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mehsi's review
2.0
So my group on Goodreads started the Blind Date Challenge again, and my partner and I picked this book. I was really interesting in this one, I heard a lot about the book and the movie, so I was curious if it was really as good as everyone said.
Sadly, it was not. It started off pretty good though, and I was really exited to read the book. The changing POVs were done really well (every chapter we had a different character), and the story was interesting. However as the book progressed I started to dislike most of the characters and I was just getting frustrated with them.
Barry was just the most horrendous figure ever. How he thought of girls, how he treated Helen, how he treated what happened last summer. Disgusting. The first chapter I saw him, I kind of liked him, but as we started to learn more about him I just wanted him to be finished or gone as soon as possible.
Helen was the second on the rank list for horrendous character. What a self-centered, sad, pathetic girl that was. Bah. How she treated people, how she only had eyes for herself and Barry. Bah.
Ray, I found him quite nice, but also just annoying that he apparently doesn't get the word no.
Julie, the only character I sort of sympathized with. The only character I liked. She was truly a good girl, though I wish she had sought help from someone. I know, I know the pact, but come on. :|
I was also shaking my head at the sheer stupidity that these kids had. You do that? And just decide to make a pact and do that? What the hell is wrong with you. Did you really think you would get away with it all? Did you think the guilt, or someone coming for you would not happen?
Sure, the kids were wrong to drive while having drunk a bit (though again, I also would like to know the amounts, same goes for the drugs part, again, not saying it is good, but I know here you can still have about 0,5 promille in your blood and still be good, as long as it isn't more than that), to just not stop, but that kid was also not innocent. And maybe I will get the rage of all the people of the internet over me, but this is how I think. Both parties are irresponsible, and both parties are guilty. The kid for being stupid to go out on a road without lights or anything so he is visible at midnight, I don't really give a damn that the kid was only 10. By 10 I knew that I had to keep an eye out on traffic, and going out at night? Hahahaa, no. The parents for not going to pick him up, or at least making sure that the parents at the friend's house will keep him there, and the kids who just drove that kid over (though again, I can imagine you would be scared out of your fucking pants when you suddenly hit something, though still no excuse for just running away). Sorry the kid died, and I felt a bit sad, but I also was just shaking my head at all the stupidity and the fact the kids are seen as the only guilty party.
Phew, I had to get that off my chest. That frustrated me so much.
The plottwist? Eh, I saw it coming, and at a certain point was really sure about it, which kind of ruined the book further for me.
The whole revenge thing? HAHAHAHAAHHAHA, sorry, I just almost rolled off my chair there.
So yeah, the book went from a 4 stars to a 3 stars, to now 2 stars, but I am thinking it is better to give this book a 1.5 star.
Not recommending this one. There are better thriller/horror books out there.
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
Sadly, it was not. It started off pretty good though, and I was really exited to read the book. The changing POVs were done really well (every chapter we had a different character), and the story was interesting. However as the book progressed I started to dislike most of the characters and I was just getting frustrated with them.
Barry was just the most horrendous figure ever. How he thought of girls, how he treated Helen, how he treated what happened last summer. Disgusting. The first chapter I saw him, I kind of liked him, but as we started to learn more about him I just wanted him to be finished or gone as soon as possible.
Helen was the second on the rank list for horrendous character. What a self-centered, sad, pathetic girl that was. Bah. How she treated people, how she only had eyes for herself and Barry. Bah.
Ray, I found him quite nice, but also just annoying that he apparently doesn't get the word no.
Julie, the only character I sort of sympathized with. The only character I liked. She was truly a good girl, though I wish she had sought help from someone. I know, I know the pact, but come on. :|
I was also shaking my head at the sheer stupidity that these kids had. You do that? And just decide to make a pact and do that? What the hell is wrong with you. Did you really think you would get away with it all? Did you think the guilt, or someone coming for you would not happen?
