lot! It starts as a supernatural mystery based around the death of a woman 30 years prior, sneaks in some good queer and trans rep (which was a surprise to me!) (complimentary) as the puzzle pieces come together, and it ends fairly well, if a bit shaky.
This book made me realise that I like reading YA when the characters act their age. They're teenagers and act like it, externally and internally. I liked the characters themselves although I wish I had felt the connection between the two MCs more. Some of the conflicts with her sister and others seemed contrived on Hazel's side. I wanted more depth to Hazel's character, especially towards the end.
The plot in this moves FAST which I enjoyed. This book does *not* move at a snails pace like some mysteries tend to do and it was refreshing. I got to the 50% mark and didn't know what to expect next because, in other novels, the book would be over at this point.
It's set in a small and seemingly isolated town/suburb in New York, USA but I'm not sure if it's our timeline. There are certain events that are commented on in the book that made me think it was in our timeline (or a less supernaturally cynical version of it) but the ending made me question that assumption. The setting does feel detached from the rest of the world with a dash of the slice-of-life this-small-town-is-f*cked-up subgenre thrown in there. It has 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' merged with 'Scream' vibes and a supernatural twist. The characters do reference horror movie tropes quite a bit which I enjoyed.
I take issue with one part of the ending which glossed over some of the events that happened. I wish the ending was stronger and had the courage of its convictions like it did for the first three-quarters of the book. I can't help feeling a little unsatisfied and I wish the ending had more ripple effects on the world they're in or more effect on the characters.
I have more than a few questions about the end that I'd like to hide under a spoiler tag but apparently they don't work on this site anymore. I believe they work on Storygraph so check out my review there if you're interested (https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/539cb3b4-991a-4d8e-827b-fc96f2ade698).
That said, I did enjoy the ride. It had twists and turns I didn't expect (although I did predict a couple) and I absolutely devoured this book. I had a hard time putting it down last night so I could sleep and I stayed up a while pondering the possibilities. It's almost like I fell into the town via my e-reader, I was so engrossed. This book had me hooked by the first sentence and that's not an exaggeration.
I'd recommend this to YA and non YA fans, murder mystery fans and/or anyone looking for good LGBTQ rep in those genres. I wouldn't describe this book as horror specifically but I also don't think it's just a thriller either. It sits between the two with elements of both.
Thank you to Dana Mele, Sourcebooks, and Netgalley for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and are posted voluntarily.
I liked this a lot! It starts as a supernatural mystery based around the death of a woman 30 years prior, sneaks in some good queer and trans rep (which was a surprise to me!) (complimentary) as the puzzle pieces come together, and it ends fairly well, if a bit shaky.
This book made me realise that I like reading YA when the characters act their age. They're teenagers and act like it, externally and internally. I liked the characters themselves although I wish I had felt the connection between the two MCs more. Some of the conflicts with her sister and others seemed contrived on Hazel's side. I wanted more depth to Hazel's character, especially towards the end.
The plot in this moves FAST which I enjoyed. This book does *not* move at a snails pace like some mysteries tend to do and it was refreshing. I got to the 50% mark and didn't know what to expect next because, in other novels, the book would be over at this point.
It's set in a small and seemingly isolated town/suburb in New York, USA but I'm not sure if it's our timeline. There are certain events that are commented on in the book that made me think it was in our timeline (or a less supernaturally cynical version of it) but the ending made me question that assumption. The setting does feel detached from the rest of the world with a dash of the slice-of-life this-small-town-is-f*cked-up subgenre thrown in there. It has 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' merged with 'Scream' vibes and a supernatural twist. The characters do reference horror movie tropes quite a bit which I enjoyed.
I take issue with one part of the ending which glossed over some of the events that happened. I wish the ending was stronger and had the courage of its convictions like it did for the first three-quarters of the book. I can't help feeling a little unsatisfied and I wish the ending had more ripple effects on the world they're in or more effect on the characters.
I have more than a few questions about the end that I'd like to hide under a spoiler tag but apparently they don't work on this site anymore. I believe they work on Storygraph so check out my review there if you're interested (https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/539cb3b4-991a-4d8e-827b-fc96f2ade698).
That said, I did enjoy the ride. It had twists and turns I didn't expect (although I did predict a couple) and I absolutely devoured this book. I had a hard time putting it down last night so I could sleep and I stayed up a while pondering the possibilities. It's almost like I fell into the town via my e-reader, I was so engrossed. This book had me hooked by the first sentence and that's not an exaggeration.
I'd recommend this to YA and non YA fans, murder mystery fans and/or anyone looking for good LGBTQ rep in those genres. I wouldn't describe this book as horror specifically but I also don't think it's just a thriller either. It sits between the two with elements of both.
Thank you to Dana Mele, Sourcebooks, and Netgalley for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and are posted voluntarily.
