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cursed10fold's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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
4.25
There are actually two versions of this story. An updated one and the original one from 1973.
I read the original version of the story and I liked it but I can see why people wouldn't like the updated version because the story makes a lot more sense when it takes place in the early 70s when the cultural norms would be more likely to allow the inciting incident to happen in the first place. It almost reads like an early MADD PSA (which is impressive given that MADD was only founded 7 years after the book was published). There are also parts of the story that rely on the characters having limited or delayed communication.
If you want to check out the book I would recommend it with the caveat that the original version is likely the better one and it's very much a story of its time.
I read the original version of the story and I liked it but I can see why people wouldn't like the updated version because the story makes a lot more sense when it takes place in the early 70s when the cultural norms would be more likely to allow the inciting incident to happen in the first place. It almost reads like an early MADD PSA (which is impressive given that MADD was only founded 7 years after the book was published). There are also parts of the story that rely on the characters having limited or delayed communication.
If you want to check out the book I would recommend it with the caveat that the original version is likely the better one and it's very much a story of its time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence and Stalking
Moderate: Car accident and Child death
Minor: Fatphobia, Sexism, and War
hmetwade's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Gun violence, Medical trauma, Car accident, and Child death
islesbiyana's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
minor reading slump was the only thing that made want to pick up this book otherwise i wouldn't have bothered. i had at least thought that this was going to be a slasher like the movie (which i haven't watched yet) but there was no tension. the only positive thing that i can truly say is that it did its due diligence in being a quick read that you could finish in one sitting. the story itself, however, was such an uneventful, annoying, and predictable journey all at the time, despite being somewhat of a classic in this genre.
the first couple of chapters were just info dumps, one after another. the main cast was supposed to be "flawed" teenagers who just happened to have done something terrible one night, but you couldn't care less about them nor the circumstances they were in since they wereso shallow. and unsurprisingly, the men were just the most insufferable and sexist bunch. the casual dumbification and objectification of the women sprinkled throughout the text sure served as Fun reminders of how dated this was. the pacing was wonky and dull, the dialogue was painfully awkward that it almost felt AI-generated—there was also a part where Character A was vocally recounting everything that B until they got to the main point which wasn't?? needed?? because 1.) we already read those exact things (both actions and thought processes) written on paper, like... just get to the important part! and b.) that is.. Not how regular humans talk but okay. almost forgot to mention but the book ending abruptly with #that line almost made me cringe into an orbit. iykyk
the structure of the book itself was a bit of a hot mess; parts that were supposed to transition to a flashback showed no indication of such. i had to reread them thoroughly after i realize that a scene was supposed to be something from the past. i'd hope that this just an error in my own digital copy since the author had supposedly went back to edit some things in their book.
overall, not the worst book i've read, but i wished i'd picked up something more worthwhile. couldn't even put me to sleep which is unfortunate since i started this at midnight and finished at like 2am. will still give the movie a watch in the future since other reviewers claim that it improves sm from the book + i Do like a decent slasher (regardless of predictability) to pass time. fingers crossed that the former is true.
the first couple of chapters were just info dumps, one after another. the main cast was supposed to be "flawed" teenagers who just happened to have done something terrible one night, but you couldn't care less about them nor the circumstances they were in since they wereso shallow. and unsurprisingly, the men were just the most insufferable and sexist bunch. the casual dumbification and objectification of the women sprinkled throughout the text sure served as Fun reminders of how dated this was. the pacing was wonky and dull, the dialogue was painfully awkward that it almost felt AI-generated—there was also a part where Character A was vocally recounting everything that B until they got to the main point which wasn't?? needed?? because 1.) we already read those exact things (both actions and thought processes) written on paper, like... just get to the important part! and b.) that is.. Not how regular humans talk but okay. almost forgot to mention but the book ending abruptly with #that line almost made me cringe into an orbit. iykyk
the structure of the book itself was a bit of a hot mess; parts that were supposed to transition to a flashback showed no indication of such. i had to reread them thoroughly after i realize that a scene was supposed to be something from the past. i'd hope that this just an error in my own digital copy since the author had supposedly went back to edit some things in their book.
overall, not the worst book i've read, but i wished i'd picked up something more worthwhile. couldn't even put me to sleep which is unfortunate since i started this at midnight and finished at like 2am. will still give the movie a watch in the future since other reviewers claim that it improves sm from the book + i Do like a decent slasher (regardless of predictability) to pass time. fingers crossed that the former is true.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident and Child death
Moderate: Gun violence, Infidelity, Misogyny, and Sexism
Minor: Stalking
vixenreader's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
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
3.0
It is better than you would expect it to be, despite the movie overshadowing its legacy, but it is still slightly dated.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Car accident, Child death, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Grief, Sexual content, and Medical content
Moderate: Stalking, Alcohol, Classism, Death of parent, Fatphobia, Mental illness, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Cursing and Drug use
There is a strangulation in the climax, the guilt and turmoil found in the aftermath of a crime, and some dysfunctional family dynamics in terms of the Cox family.bitterseason's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Car accident, Grief, Misogyny, Body shaming, Gun violence, Child death, and Fatphobia
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Sexism, Violence, Death of parent, Alcohol, and War
alexxrose's review
dark
tense
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
This book was just okay, verging on boring for most of it. I had the "updated" version where the kids had cellphones but to serve the plot they were constantly letting them die or forgetting them somewhere. I would have rather read the original.
The while story takes place over less than a week and, given one person being shot, feels very low stakes. There is no real tension as nobody dies and no mystery is given time to unfold. In fact the characters spend very little time knowing they're in danger. When the twist is revealed the reader has very little time to sit with the story before things end with very few loose ends. The characters start out with compelling back stories, interesting family dynamics, and a compelling back story to their friendship, but none of it really goes anywhere.
I'm not surprised that the movie is more iconic than the book.
Also, just a pet peeve about the "modernizing" done to the story: if you're going to take the time to update technology, you should update every aspect of it, not just the language used. Helen deejays a "webcast" but does so on a local news channel when she could have been updated to be an influencer to fit with the. Characters explain things away by assuming the person taunting them looked them up in phone book, when it should have been stalking them on social media. Sure the book was originally written in the '70s, but either it should be kept as being set in the '70s or the author should have committed to updating it properly.
The while story takes place over less than a week and, given one person being shot, feels very low stakes. There is no real tension as nobody dies and no mystery is given time to unfold. In fact the characters spend very little time knowing they're in danger. When the twist is revealed the reader has very little time to sit with the story before things end with very few loose ends. The characters start out with compelling back stories, interesting family dynamics, and a compelling back story to their friendship, but none of it really goes anywhere.
I'm not surprised that the movie is more iconic than the book.
Also, just a pet peeve about the "modernizing" done to the story: if you're going to take the time to update technology, you should update every aspect of it, not just the language used. Helen deejays a "webcast" but does so on a local news channel when she could have been updated to be an influencer to fit with the. Characters explain things away by assuming the person taunting them looked them up in phone book, when it should have been stalking them on social media. Sure the book was originally written in the '70s, but either it should be kept as being set in the '70s or the author should have committed to updating it properly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
Moderate: Classism
queergoth_reads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This is definitely very different from the film. It is a lot more tame, which isn't a bad thing but not exactly what I was expecting. It is a nice easy read. I wouldn't say the characters are ones I liked all that much so it did feel a little unsatisfying that they all survived and we never really got to hear about the consequences of their actions.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Gun violence, Medical content, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent, Misogyny, and Toxic friendship
odrib's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Car accident, Child death, Death, Fatphobia, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Sexism, Stalking, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Infidelity
Minor: Alcohol, Death of parent, and Drug use
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