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boomwormbrittany's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I really wanted to love this book as I have enjoyed Courtney Summers other books but this one just didn't the way that her other ones do. I think part of the problem I had was this discussion that Courney Summers was trying to have about the situation of men exploring young girls (*cough* Epstein *cough*) for their own sexual satisfaction and what that does to a young girl. This book is written for a Young Adult audience so there is only so much that can really be discussed especially in this page count.
This book almost felt aimless to me when I was reading it. Georgia has this obsession with this club that her mother used to work and being one of the girls that works there in the executive suites. And while that is a focus of this book, it only really ties into whats in the cover synopsis at the end. It was trying to have the discussion I put above but also held back on discussing it. Which I completely understand as this issue is something that is hard to digest as an adult let alone a young person. I think this book was trying to show the manipulation tactics older predators will use to get girls to think this is okay but from the jump I could see what was going on.
I did like the fact that Georgia is a lesbian and identifies herself as such and I did think her relationship with Nora was interesting since they're trying to solve Ashley, Nora's younger sisters, murder.
I wish Georgia was a little more curious and not as hell bent as being one of these girls in this club. It becomes her whole personality and I couldn't see the girl she actually was beyond the "I hate my mother" rhetoric she kept spewing and her absolute obsession with the girls who worked at this club. I wish we had gotten more of her personality and who she was so we could feel some form of sympathy or connection to her even if she is supposed ot be an unlikable mian character.
I feel like the last scene in this book should have been impactful but I didn't feel satisfied.
Overall, I would say give this a try if you think the premise is interesting. I just thought this book felt aimless and didn't fully hit as hard as her others books did.
Moderate: Rape, Trafficking, Sexual assault, Drug abuse, and Sexual violence
Minor: Suicide
mbviera's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Child death, Rape, Trafficking, Adult/minor relationship, Murder, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
bloodmoonlips's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Rape, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Pedophilia, Murder, Misogyny, and Trafficking
hufflehobbit's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Infidelity, Sexism, Death, Misogyny, Murder, Trafficking, Child death, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Adult/minor relationship, and Pedophilia
Moderate: Cancer, Murder, Sexual assault, Suicide, Alcohol, Grief, Death of parent, Incest, and Rape
Minor: Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual content
Challenging themes and uncomfortable at moments, but well worth the read in my opinionbekah1210's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, and Rape
Moderate: Child death, Murder, Death, Alcoholism, and Trafficking
Minor: Gun violence and Drug use
abookandaspotoftea's review
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Grief, Child death, Death of parent, Rape, Pedophilia, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Trafficking, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Infidelity, Adult/minor relationship, Toxic relationship, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Child abuse, Classism, Death of parent, Mental illness, Murder, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Violence, Vomit, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Car accident, and Gaslighting
theonlybaillie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Sexual content, Child death, Grief, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Sexual violence
Minor: Alcoholism, Blood, Trafficking, Gun violence, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Suicide, and Toxic friendship
The whole book is a TW honestly lollrcartee's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
I love Courtney Summers books. I love how she tackles difficult subjects and brings them to light. I wanted to love this book. I did not. There were so many plot points that it was very hard to decide how to write a synopsis. Was it about Georgia’s obsession with the resort and the people who run it? Was it the fact Georgia found the dead body of a 13 year old girl and trying to solve the mystery of what happened to her? Was it about trying to spotlight a young girl’s naïveté and thereby unable to see the dangers that lurked around her? I don’t know! It was all those things and didn’t do any of them particularly well. It was too disjointed and because of that nothing really resolved. As for character development, there was none. Georgia wandered in and out of so many traumatic experiences seemingly learning nothing from any of them. She became very trying.
The blurb for this book says it’s about Georgia and her friend trying to find out what happened to her friend’s sister. To me this was secondary. In my opinion, it was more about Georgia fulfilling her dreams no matter the cost and sometimes stumbling upon something about the murder case, usually by being in situations from very poor decision making.
Another reviewer wrote that the entire book was a giant trigger warning and I agree. They were all represented, rape, child molestation, grooming, human trafficking, murder, suicide, drug use, classism and more. For me, the book needed more cohesion. As I said I have loved Summers other books but this one, for me, was just too all over the place.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Car accident, Classism, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Trafficking, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Death of parent, and Drug abuse