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juliamariea's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
peanutsk's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
bookgirl_sfz's review against another edition
4.0
Just loved this one! Such a simple but unpredictable thriller! Must read!
blackdre666es's review against another edition
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
ryrichards's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
books4thewin7's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
cassmccaff's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book! I had seen it floating around and thought that it would be just some lame YA book but it was actually really fun. And I think that it hit me at just the right time. I needed a good, light-hearted escape. (Too many Holocaust books right in a row.) And this one fit the description! High school drama, rumors, all mixed with a “who done it” mystery. And it wrapped up exactly the way I like it! No questions unanswered. It all came together in the end. This book was captivating and fun. Doesn’t take much brain power and I liked the characters. I’d say anyone can enjoy it.
Now for my thoughts on the ending: (stop here to avoid spoilers)
I was really disappointed when they started saying that it was a suicide with Simon. That was one of my original guesses, but then I was thinking that would actually be so lame. Then there really is no bad guy. In-steps Jake. Our bad guy. He was the bad guy that I was looking for. And he really was a real jerk. It really was so interesting that Simon was so entitled and wanted to take other people out like a school shooting. I thought that was clever. And having someone else help him pull it off was crazy. I was very interested in Bronwyn and Nate. The giddy high school girl in me was so excited when they hooked up and then when they got back together in the end. I thought Addy was a rockstar. And I liked the relationship with her and her older sister, Ashton. And finally, I knew Cooper was gay from the minute that he got that text “I miss you” from Kris at the beginning of the book. So that was no surprise. But I also loved his character. I listened to the book mostly. And he had a southern accent that really drew me to him. Finally, I loved the ending with Nates mom and dad. How she came back clean and got his dad to do rehab too. That was the happiest ending that I could have imagined. Because I felt really bad for him and any kid who has to raise themselves that way. So that made me very happy and tied it all up with a little bow on top. Loved this book! I hope that they make a TV show about it.
Now for my thoughts on the ending: (stop here to avoid spoilers)
I was really disappointed when they started saying that it was a suicide with Simon. That was one of my original guesses, but then I was thinking that would actually be so lame. Then there really is no bad guy. In-steps Jake. Our bad guy. He was the bad guy that I was looking for. And he really was a real jerk. It really was so interesting that Simon was so entitled and wanted to take other people out like a school shooting. I thought that was clever. And having someone else help him pull it off was crazy. I was very interested in Bronwyn and Nate. The giddy high school girl in me was so excited when they hooked up and then when they got back together in the end. I thought Addy was a rockstar. And I liked the relationship with her and her older sister, Ashton. And finally, I knew Cooper was gay from the minute that he got that text “I miss you” from Kris at the beginning of the book. So that was no surprise. But I also loved his character. I listened to the book mostly. And he had a southern accent that really drew me to him. Finally, I loved the ending with Nates mom and dad. How she came back clean and got his dad to do rehab too. That was the happiest ending that I could have imagined. Because I felt really bad for him and any kid who has to raise themselves that way. So that made me very happy and tied it all up with a little bow on top. Loved this book! I hope that they make a TV show about it.
beckeal's review against another edition
3.0
Not sure it was entirely worth the read, but it was fast and I wanted to know the answer to the mystery. I won’t spoil it. I’ll let the story do that all by itself. (Whomp, whomp.)
My Biggest Beef: The characters. Every last one of them was an extreme stereotype, which I thought was going to be twisted into something interesting when the author called out the teen-movie-ness of it all — but no. She just rolled with it. And worst of all, even given their easily-drawn-upon list of pre-defined characteristics, their ‘voices’ (they each narrate a few chapters) were all identical. I shouldn’t have had to flip to the chapter title to remember which character was narrating. It should be obvious in the words they choose and the way they think. But nope. They were alllll “Young Adult Author” ... YA Author Horny Teenager version, YA Author Type-A-nerd-with-a-heart-of-gold version., etc. Ad nauseam.
Blech and boooo.
My Biggest Beef: The characters. Every last one of them was an extreme stereotype, which I thought was going to be twisted into something interesting when the author called out the teen-movie-ness of it all — but no. She just rolled with it. And worst of all, even given their easily-drawn-upon list of pre-defined characteristics, their ‘voices’ (they each narrate a few chapters) were all identical. I shouldn’t have had to flip to the chapter title to remember which character was narrating. It should be obvious in the words they choose and the way they think. But nope. They were alllll “Young Adult Author” ... YA Author Horny Teenager version, YA Author Type-A-nerd-with-a-heart-of-gold version., etc. Ad nauseam.
Blech and boooo.