Reviews

A Kiss in the Dark by Cat Clarke

missmcfoxlin's review against another edition

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3.0

The premise was good. Alex and Kate love each other but there's a big secret. Will their love survive this?

It was a good reading... until the end. I read the few last pages and I was like "No, come on! It can't end like this!?" But it did. I would have liked to know what happens to their story can't go on like nothing happened, right?

I loved the idea but I felt like the author had to finish her story rapidly and threw this.

leacallida's review against another edition

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4.0

Un roman surprenant et original ! La fin m'a arraché quelques larmes..

chrissireads's review against another edition

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5.0

Cat Clarke is one of my auto-buy authors. Her books have always grabbed me, but at the same time destroyed me! They’re usually quite intense. They’re always well written. A Kiss In The Dark is no exception. Don’t be put off by the somewhat vague synopsis. It is an incredible book.

A Kiss In The Dark is one of those books where I don’t want to say too much about it, because it would really ruin your reading experience. Therefore, reviewing it is incredibly tricky. I just want to fangirl over it, and tell you that you should totally read it.

A Kiss In The Dark is about two teenagers, Alex and Kate who meet and form an instant bond. They fall in love deeply and intensely. They can’t bare to be apart. Right from the offset, I knew it wasn’t going to end well for either of them. I was just waiting for everything to fall to pieces in a heart-breaking way. Their story is told from both perspectives. This really enriched the reading experience for me.

The reason I love Cat Clarke so much, is that she tells stories with brutal honesty. She doesn’t shy away from gritty subjects. I couldn’t put this book down, and I’m still thinking about it now. This book is a real winner for UK Young Adult fiction. I can’t speak highly enough of it.

Apologies for the fairly vague review, but all I really had to say was… ‘READ IT!!!’

wasptobias's review

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emotional hopeful lighthearted tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

sparklesnowwhite's review against another edition

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4.0

I have literally just finished this book and I don't even remember how to function. There are no words for what I feel right now.
Why do you do this to me Cat. Why do you end books that way? You can't leave it like that! I want more. No I need it!!
This was just beautiful and heartbreaking and wonderful and horrible and made me hurt in so many different ways.
I'm not going to say anything else because it'll turn spoilery :)

sus__xox's review

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5.0

A Kiss in the Dark was a beautiful book. It starts off with a massive twist in the storyline and from then on you are on the edge of your seat. As of halfway through, the narrator changes from Alex to Kate. From then on I found it hard to decide who's side to be on because both of the characters make horrific decisions. The story is very deep because it includes the characters having to find themselves in a place that they don't know who they are. It is one of those books where you wish you could rip the characters out of the book, just to yell at them and tell them what to do and how badly they are handling the situation. This is the third Cat Clarke book that I have read and at the moment it is my favourite.

ekkihugsa's review

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4.0

Chronique originalement postée Sous ma Couverture

Que pensez-vous ressentir quand vous commencez un roman de Cat Clarke?
Parce que, soyons honnête. On ne lit pas un roman de Cat Clarke pour son résumé. On ne dit pas "tiens, Cat Clarke a écrit un livre, mais il ne me plait pas, alors je ne vais pas le lire."
Non. On se fiche du résumé, et parce que c'est un roman de Cat Clarke, on va le lire.

Que pensez-vous ressentir quand vous commencez un roman de Cat Clarke?
Beaucoup d'émotions, puisé dans l'amour, la bêtise, et une fin déchirante qui fait mal.

Pour ma part, ce roman n'a pas su me donner ma dose d'émotion made in Clarke. Dès le début, je savais que je n'aurais pas un coup de coeur. Je sais que les débuts d'histoires d'amour sont toujours ultra gênante, et que soudain, on n'a plus rien à dire, et tout ce qu'on a dire semble ridiculement débile.
Alex et Kate sont passées par là aussi, et malgré cette dose de réalisme dans les dialogues, je les ai trouvés plats, et peu attractifs. J'ai croisé les doigts bien fort pour que ça s'arrange plus tard, et merci Dieu Cookie, ça s'est arrangé. N'ayez donc pas peur de ce point. Si vous ne l'avez pas lu. Vous l'avez pas tous lu quand même ? Je ne suis pas la dernière, si ?

Pour aller droit au but, la relation Alex - Kate est basée sur le mensonge. Le plus gros mensonge possible.
Pour une fois ce n'est pas l'homosexualité en soi qui pose problème, malgré des traces de gène. Cat Clarke a su me surprendre alors que je redoutais le pire durant la seconde moitié du livre. Malgré ce ... "pire", cette seconde partie a été un vrai calvaire. Je n'ai pas su m'arrêter de tourner et tourner et tourner les pages jusqu'à connaître le fin mot de l'histoire, mais qu'est-ce que mes mains m'ont démangées...

Pour finir, j'ai eu peur d'un élément final qui n'est jamais arrivé et qui a fait gagner des points supplémentaires à cette petite déception de la part des personnages, de leurs bêtises, et de leurs mensonges.

En bref, l'intrigue est très prenante, originale, bien qu'un poil tirée par les cheveux, une redondance sur les mensonges, devenue la marque de fabrique de Cat Clarke, et une fin qui a su me surprendre, et qui était réellement la bonne décision :)

Ce que j'ai le plus aimé : Un amour intense, qui se déroule dans une ville que j'ai visité il n'y a même pas un mois. Ça fait vraiment bizarre de lire des passages dans des rues ou des magasins dans lesquels je suis allée !
Ce que j'ai le moins aimé : L'envie de frapper tout ce qui passe à cause des conneries des personnages.

ailsareads's review

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2.0

I really wanted to love this but unfortunately I just... didn't. I thought it dealt with LGBTQ issues clumsily (trans people are all deceitful and lie about their gender!) and it was really not satisfying. I enjoyed aspects of this book especially the fact it's set in Edinburgh where I'm from but I don't think it handled sensitive issues with enough nuance.

bookish_bobbin's review

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3.0

I really liked this book, I loved the plot and the characters because let's face it Cat Clarke writes about the deepest teenage problems with a twist. But the only problem I had was the end it seemed it was cut short to me. And although it was moderately happy I could have done with a little but more myself.

fatzbrekker's review

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1.0

I remember reading this in high school and thinking wtf it was such a waste of time.