Scan barcode
bubblescotch's review against another edition
dark
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
3.0
Do your best not to expect the movie--it's a slasher, this is a YA mystery-thriller from 50 (FIFTY?!?!) years ago. Yes, it's predictable and dated and cheesy, and no, it's not scary or gory. That said, I think its take on guilt and that transitional, cusp-of-adulthood age is still interesting, especially given that it's a quick read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death
Moderate: Misogyny and Fatphobia
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
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
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
More...