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werewolvesnotswearwolves's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Kidnapping, and Child abuse
Moderate: Drug use, Grief, Confinement, Cursing, and Gaslighting
Minor: Infertility and Panic attacks/disorders
claresbookshelf's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
4.75 out of 5 stars.
Tom Ryan really has a way of spinning a mystery within a mystery.
The writing and overall story was really good. There was a good amount of time where I thought a certain character may have been Sibby but then that theory got pulled out from underneath me real quick.
The characters were intriguing, if a little frustrating at points. I did have to keep reminding myself that Dee was going through something traumatic that I couldn't understand when her behaviour took turns at certain points in the story. I mean, I was leaning more on the side of her friend when she kept refusing to help the case that was close to home but then pulled myself back from the emotions of the story to really think "she's coping how she can, stop being a dick".
I have a similar critique for the romantic elements of this novel that I did with the first book of his that I read - it all felt as though it happened a little too quickly. I feel like a little more time passed in this book than in his other novel, but still, it felt a teeny bit too quick. But hey, I'll take more LGBTQ+ content where I can get it.
Honestly, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
Tom Ryan really has a way of spinning a mystery within a mystery.
The writing and overall story was really good. There was a good amount of time where I thought a certain character may have been Sibby but then that theory got pulled out from underneath me real quick.
The characters were intriguing, if a little frustrating at points. I did have to keep reminding myself that Dee was going through something traumatic that I couldn't understand when her behaviour took turns at certain points in the story. I mean, I was leaning more on the side of her friend when she kept refusing to help the case that was close to home but then pulled myself back from the emotions of the story to really think "she's coping how she can, stop being a dick".
I have a similar critique for the romantic elements of this novel that I did with the first book of his that I read - it all felt as though it happened a little too quickly. I feel like a little more time passed in this book than in his other novel, but still, it felt a teeny bit too quick. But hey, I'll take more LGBTQ+ content where I can get it.
Honestly, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping and Stalking
jewishpadme's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping
emily_mh's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
This was SO ENTERTAINING. I read about an hour of it last night and then finished it off in pretty much one sitting this afternoon. There were multiple mysteries that needed to be solved which kept the plot moving super quickly; the cold case mystery was, of course, my favourite. The atmosphere was so good, and I cannot describe to you how incredible the climax and resolution was - this is DEFINITELY a thriller, I was so stressed out. I docked a quarter star because while I loved the sapphic rep, and Dee and Sarah as girlfriends, their flirtatious stage was just nonexistent and then they launched into a committed relationship, so that was a bit jarring. Also, Burke was a dick and didn't deserve Dee .
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Kidnapping, and Murder
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Murder, Stalking, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Ableism, Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Child abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mass/school shootings, Medical content, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Suicide, and Racism
thetinytrashcan's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Overall I really enjoyed this book. I found the plot enjoyable and entertaining and loved pretty much all the characters. I will say that a few parts felt rushed and I wish they could have been given more depth. The ending did also leave a lot of things unknown that I wish would have been answered. Despite these things this book was a great read and I really enjoyed it from beginning to end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping
marywahlmeierbracciano's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.0
Delia “Dee” Skinner is The Seeker—the host of the viral podcast Radio Silent, which harnesses the power of laptop detectives to help find missing people and bring some of them home. Despite the podcast’s success, Dee takes every step to keep her identity secret. A seventeen-year-old small town lesbian, she wasn’t always drawn to solving crimes. Her best friend, Sibby, was taken before her very eyes, and her whereabouts are still unknown. Everything Dee does is for Sibby. When a local girl goes missing ten years after Sibby’s disappearance, Dee is hesitant to take the case to Radio Silent, but allowing herself to be vulnerable might be the missing piece of the puzzle. Add this chilly, feminist thriller to your list!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping
Moderate: Gun violence
alibader's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Mysteries are really a hit or miss for me and unfortunately, this was a miss.
The characters were really bland and served only to move the plot along despite inconsistencies; the romance was not well executed and the characters had little to no chemistry. The actual mystery was no better; it was extremely predictable and the ending felt very unsatisfying.
Overall, I think this book was marketed as a mystery, however, it would have been better suited as a contemporary. There was not much I did like about it.
The characters were really bland and served only to move the plot along despite inconsistencies; the romance was not well executed and the characters had little to no chemistry. The actual mystery was no better; it was extremely predictable and the ending felt very unsatisfying.
