Kyle
4.5 stars
This is a pretty awesome read. Extremely fast-paced, leaving little unnecessary detail. Also comes with a nice twist at the end (not entirely shocking, but a good twist is a good twist).
I don't have much to say about this one other than it's incredibly addictive (listened to this one on Audible in less than 24 hours), well written, well paced, and a still relevant topic. Also, definitely a funny read, legitimately made me laugh at parts.
Definitely looking forward to reading more from Smedley.
This is far from a perfect book. It's longer than it needs to be, it is at times gratuitous and verging on torture porn, and I think at times it lacks characters who are simply gray rather than pure evil or the embodiment of light (there are nuances to a lot of characters, but at times JB felt like the only truly gray character - although, I've gone back and forth on this one and could be swayed by an argument either way).
In spite of all of this, I do feel this book is an accomplishment and I would be remiss to not give it its 5 stars.
It is a quietly devastating novel that sneaks up on you. I did not really tear up until the last two minutes of my audio book, but that was because after 800+ pages of buildup, the final pages just quietly, but violently, tear your heart away.
This is a love story as much as it is about the effect of trauma and how it never truly leaves you, but just manifests itself throughout our lives. It is the love between friends, lovers, family, and ourselves.
The hardest part of reading this book wasn't the scenes of Jude's trauma, but the way his friends failed to do the right thing over and over and over again for decades. My blood would boil when they'd have the nerve to blame one another. It took me back 5-10 years to different people in my life who were very mentally ill and I was i'll equipped to deal with the situation. It's so easy to place blame, but having years removed from these experiences, it angered me to see grown adults fighting over these same ideas that I learned much younger. I think there was an incredible amount of enabling in this book, but I can't pretend that when you love someone, it becomes easier to do, if nothing more than to hope that the problem will pass (spoiler - in life, it never does).
It's safe to say for anyone who hasn't read this book since it's release in 2015, there are no happy endings to be found. This is not a book I recommend, and I would advise looking at trigger warnings if you are afraid about some of the content covered.
In spite of the flaws, however, I am very happy I was able to find the time to power through this book, even if my heart is a little battered after finishing it.
Also, must give my praise to the narrator of this very long audiobook. His delivery, especially at the ending, is perfect.
This is undoubtedly an incredibly disturbing read. It's uncomfortable, raw, and focuses on the trauma that follows for years. At the same time, it's beautifully written, with a lot of attention to character.
Unfortunately, I really did not enjoy Part V of this book, which seems to veer the story in a really unnatural, unrealistic direction. While there are still parts that are beautifully written (the satellite portion), it felt like it tried to erase the gray in the story and tell the reader how they should feel.
While it may not have been intentional, that was the takeaway I felt. A very compelling book but not the best landing.
3.5 stars
I think I enjoyed this one more than most, but the third act does kind of derail the story. It picks up again in the last 50 pages or so. I would say it's a good, if not essential, addition to the series. I wouldn't be opposed to reading a sequel set between this and The Hunger Games, it definitely feels like there's interesting stories to tell, but this is also fine as a stand-alone prequel.
This is not the same caliber as the original trilogy, and there are definitely very valid criticisms that have already been made, but I enjoyed the read overall, a lot more than I expected to. Possible I just went in with low expectations so I was more impressed.
4.5 stars
Normally, I almost never read an Author's Note but I'm so glad I did this time. First audiobook I've ever listened to and when it just started playing I gave it a listen. This was not at all what I expected and I'm very glad I listened to a review encouraging everyone to read knowing as little info as possible.
I will say that I think 10-15 pages could've been taken out and I didn't feel as strongly maybe in the last 100 or so pages, but that Author's Note really tied it all together and helped me recontextualize the end of the book in a way that made me appreciate it so much more.
Overly pretentious melodramatic love stories that do not work like they did in the first, which was at least drawn out over several weeks and 250 pages, rather than half-baked instalove stories that do not work the way it does in the first. Also doesn't help that the entire first half, including the most unrealistic and cringiest of all the relationships, was irrelevant to the main story everyone ACTUALLY wanted to read. I'll just pretend this one didn't come out.
This is a book that I don't think I would've been able to relate to as well at an earlier time in my life, especially the last 50-60 pages. As a book that I was able to connect to on an emotional level, it's very honest and talks about a lot of things relevant to the turning point of childhood and adulthood in the 21st century.
By far my least favorite of the trilogy. Very cliche, melodramatic, cheesy, etc. The entire first half of the book was far too long and uninteresting. It definitely picks up more and was significantly more engaging during the second half of the book, but it felt almost like too little too late, and I was having a really hard time enjoying it the way how I wanted to. The first two books were still great and I don't regret reading them, I just wish this one had been less nauseating with the “will they-won't they” between Caleb and Olivia the entire first half.
For me personally, this one isn't even close to capturing the magic of Dangerous Girls. Interesting storyline, but not as unpredictable or psychologically gripping. Also, it felt more unrealistic at parts than DG, although both do require some suspense of disbelief.
