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meeplie's review
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
thebrookeworm_'s review
4.0
Very interesting. Kept me engaged throughout the whole book. My only negative is I feel as though I have no idea what happened at the end. I feel like maybe the story wasn’t wrapped up enough for me!
jellyfish437's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
izzys_internet_bookshelf's review
2.0
2.5/5
Ok what just happened? I'm not going to lie, I was getting into the story, but it was sometimes hectic to follow the plot, going back and fourth. The ending has left me guessing though... and I don't know if it is a good or bad thing.
Ok what just happened? I'm not going to lie, I was getting into the story, but it was sometimes hectic to follow the plot, going back and fourth. The ending has left me guessing though... and I don't know if it is a good or bad thing.
keiravamvakitis's review against another edition
challenging
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
joey_the_noun's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
paedynsgf's review against another edition
2.5
ᯓ★
this book just fell super flat for me. the writing style was off and the ending made zero sense to me. it just wasn’t what i was expecting.
this book just fell super flat for me. the writing style was off and the ending made zero sense to me. it just wasn’t what i was expecting.
kaylarage's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- 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
3.0
annamickreads's review
3.0
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.
"The Only Girl in Town" is set in two timelines: the past ("then") and the present ("now"). In the present, high school senior July Fielding wakes up one morning to realize that everyone in her entire town has vanished without a trace. Desperate to get to the bottom of the mystery, she begins driving around and unraveling a series of clues left behind from past memories to piece together how to get them back.
This is my first experience with Ally Condie's works so I likely don't have the same perception of her previous writing, but I felt torn about the way this book was written. The "chapters" are short pages sometimes with fewer than three or four sentences to build up the high emotional intensity that drives this book. While I can always appreciate a pace that kicks the reader into gear (and, also, being so emotionally intense serves the plot immensely), some readers might feel that this method is jarring, especially because it leaves little time to sit in the world of the book.
We meet several of July's closest friends and family but I felt like as characters they weren't as fleshed out as I would want them to be to have that deep emotional connection this book wants to drive home. I will say however as a cat person with anxiety myself, July's thoughts and feelings about her cat Yolo were incredibly relatable.
The story itself is meant to leave a lot up for interpretation, but at the heart of the book is July's struggle with an unnamed mental illness (often referred to as "loneliness") that is likely depression. Readers follow July's life and how it steadily falls apart while also following the story of how she (eventually) pulls herself back to gather.
Every single person's experience with depression and anxiety is different, so I am going to refrain from commenting on the depiction of mental health in this book, despite being someone who struggles with similar issues. I WILL say in my opinion, there's significant allusions to suicidal ideation, so if you struggle with depression or suicidal ideation, PLEASE take care when reading.
Finally: it always makes me laugh when books use my college town as a setting!! Shoutout to the real Lithia, aka Ithaca NY
"The Only Girl in Town" is set in two timelines: the past ("then") and the present ("now"). In the present, high school senior July Fielding wakes up one morning to realize that everyone in her entire town has vanished without a trace. Desperate to get to the bottom of the mystery, she begins driving around and unraveling a series of clues left behind from past memories to piece together how to get them back.
This is my first experience with Ally Condie's works so I likely don't have the same perception of her previous writing, but I felt torn about the way this book was written. The "chapters" are short pages sometimes with fewer than three or four sentences to build up the high emotional intensity that drives this book. While I can always appreciate a pace that kicks the reader into gear (and, also, being so emotionally intense serves the plot immensely), some readers might feel that this method is jarring, especially because it leaves little time to sit in the world of the book.
We meet several of July's closest friends and family but I felt like as characters they weren't as fleshed out as I would want them to be to have that deep emotional connection this book wants to drive home. I will say however as a cat person with anxiety myself, July's thoughts and feelings about her cat Yolo were incredibly relatable.
The story itself is meant to leave a lot up for interpretation, but at the heart of the book is July's struggle with an unnamed mental illness (often referred to as "loneliness") that is likely depression. Readers follow July's life and how it steadily falls apart while also following the story of how she (eventually) pulls herself back to gather.
Every single person's experience with depression and anxiety is different, so I am going to refrain from commenting on the depiction of mental health in this book, despite being someone who struggles with similar issues. I WILL say in my opinion, there's significant allusions to suicidal ideation, so if you struggle with depression or suicidal ideation, PLEASE take care when reading.
Finally: it always makes me laugh when books use my college town as a setting!! Shoutout to the real Lithia, aka Ithaca NY