Overall, I think this book was marketed as a mystery, however, it would have been better suited as a contemporary. There was not much I did like about it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping
mjwilliamson's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The story was compelling and the cases nicely paralleled one another. I thought that the interchange between podcast script and first-person narrative was a nice way to tell the story, similarly, when past events were narrated in third person, it really demonstrated the disassociation between current Dee and past Dee. The characters were flawed, thought at times I found Dee a little too passive, I was willing to ignore it as she was anxious and traumatised, so it fit her narrative. The main romance I found slightly superfluous; they went from first kiss to ‘I love you’s incredibly fast, and though I appreciated the function of the girlfriends character, I wish that there had been a little more development from beginning to hold a conversation to I’ll risk my life for you. It felt unnecessarily rushed. Overall, I enjoyed the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping and Panic attacks/disorders
alikath's review
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Probably 3.25 stars if I want to get particular about it. I liked this but I wasn't super satisfied with the way it ended.
All the way until the end, I thought I was probably going to give this a 3.5-4 stars. I liked the characters, especially Dee. I would have liked to have seen more of her relationship with Burke and her family but generally she was interesting. I liked her relationship with Sarah, though it definitely was a bit quick moving. I liked the podcast stuff. My only complaint there was that I would have liked the podcast to be a bit more relevant to the central mystery in this book and not just a side mystery. I really liked the writing. This book was super quick to get through and a very fun read and I think a lot of that is because of the good writing. Basically, there was a lot to love about this book, it just didn't quite do it for me.
Outside of my problems with the mysteries, I just felt like there were a lot of loose ends at the end of this. I wanted to know more about the other journalist that Dee met up with. I wanted to know how the podcast mystery ended up being solved. We never got to learn why Brianna didn't like Dee. I just had a lot of questions at the end.
With the mystery, I did something I really don't like where the solution is something super unexpected to the point that there were no hints of it and you couldn't have predicted it. The answer to the Sibby isn't introduced until way late in the book. I usually don't try to solve mysteries as I'm reading them because I'm bad at it but I like to see how earlier things connected to the answer once it's revealed. In this case, I don't think anything in the early part of the book mattered for figuring out the mystery. The Layla mystery is also solved in a way that left me unsatisfied because it was very hard to predict. I just don't think there were enough clues left for the reader in the earlier parts of this story. The podcast mystery ending is completely unsatisfactory because we don't get to know anything about how it concluded beyond that it did conclude.
I liked this book. I would have given it a much higher rating if the mysteries were more satisfying. I will definitely be keep my eye out for whatever this author publishes next. If this book seems interesting, I would still say go ahead and pick it up and hopefully you'll enjoy the reading experience.
All the way until the end, I thought I was probably going to give this a 3.5-4 stars. I liked the characters, especially Dee. I would have liked to have seen more of her relationship with Burke and her family but generally she was interesting. I liked her relationship with Sarah, though it definitely was a bit quick moving. I liked the podcast stuff. My only complaint there was that I would have liked the podcast to be a bit more relevant to the central mystery in this book and not just a side mystery. I really liked the writing. This book was super quick to get through and a very fun read and I think a lot of that is because of the good writing. Basically, there was a lot to love about this book, it just didn't quite do it for me.
Outside of my problems with the mysteries, I just felt like there were a lot of loose ends at the end of this. I wanted to know more about the other journalist that Dee met up with. I wanted to know how the podcast mystery ended up being solved. We never got to learn why Brianna didn't like Dee. I just had a lot of questions at the end.
With the mystery, I did something I really don't like where the solution is something super unexpected to the point that there were no hints of it and you couldn't have predicted it. The answer to the Sibby isn't introduced until way late in the book. I usually don't try to solve mysteries as I'm reading them because I'm bad at it but I like to see how earlier things connected to the answer once it's revealed. In this case, I don't think anything in the early part of the book mattered for figuring out the mystery. The Layla mystery is also solved in a way that left me unsatisfied because it was very hard to predict. I just don't think there were enough clues left for the reader in the earlier parts of this story. The podcast mystery ending is completely unsatisfactory because we don't get to know anything about how it concluded beyond that it did conclude.
I liked this book. I would have given it a much higher rating if the mysteries were more satisfying. I will definitely be keep my eye out for whatever this author publishes next. If this book seems interesting, I would still say go ahead and pick it up and hopefully you'll enjoy the reading experience.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping
markedwithanm's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping