cat
3.5 stars
I really enjoyed this! I think it had great discussions about slut shaming, social media, bullying, rape culture, etc. I liked the friendships in here and the connections made between what happened to Maggie and what was happening to Anna.
I didn't love the fantastical? supernatural? - not really sure what it would be considered - elements of Anna studying witches and could have definitely done with less of that. also, some of the speeches at the end really read like a story that would be on r/ThatHappened and made me roll my eyes a little.
overall, I thought this was a solid feminist read and would be especially great for teen girls to read.
likes
- definitely gripping and I did want to continue to find out what was going to happen
dislikes
- this was too similar to the Gypsy Rose case - I know the author said she took inspiration from it but that was um.. a lot of inspiration.
- I guessed the twist probably about 40% of the way through the book
- did not really like the writing
overall, I can see why so many people are liking this one but it didn't really wow me!
dnf @ 62%
the concept of this is so interesting and it had so much potential but it just fell so flat for me! I really have no desire to finish it. there was absolutely no world-building in this and I was so confused. I didn't feel any chemistry between Em and Gyre and found most if there back and forth to be annoying.
I really enjoyed this! it was fast-paced and gripping and the writing was great. I found the sisters, friends, and their motivations so intriguing. it made sense to me that Shay would immediately attach herself to this beautiful, tight-knit, seemingly perfect group of women as she was feeling so down and lonely. my only complaints were I found the voices of the sisters & friends pretty difficult to tell apart and there was some plot holes.
3.5 stars.
this felt like a modern take on the classic “whodunnit” Agatha Christie-type story - her stories are even brought up a few times. personally, I liked how tied to the justice system and juries this was but those who do not like courtroom dramas will probably not like that aspect. I liked the several discussions of racial issues within the criminal justice system, especially that Maya's white knight personality was called out (made me a little uncomfy that the author is white but I think it was still handled well). usually someone trying to investigate a crime they have no business investigating bothers me, but I think because Maya does have some sort of legal/criminal knowledge it didn't bug me as much. I also liked that I didn't really get much opportunity to guess who was actually responsible for both crimes.
I thought this was going to be more focused on the true crime documentary which I really would have liked but sadly it wasn't. the middle became a little tedious and boring. the ending felt a little rushed and almost unsatisfying, even though all questions are answered. overall, this was a pretty fun mystery but it didn't do anything new or crazy.
reading about Rusty & Melly was truly DRAINING. they are both insufferable characters and unfortunately, I felt like most of this book was based on them & their drama. I didn't feel at all connected to Carey or James and didn't really feel any chemistry between them either. while reading this, I just felt frustrated most of the time.
likes
- good tone & atmosphere
- partially liked one of the twists
dislikes
- writing was SO overly descriptive in some parts; this probably could have been shortened by ~50 pages
- the side-plot of Imogen & her mother just went nowhere in the end??
- REALLY don't like the use of DID as a plot twist & the trope of people with DID being psychotic/murderous being included
- epilogue was super unnecessary
it was okay but I don't know if I'll check out other books of Kubica unless the plot really interests me
I ended up DNFing this about 50 pages from the end lol. the writing was beautiful and I really liked the atmosphere of this book and the bi rep. I loved the descriptions of the town and all the food! but I also found the writing to be SUPER repetitive - Babe just constantly kept saying the same things about her friendship with Penny & Chad and Levi being a ~~summer boy~ and just ended up being super boring. also I don't understand how all these characters seem to be financially independent and living on there own at 17/18??
50 pages from the end I just realized I really didn't care and didn't feel pressed to finish this at all. I can see myself maybe picking this up again in the summer when I want a light summer-y read.
this was Not It™. I started writing a detailed review with my various issues with this book but it was honestly draining me to do so - luckily other reviewers have articulated my thoughts perfectly so I'll link those here. super disappointed w/this one :(
ellie's review: https://tinyurl.com/qoao9a7
kika's review: https://tinyurl.com/rprzpc8
kory's review: https://tinyurl.com/tk3wlne
this was interesting and I really enjoyed the writing! I wish more of the story was focused on Minnow's life in the cult - I wasn't as interested in her time in juvenile detention and got a little bored with everything by the end. I thought the reveal of what really happened was p obvious so IMO, there wasn't much to the ending.