Still well-written and engaging though, and by no means bad, just not as good comparatively.
4.5 stars
This was significantly better than I had anticipated it would be. In fact, I was so enthralled by it that I read it in one sitting, a rare occurrence, after I started it a little past midnight. The story line completely captivated my attention.
The first half is stronger to me than the second half, but I feel the second half really picks up again during the last quarter of the book. The book is supported by a strong cast of characters, especially the MC Nanette O'Hare.
Not much to say about this one really except that I'm surprised I allowed myself to lower my expectations for a Matthew Quick book when he has yet to let me down.
I enjoyed this one a little bit less than [b:The Opportunist 13312527 The Opportunist (Love Me with Lies, #1) Tarryn Fisher https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1374526831s/13312527.jpg 18518411], the primary reason being I felt that this one lacked a real story. It's still extremely hard to put down and written in a style that keeps the reader constantly engaged. I just wasn't really sure where this one was going exactly.It feels like a bridge book, but I'm not sure that it's entirely unnecessary since I think a lot of character dynamics really drive this book that set things up well for the last book. I do wish there had been less “Past” chapters however. Too much was spent on Leah's version of events from book 1, but a lot of it wasn't new information. It would've made the book stronger to only keep the important chapters, and some of the chapters that give us a better window into the Leah/Caleb relationship.I'd say this character excels in the character department, Leah specifically. Anybody who couldn't tolerate Olivia need not apply for [b:Dirty Red 15832316 Dirty Red (Love Me with Lies, #2) Tarryn Fisher https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1364298887s/15832316.jpg 21568137]. Leah makes Olivia look like an angel in comparison, especially to anyone who is a parent. Although at times her personality made the book feel soap opera-ish, Fisher clearly knew the voice she wanted for Leah, and it practically made the book. You really felt as though you were in the head of a real, multi-layered, complicated woman who was hell bent on keeping her husband. Leah alone makes me forgive the lack of a strong story for this one.
3.5 starsThe first 70 pages of this one start out really strong, then kind of dulls out until the second half when Kuehn's ramps up the tension, building up to what the reader expects to be a massive reveal.Instead, we get something relatively anticlimactic, with underdeveloped answers, however intentional that was. It's definitely a good story, but it almost feels like Kuehn herself didn't figure out what was going on when she wrote this, at least how it was going to end. It felt a little lazy. I used to think I was a fan of books that don't always answer all of your questions, but the last few books I've read that attempted this did not sit right with me.On the positive side, this does have a great beginning and end (mostly), and Kuehn is a strong writer, and knows how to pull the reader into the story and create genuine tension. I think it actually would've been more intense had it been written in 1st person present tense, but that's a stylistic preference of mine.Although this isn't her best work, I still cannot wait for any new releases coming from Stephanie in the future, as well as [b:Delicate Monsters 23014725 Delicate Monsters Stephanie Kuehn https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1417567082s/23014725.jpg 40360440], which I still have to read since it's sat on my shelf collecting dust.
Overall this one's pretty decent. It lost me towards the end trying to sell me on the motivation for all of this, but I'd be willing to read another book by Ware.
It's slower paced than a typical thriller, which was not expected. The main character is a bit melodramatic about certain things in the plot, but she owns it which makes it bareable. A mostly interesting cast of characters, although mostly a little underdeveloped. It was an enjoyable read for vacation, and I might not have enjoyed it as much in a different setting.
Also, one of the big reveals around 75% of the way through doesn't pack as much of a punch as it should considering how much of the endgame revolves around it.
On a final note, seriously, what is the appeal of James? He came off as nothing but an ass for basically the whole book, yet I think we're meant to like him.
Picked this one up at the library because I recognized it and the premise sounded interesting. Unfortunately, I later realized I recognized this from 1-star reviews from Goodreads friends. The reviews were right in this case.
The plot contains so many errors and suspension of disbelief that it never seemed remotely plausible that most of what was happening was happening (things that should have seemed realistic). I never enjoyed any of the characters, and all of their interactions either fell flat or seemed like staged characterization. All of their emotions felt insincere or wooden. I also just didn't get any enjoyment from having to read this, and I hate that this had to end on a cliffhanger in an attempt to dredge up interest in me to pick up a sequel.
A whole bunch of problems with this one.
Pretty much the only positive I have is the writing for this one. The atmosphere only works for a very short time before you realize you're 100 pages in and nothing of substance has happened.
I also didn't enjoy the overall weirdness of the story, and the central characters are written so distantly, even in first person, that it becomes impossible to connect or care about them. There's too much page time spent with pretty writing and absolutely nothing going on except the same stuff that's been happening the entire book.
The ending is too rushed and sloppily throws together answers without going in-depth enough to explain to the reader what's happened. If you're going to bother presenting answers, at least flesh them out. Or if you want to leave things open ended, leave them that way. I don't enjoy half-assing it.
There's just not a lot going on that I can speak positively about.