Spoiler
Also, I wonder what parent doesn't make sure their kids bike is at least worthy of going out at night. Here, you need to have lights on your bike, otherwise you are going to be fined if they see you bike around like that. Also my first reaction when I heard about what happened last summer was: Who the fuck lets their kid bike outside, on a FUCKING road, in the FUCKING dark, at FUCKING midnight? What kind of parents are these. And then later we learn that the kid himself was just a stupid ass. :| Yes, yes, I might anger people with that.Sure, the kids were wrong to drive while having drunk a bit (though again, I also would like to know the amounts, same goes for the drugs part, again, not saying it is good, but I know here you can still have about 0,5 promille in your blood and still be good, as long as it isn't more than that), to just not stop, but that kid was also not innocent. And maybe I will get the rage of all the people of the internet over me, but this is how I think. Both parties are irresponsible, and both parties are guilty. The kid for being stupid to go out on a road without lights or anything so he is visible at midnight, I don't really give a damn that the kid was only 10. By 10 I knew that I had to keep an eye out on traffic, and going out at night? Hahahaa, no. The parents for not going to pick him up, or at least making sure that the parents at the friend's house will keep him there, and the kids who just drove that kid over (though again, I can imagine you would be scared out of your fucking pants when you suddenly hit something, though still no excuse for just running away). Sorry the kid died, and I felt a bit sad, but I also was just shaking my head at all the stupidity and the fact the kids are seen as the only guilty party.
Phew, I had to get that off my chest. That frustrated me so much.
The plottwist? Eh, I saw it coming, and at a certain point was really sure about it, which kind of ruined the book further for me.
The whole revenge thing? HAHAHAHAAHHAHA, sorry, I just almost rolled off my chair there.
Spoiler
What revenge part? Not much happens, and by the time it really gets exciting... the book ends. Yep, the craptastic ending of all! Anti-climatic as hell too. The horror begins the book blurb tells us, yes the horror of falling asleep and being bored out of your head.So yeah, the book went from a 4 stars to a 3 stars, to now 2 stars, but I am thinking it is better to give this book a 1.5 star.
Not recommending this one. There are better thriller/horror books out there.
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
polywogqueen's review
4.0
reading this and then seeing episode one of the new TV show is extremely shocking
carly_luce2k14's review
dark
mysterious
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
Simply, meh
thaiteconta's review against another edition
1.0
Sendo uma grande fã de filmes slasher, eu obviamente gosto da versão filme desse livro mas nunca tinha parado para lê-lo. E Eu sei o que vocês fizeram no verão passado entrou pra listas dos livros que genuinamente me arrependo de ter lido do começo ao fim. Não o recomendo a ninguém, a menos que seu objetivo seja se decepcionar.
Não foi "ha-ha" ruim tipo, você faz um hate reading. Foi apenas uma história medíocre com personagens insípidos, reviravoltas óbvias demais e diálogos dolorosos de superar e impossíveis de levar a sério. Não faz o leitor pensar ou sentir, e a melhor coisa que tenho a dizer sobre isso é que pelo menos é curto.
A premissa da história é boa: 4 adolescentes estão sendo perseguidos e ameaçados por alguém que conhece o terrível segredo. Eles sofreram um acidente de atropelamento no verão anterior que resultou na morte de uma criança. Nada mal no que diz respeito a tramas de terror, apesar de não ser a mais original. Não é terrível e senti que havia muito potencial.
E o livro começa bem. No final do primeiro capítulo, a premissa foi estabelecida, a personagem principal foi apresentada e ela já recebeu a primeira nota assustadora. Ao chegar ao capítulo 2, fiquei esperançosa. Era evidente que nunca seria meu livro favorito ou uma grande obra literária, mas fiquei com a impressão de que seria, no mínimo, uma leitura cheia de suspense.
Infelizmente, a história diminui muito a partir deste ponto, e quero dizer muito. O foco passa da situação atual do grupo para os próprios personagens e suas dinâmicas de relacionamento. É uma técnica válida, mas grande parte da história a partir desse ponto fica muito repetitiva e carece de sutileza. Ao longo do romance, o perseguidor envia uma nota, um recorte de revista, faz um telefonema e tem uma conversa pessoal assustadora e ,mesmo assim, temos 199 páginas dos mesmos aspectos do personagem sendo praticamente perfurados em nossas cabeças.
Literalmente todas as vítimas sobrevivem. Todas essas 4 pessoas egoístas e horríveis sobrevivem. Quando o idiota do Barry sobreviveu sem nenhum dano duradouro, fiquei mais chateada do que com o garoto que morreu no flashback. Isso não é um bom sinal.
Agora, a reviravolta. O assassino (ou suposto assassino, suponho, considerando que sua contagem de corpos chega a 0) é na verdade 2 dos personagens secundários. Isso poderia ter sido muito inteligente, mas acredite em mim quando digo que o prenúncio não foi sutil e você pode vê-lo chegando a um milhão de quilômetros de distância, fazendo com que a grande revelação pareça mais redundante do que emocionante.
