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m00plays's review against another edition
5.0
Oh My effing God! Like seriously this read is psychotically brilliant. I do worry about Jess Vallance after reading this book, like should we test her?! Honestly brilliant writing and unbelievably clever.
I highly recommend this read!!!!
I highly recommend this read!!!!
ali_w15's review against another edition
3.0
I found this book really engaging and it made me desperate to read on and find out what it was that the author had hinted at throughout the book. I loved the portrayal of the girls' friendship. However, towards the end the book just fell apart. It became so obvious what the "answer" was that the revelation was a damp squib and the ending was so unrealistic. A disappointing end to what had the potential to be a great story.
emmanovella's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed Birdy. Do I actually have the words to formulate a review? Nope. Am I going to try? Right now - also nope. I'm tired and hungry but I definitely enjoyed this.
msscribe_stan's review against another edition
4.0
I read this book in about a day, much quicker than I usually do. Something about the writing style hooked me in. The beginning and middle of it isn't the most eventful, mostly just being a normal friendship story, with sinister undertones that I managed to look over. If I reread it, I'd probably notice all of the subtleties. I had two 'holy sh*t' moments, the first when
The unreliable narrator was such an interesting plot twist and it made me rethink everything I thought I knew.
Spoiler
Frankie said "I didn't mean for her to die,' in regards to Pippa. I was not only shocked by her death, but the utter lack of care she had towards it. The second was when she stabbed Beck with scissors, which is pretty obvious why it was shocking.The unreliable narrator was such an interesting plot twist and it made me rethink everything I thought I knew.
carmen_jimenezv's review against another edition
4.0
Nothing can prepare you for this darkly compulsive tale of friendship and obsession; I mean it: nothing. I’ve always been a great fan of YA but Birdy is different from anything I’ve ever read before.
The book started out as a usual high school story but became creepier and creepier as the chapters went on.
As mentioned in the synopsis, the whole book revolves around Frances and her friendship with Alberta. Frances narrates the story and presents the reader with different episodes about their days at school, the time they spend together hanging around and how their friendship develops. I thought all these episodes would have a strong meaning and that some truth was going to be revealed but they don’t- which I found a bit frustrating – and they are there just to entertain the reader.
As I kept reading I started to feel uncomfortable with Frances and her way of thinking. Just as one of they many reviews on goodreads affirms: ‘the more you read the more messed up it becomes until you’re left seriously disturbed’. Well, I couldn’t agree more. This book is notoriously dark.
Frances – who in the beginning seems like a ‘normal’ teenager who lives with her grandparents and has always been quite lonely – becomes obsessed with her new friend and controls everything she does. She is manipulative and becomes terribly fixated with the idea that Alberta is ‘hers’.
Another aspect that I would like to mention is the writing because I found it addictive. I finished the book in two days – honestly, I couldn’t put it down. It’s not very long and it’s a very well-written YA novel which ending horrified me.
I know I have said it before but I ended up terribly disturbed! I didn’t expect such a shock! And I loved it. The story ends with a magnificent (and very dark) twist which the reader won’t see coming.
Jess Vallance’s new book – The Yellow Room will be published in August 2016 (Hot Key Books) and I am already looking forward to it.
carmenjimenezvaldes.wordpress.com
The book started out as a usual high school story but became creepier and creepier as the chapters went on.
As mentioned in the synopsis, the whole book revolves around Frances and her friendship with Alberta. Frances narrates the story and presents the reader with different episodes about their days at school, the time they spend together hanging around and how their friendship develops. I thought all these episodes would have a strong meaning and that some truth was going to be revealed but they don’t- which I found a bit frustrating – and they are there just to entertain the reader.
As I kept reading I started to feel uncomfortable with Frances and her way of thinking. Just as one of they many reviews on goodreads affirms: ‘the more you read the more messed up it becomes until you’re left seriously disturbed’. Well, I couldn’t agree more. This book is notoriously dark.
Frances – who in the beginning seems like a ‘normal’ teenager who lives with her grandparents and has always been quite lonely – becomes obsessed with her new friend and controls everything she does. She is manipulative and becomes terribly fixated with the idea that Alberta is ‘hers’.
Another aspect that I would like to mention is the writing because I found it addictive. I finished the book in two days – honestly, I couldn’t put it down. It’s not very long and it’s a very well-written YA novel which ending horrified me.
I know I have said it before but I ended up terribly disturbed! I didn’t expect such a shock! And I loved it. The story ends with a magnificent (and very dark) twist which the reader won’t see coming.
Jess Vallance’s new book – The Yellow Room will be published in August 2016 (Hot Key Books) and I am already looking forward to it.
carmenjimenezvaldes.wordpress.com
dennyiii's review
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
not a badly written book in my opinion, it had an interesting premise however the execution of the ending left much to be desired.
It was pretty slow for the majority of the book which i didn’t mind as it delved into the main characters psyche and built up an explanation for why she was the way she was and created a sense of trepidation, however the ‘plot’ only appeared suddenly it the last quarter or so of the book.
It was pretty slow for the majority of the book which i didn’t mind as it delved into the main characters psyche and built up an explanation for why she was the way she was and created a sense of trepidation, however the ‘plot’ only appeared suddenly it the last quarter or so of the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Gaslighting, Stalking, Blood, Bullying, and Death of parent
nicnewbould's review
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
kba76's review against another edition
4.0
This was going to be 3 stars, but the ending blew me away.
Frances Bird is a rather odd character, used to being alone. When she is asked to show round a new student she finds a new friend in Alberta.
The two friends have, initially, a somewhat obsessive relationship.
Told through Frances's eyes, this story reveals itself gradually. We see things slowly deteriorate, though it isn't clear just how badly until a lot later on.
Frances Bird is a rather odd character, used to being alone. When she is asked to show round a new student she finds a new friend in Alberta.
The two friends have, initially, a somewhat obsessive relationship.
Told through Frances's eyes, this story reveals itself gradually. We see things slowly deteriorate, though it isn't clear just how badly until a lot later on.
chloereadsbooksyoutube's review
3.0
I really wanted to love this!! I did sit and read it in pretty much one sitting, so yay for that. Also, I think the ending COULD have been shocking, if I hadn't already read a lot of young adult thrillers.
However my problem with this book is that it was a perfectly normal, uneventful, contemporary story up to about 180 pages. This meant that I was a little bit 'done' with it already by the time the reveal came around, as it was a little boring. I did guess the ending as well, which I'm not sure is down to the actual story being predictable, or me being a seasoned YA thriller reader.
However my problem with this book is that it was a perfectly normal, uneventful, contemporary story up to about 180 pages. This meant that I was a little bit 'done' with it already by the time the reveal came around, as it was a little boring. I did guess the ending as well, which I'm not sure is down to the actual story being predictable, or me being a seasoned YA thriller reader.
jazpikunic_'s review
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0