I always appreciate difficult & important topics such as domestic violence being spoken about in YA. I thought the characters did really read as teenagers and not as an adult trying to write as a teenager. I liked the POV style at first but the connections were revealed too early and it just seemed kind of pointless after that. it also got suuuper repetitive which meant I started skimming through some parts. I never really felt connected to any of the characters except for Junie. the ending was also SO unsatisfying and I didn't feel like we got any conclusion whatsoever.
overall, I think this story touches on SO many important issues and a lot of people will be able to connect to it and feel impacted by it. personally it wasn't a fave.
I actually can't believe I'm giving this less than 5 stars!!
my biggest issue with this was Tiger's mom was really manipulative & borderline abusive and it was just?? never addressed??? there is a slight explanation in the end but other than that nope. I understand Tiger still lost her mom and that would probably override a lot of negative feelings she had towards her but I was hoping there would be a conversation about grieving someone who was maybe not the best person. after her mom dies the majority of mentions of her are just how amazing and fun and full of light blah blah she was but like... from what we saw she kinda sucked.
other than that this was just kinda slow moving for me and I didn't really feel connected to the story which I was surprised by b/c losing my mom is acTUALLY MY BIGGEST FEAR so idk. meh
3.5 stars.
this was a pretty fun read! I really liked the project aspect of it, especially considering I'm also working on a criminology capstone project. if you like true crime stuff and DIY detective-type stories you'll probably enjoy this!
you really have to suspend your disbelief on this one. a 17 y/o girl solving multiple crimes? cool story but don't think so, and things were a little too easy for her.
the setting was also off for me. I believe this is supposed to be taking place in Connecticut from the towns being mentioned, but there are a lot of British-isms that made it a little confusing and took me out of the story. this also teetered between being a contemporary and a mystery which was odd - parts about the characters would be focused on that felt out of place in the story, but because the focus was the mystery they weren't entirely fleshed out either.
overall, a fun & enjoyable read but a little unbelievable with some minor issues.
likes:
- I loved the “is it supernatural/is it not” aspect
- was super engaging at first
- the Other People concept is really interesting & different
dislikes:
- although I really liked the supernatural aspect at first, I didn't love where this storyline went
- this hooked me from the beginning but as it went on it felt really slow to me
- I wish the Other People concept was explored more - I think it could have went darker & more in depth to it
- the ending felt a bit messy to me, like it wasn't really well thought out and some things I'm still confused by. somehow at the same time everything was wrapped up a little tooo neatly.
overall, this was just okay!
4.5 stars. this was so so good!! I absolutely loved Michigan. she was so ambitious and even though some of her decisions frustrated me, I definitely understood them. she's 16 and just wants to play hockey and will do anything to do so. the only thing that brought this down a liiittle for me was this was definitely a story about Michigan, which is a great thing, but I felt a few of the characters & relationships with those characters weren't as fleshed out as I would have liked them to be (specifically Brie & Michigan's mom). with that being said, I did really like Jack & their relationship.
other than that minor issue, I loved this!
DNF at 55%.
truly the most disgusting sex scenes I've ever read nope no thank you
not to mention the professor/student relationship is taboo but can be done well - this is NOT. Thomas is aggressive and pushy and borderline abusive (at one point Layla tells him to stop what he's doing twice and he doesn't). her being a virgin & tight & having her vagina ruined by him is played up way too much and blaaahhh no I cannot
likes:
- positive female friendships
- minor character growth?
- a MC who loves books
dislikes:
- very bland, (I almost want to say sub-par but also don't b/c wow mean) writing. it really almost read like YA that was published in like 2013 or something
- so much of this was so cringe-y. you could tell this was an adult writing to seem like a teen and just didn't work for me
- Cam was so unlikable & irritating. she was so obsessed with Marc, having a boyfriend, and just changed herself to like everything someone she was interested in liked. I know this was part of her character growth & she did realize this wasn't great in the end but it happened way too late for me, I really didn't get to enjoy her character growth at all
- I feel like this is meant to seem like it's about Cam realizing not everything is about boys or being in a relationship but... 80% of the book was her thinking about boys or trying to get a boy and wishing she was in a relationship