Quase todos os problemas que tive até este ponto seriam perdoáveis, se não fosse pelo fim. Eu geralmente gosto de capítulos finais cheios de ação, mas postergando o clímax, a grande revelação, uma tentativa de assassinato, resolução completa, um final feliz para todas as partes feridas... Mas além do final ser apressado, todo mundo se recupera em uma espécie de desculpa.
Falar sobre este livro diminuiu minha decepção, mas ainda não é algo que eu recomendaria ler. Faltava substância e realmente não há benefício em lê-lo, pelo que pude ver.
Não foi "ha-ha" ruim tipo, você faz um hate reading. Foi apenas uma história medíocre com personagens insípidos, reviravoltas óbvias demais e diálogos dolorosos de superar e impossíveis de levar a sério. Não faz o leitor pensar ou sentir, e a melhor coisa que tenho a dizer sobre isso é que pelo menos é curto.
A premissa da história é boa: 4 adolescentes estão sendo perseguidos e ameaçados por alguém que conhece o terrível segredo. Eles sofreram um acidente de atropelamento no verão anterior que resultou na morte de uma criança. Nada mal no que diz respeito a tramas de terror, apesar de não ser a mais original. Não é terrível e senti que havia muito potencial.
E o livro começa bem. No final do primeiro capítulo, a premissa foi estabelecida, a personagem principal foi apresentada e ela já recebeu a primeira nota assustadora. Ao chegar ao capítulo 2, fiquei esperançosa. Era evidente que nunca seria meu livro favorito ou uma grande obra literária, mas fiquei com a impressão de que seria, no mínimo, uma leitura cheia de suspense.
Infelizmente, a história diminui muito a partir deste ponto, e quero dizer muito. O foco passa da situação atual do grupo para os próprios personagens e suas dinâmicas de relacionamento. É uma técnica válida, mas grande parte da história a partir desse ponto fica muito repetitiva e carece de sutileza. Ao longo do romance, o perseguidor envia uma nota, um recorte de revista, faz um telefonema e tem uma conversa pessoal assustadora e ,mesmo assim, temos 199 páginas dos mesmos aspectos do personagem sendo praticamente perfurados em nossas cabeças.
Literalmente todas as vítimas sobrevivem. Todas essas 4 pessoas egoístas e horríveis sobrevivem. Quando o idiota do Barry sobreviveu sem nenhum dano duradouro, fiquei mais chateada do que com o garoto que morreu no flashback. Isso não é um bom sinal.
Agora, a reviravolta. O assassino (ou suposto assassino, suponho, considerando que sua contagem de corpos chega a 0) é na verdade 2 dos personagens secundários. Isso poderia ter sido muito inteligente, mas acredite em mim quando digo que o prenúncio não foi sutil e você pode vê-lo chegando a um milhão de quilômetros de distância, fazendo com que a grande revelação pareça mais redundante do que emocionante.
Quase todos os problemas que tive até este ponto seriam perdoáveis, se não fosse pelo fim. Eu geralmente gosto de capítulos finais cheios de ação, mas postergando o clímax, a grande revelação, uma tentativa de assassinato, resolução completa, um final feliz para todas as partes feridas... Mas além do final ser apressado, todo mundo se recupera em uma espécie de desculpa.
Falar sobre este livro diminuiu minha decepção, mas ainda não é algo que eu recomendaria ler. Faltava substância e realmente não há benefício em lê-lo, pelo que pude ver.
paulabrandon's review
4.0
Yes, I saw the movie before I read the book, but I knew who Lois Duncan was, as I'd already read Daughters Of Eve and Killing Mr. Griffin and loved them. I really enjoyed this one too. I understand Lois Duncan was very upset at the movie version - but what was she expecting? Plus, the movie didn't seem to stop her from continuing to sell the rights to her other books!
The plot twist here was great - I didn't see it coming at all.
Spoiler
In the book, two characters turn out to be the same person, but there's no way to translate that to film! I enjoyed the movie as a throwback to 80s style horror, and the Sarah Michelle Gellar chase scene is a ripper! The scene with Helen in the book as she tries to escape the killer was tension-filled too!The plot twist here was great - I didn't see it coming at all.
jei_alexander's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-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
3.0