Reviews

Gretchen: A Thriller by Shannon Kirk

jennette_danyelle's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-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

3.5

booklover180's review against another edition

3.0

3.5 stars

katejoreads's review

mysterious

2.75

michrichter1's review against another edition

5.0

A multifaceted thriller with fantastic characters to root for—and against. This one kept me up late reading and I woke up thinking about it. Lucy is an enthralling main character and I was pulled in by her immediately. And Gretchen was so strange and ultimately scary, I’ve never seen anyone quite like her. But then in part II, the story took a new turn and added dimensions I wasn’t expecting about the truth about Lucy and her mother and the bearded man. Very satisfying resolution, and thrills that kept me on the edge of my seat.

nelliexo_'s review

challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

2.5

crystals_library's review against another edition

2.0

Unfortunately this book wasn't for me. I read it as part of a buddy read. If I wasn't in that buddy read, I would not have finished this book.

The writing style was not for me. Seemed too immature and way too many exclamation points. I am the Queen of exclamation points, but this was excessive.

The first half of the book really pulled me in, but the second half drove me crazy. The decisions that the characters made were unrealistic and there were story lines that were completely unnecessary.

wanderingthepage's review against another edition

4.0

Gretchen was one of my most anticipated releases of the year and it did not disappoint! I loved that this book was a thriller but had some great creepiness mixed in. I was completely blindsided by the first big plot twist and it took the book in a direction I didn’t expect but it was great. Lucy has been on the run with her mother for 13 years, living in many different states. They settle in their 11th state, at a new rental, on the property of Gretchen and her father. You can tell right away something is way off with the father daughter pair! I expected something to happen right away but, Lucy settles in for the summer and gets her first job. Just when you are starting think maybe you were wrong, bam, everything breaks loose! I was literally reading this book with my jaw on the floor. I couldn’t even believe what was happening. Then, just when you start to settle in again, bam, another plot twist. There were so many facets to this plot, that it made for more than I had expected from this book. I actually cried at the conclusion, they were happy tears though. The ending really touched my heart. I am now a huge fan of Shannon Kirk and have already ordered her book “Into the Vines”. I highly recommend this book, I think it’s a great read and brings something different to the sea of thrillers.