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on_your_raedar's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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? No
3.75
Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.
A summary, there are three books in this novel, 2 that follow Abby and the other one follows Cora Jean. We are watching as Abby leaves an abusive ex and ends up moving to a town with her friend Hayden after being told that she will have a luxury apartment for free while work on the units are stalled. She immediately encounters a creepy guy and weird things start to happen. You move through this book trying to figure out the reason behind the weird things happening.
This was a hard one to rate, I finished it yesterday and had to sleep on it. The writing, very engaging, the story concept, intriguing, and the predictability... high.
The predictability and the friends-to-lover subplot are truly the only reasons that this book didn't make it into my 4-star tier. Its slow to start but once you hit the 30%ish, things pick up and its hard to put down. There is no denying that the author has talent, I will be picking up another of his novels, but that talent comes with a little downfall because he did really well laying breadcrumbs that made it easier to expect what to happen. With that being said, I don't think that is a bad thing at all, that is always the hope when reading, but I was anticipating this really big twist at the end, thanks to reading some spoiler-free reviews, and it didn't land as a twist because of those breadcrumbs. I'm more surprised that so many others found it to be shocking.
Before getting into that though, this book felt like it had HEAVY Conjuring influence. If that's not you're vibe, maybe stay away from this one. Between the spirits, hauntings/ death, and religious influence in this book, it really was a copy-paste, change a few things, and keep pushing moment. For me, this was fine, I'm a horror movie fan and have seen and enjoyed the entire Conjuring universe to varying extents. Just be mindful going in. As with basically all horror things, check the trigger warning before going in.
Okay, back to the big twist, which I'd say has two parts and though I'd agreed that I didn't fully guess it, it did not shock me.
Part 1: There is enough build-up between Abby and Hayden to make a fair amount of educated guesses.The romance started with Hayden telling Abby that he was the one who kissed her when she was blindfolded (WTF) and let her believe it was someone else all this time. The fact that she found that "romantic" or appealing in any way is actually wild and a solid example of her not being emotionally ready for another relationship. I mean, it's been a week since she escaped her abusive ex.
With that being said, Hayden is a low-key psycho and is obsessed with Abby to the extent of creating this fake life with her completely tracks. I'd 100% argue that this romance subplot was incredibly unnecessary IMO.
Part 2: Beyond the romance thing, Hayden being a casual murderer was an interesting way to go about things. I completely get it, obsession makes you do wild things but man, killing the uncle?! Sorrows prayers.
Overall, a really good read if you need something to round out your spooky/ fall season.
A summary, there are three books in this novel, 2 that follow Abby and the other one follows Cora Jean. We are watching as Abby leaves an abusive ex and ends up moving to a town with her friend Hayden after being told that she will have a luxury apartment for free while work on the units are stalled. She immediately encounters a creepy guy and weird things start to happen. You move through this book trying to figure out the reason behind the weird things happening.
This was a hard one to rate, I finished it yesterday and had to sleep on it. The writing, very engaging, the story concept, intriguing, and the predictability... high.
The predictability and the friends-to-lover subplot are truly the only reasons that this book didn't make it into my 4-star tier. Its slow to start but once you hit the 30%ish, things pick up and its hard to put down. There is no denying that the author has talent, I will be picking up another of his novels, but that talent comes with a little downfall because he did really well laying breadcrumbs that made it easier to expect what to happen. With that being said, I don't think that is a bad thing at all, that is always the hope when reading, but I was anticipating this really big twist at the end, thanks to reading some spoiler-free reviews, and it didn't land as a twist because of those breadcrumbs. I'm more surprised that so many others found it to be shocking.
Before getting into that though, this book felt like it had HEAVY Conjuring influence. If that's not you're vibe, maybe stay away from this one. Between the spirits, hauntings/ death, and religious influence in this book, it really was a copy-paste, change a few things, and keep pushing moment. For me, this was fine, I'm a horror movie fan and have seen and enjoyed the entire Conjuring universe to varying extents. Just be mindful going in. As with basically all horror things, check the trigger warning before going in.
Okay, back to the big twist, which I'd say has two parts and though I'd agreed that I didn't fully guess it, it did not shock me.
Part 1: There is enough build-up between Abby and Hayden to make a fair amount of educated guesses.
With that being said, Hayden is a low-key psycho and is obsessed with Abby to the extent of creating this fake life with her completely tracks.
Part 2: Beyond the romance thing,
Overall, a really good read if you need something to round out your spooky/ fall season.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Suicide
Moderate: Sexual assault, Child abuse, and Ableism
djali84's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
I enjoyed the book, even if the story was sometimes poorly plotted. I would have liked the characters to have been a little more developed. Some characters appear only once, for the sole purpose of giving a piece of information, a clue, and then are never mentioned again. Certain events that seem important, that should have had repercussions, are left unexplained and unresolved. Abby is a likable character, but she too lacks substance, especially for a protagonist. The ending also felt a little rushed. Still, I found the story interesting. The reality described is terrifying because it's real. The book succeeded in arousing chills, disgust, and anguish. All in all, a good novel, but read the trigger warnings before diving in. The descriptions are graphic and do not spare the reader.
Thanks to Netgalley for providing a free copy of the book.
Thanks to Netgalley for providing a free copy of the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Drug abuse, Forced institutionalization, Child abuse, Gore, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Ableism, Body shaming, Abandonment, and Hate crime
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Emotional abuse, Body shaming, Sexual assault, and Physical abuse
theremightbecupcakes's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Grief, Hate crime, Ableism, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Body shaming, Death, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Sexual content
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