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suzanne_x's review
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Incest, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Rape, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Gun violence, Sexual violence, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Violence, Classism, Adult/minor relationship, Murder, and Body horror
kingfan30's review
3.0
I liked the idea of this book, the three friends staying strong throughout the stress of what they witnessed as teenagers and then the past coming back to haunt them as adults. I spotted the killer about half way through and I felt there was a lot of unnecessary information, the story could have been quite a bit shorter, however it wasn't really a bad read and i did read it fairly quickly.
erin_moran87's review against another edition
2.0
The perfect trashy beach read that will keep you entertained. I read the whole thing in a couple of hours, I just couldn't put it down.
mrsbooknerd's review
3.0
I read this novel as one of my first 'Adult' books, as recommended by my mum and at the time thought it to be the best thing since sliced bread. It was grittier than the Young Adult novels that I had been reading, with actual violence and a plot that revolved entirely around sex. A teenagers ideal!
I picked up this copy in a charity shop the other day, encouraging my boyfriend to speed home so that I could immediately start it, but on retrospect, I wish I hadn't.
Yes there was violence and death and murder and sex and affairs and lord knows what else, but I felt that none of it was particularly well developed. The characters - especially the three girls - really annoyed me. Andie was too judgmental and self-righteous and Raven was so obvious she may as well have had a neon sign round her neck throughtout the entire novel. Ooh Daddy issues that have led to a dislike of men... Original. Julie was about the best developed, with her abusive childhood and her later issues. What bugged me is that both Andie and Raven were supposedly these grown-up women with great jobs, houses etc who were incredibly independent, and yet their lives centred around men, as did Julie's. It was as though all of them needed men to validate them which undermined their character's development from tenagers into independent and respectable adults.
I found that for such a long novel, there actually wasn't a lot going on. The 'Teenage Years' book took too long to get to the point and then sudddenly it was over, while the adult book was similarly slow-moving, and a bit too obvious for me.
There was the added subplot of Andie and Nick, but even that took an age to build up and then it was just...happening. It had no real impact on me. Spindler spent a lot of time detailing the sex scenes between Mr X and Mrs X or other various couples, but not with Nick and Andie, they just had one of those sweeping, "Then we made beautiful, wonderful, thrilling, amazing love." statements. Maybe I didn't like their relationship because I liked Nick as a character - though he had some of the cheesiest lines that I have ever seen (And I read ALOT of Regency novels) - but not Andie's character?
Enough ranting, I liked it, but it wasn't the great novel that I thought I had read at 14.
I picked up this copy in a charity shop the other day, encouraging my boyfriend to speed home so that I could immediately start it, but on retrospect, I wish I hadn't.
Yes there was violence and death and murder and sex and affairs and lord knows what else, but I felt that none of it was particularly well developed. The characters - especially the three girls - really annoyed me. Andie was too judgmental and self-righteous and Raven was so obvious she may as well have had a neon sign round her neck throughtout the entire novel. Ooh Daddy issues that have led to a dislike of men... Original. Julie was about the best developed, with her abusive childhood and her later issues. What bugged me is that both Andie and Raven were supposedly these grown-up women with great jobs, houses etc who were incredibly independent, and yet their lives centred around men, as did Julie's. It was as though all of them needed men to validate them which undermined their character's development from tenagers into independent and respectable adults.
I found that for such a long novel, there actually wasn't a lot going on. The 'Teenage Years' book took too long to get to the point and then sudddenly it was over, while the adult book was similarly slow-moving, and a bit too obvious for me.
Spoiler
I just wished that the killer hadn't been as obvious. I didn't remember anything about the book following my first reading, and was disapppointed that Raven was clearly the killer from almost the beginning. I almost wished there had been another twist - yes, it was Raven but oh look she had been working with David the whole time and here he was just when Nick and Andie thought they were safe...There was the added subplot of Andie and Nick, but even that took an age to build up and then it was just...happening. It had no real impact on me. Spindler spent a lot of time detailing the sex scenes between Mr X and Mrs X or other various couples, but not with Nick and Andie, they just had one of those sweeping, "Then we made beautiful, wonderful, thrilling, amazing love." statements. Maybe I didn't like their relationship because I liked Nick as a character - though he had some of the cheesiest lines that I have ever seen (And I read ALOT of Regency novels) - but not Andie's character?
Enough ranting, I liked it, but it wasn't the great novel that I thought I had read at 14.
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