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kickan's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-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? No
4.0
stacyhowe13's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
sirensaria's review against another edition
3.0
I'm not entirely sure how to feel about this. It was a good book, not great, but good. There were some problems along the way, like the mystery wasn't very strong, and the character development needed a bit of work. The book just felt very rushed.
The characters weren't very well developed. Considering how the plot seemed to be driven more by the characters, it seemed rather strange. You got a very basic view of the characters. I could understand not getting really into the character development with Carlos, Leif, and Leisl, but even Jackson didn't have a ton of character. Beatrice, the main character, was also really hard to understand. There's this huge focus on her anxiety, but I really didn't see it all that much until she had a panic attack. It was rather disappointing, really.
The whole mystery, which was sort of two mysteries, also didn't make a whole lot of sense. I understood what happened, but it didn't really seem real. Like, none of the mysteries were really well explained and nothing was really in-depth. This was another disappointment. There wasn't enough explanation on the mystery, and the clues were very random and didn't entirely make sense. Also, one of the mysteries was wrapped up WAY too quickly. I was not really satisfied with the end very much, at least not how it played out. This book would have definitely benefited from more pages. It just seemed rushed, and the whole plot suffered for it.
Not entirely sure if I will be reading the second book, but you never know. I really hate leaving a mystery unsolved.
The characters weren't very well developed. Considering how the plot seemed to be driven more by the characters, it seemed rather strange. You got a very basic view of the characters. I could understand not getting really into the character development with Carlos, Leif, and Leisl, but even Jackson didn't have a ton of character. Beatrice, the main character, was also really hard to understand. There's this huge focus on her anxiety, but I really didn't see it all that much until she had a panic attack. It was rather disappointing, really.
The whole mystery, which was sort of two mysteries, also didn't make a whole lot of sense. I understood what happened, but it didn't really seem real. Like, none of the mysteries were really well explained and nothing was really in-depth. This was another disappointment. There wasn't enough explanation on the mystery, and the clues were very random and didn't entirely make sense. Also, one of the mysteries was wrapped up WAY too quickly. I was not really satisfied with the end very much, at least not how it played out. This book would have definitely benefited from more pages. It just seemed rushed, and the whole plot suffered for it.
Not entirely sure if I will be reading the second book, but you never know. I really hate leaving a mystery unsolved.
archaeodima's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
jessidee's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
holdenkillfield's review against another edition
1.0
Nope. This was the most disjointed, convoluted book ever. Pick a plot. There were too many storylines with sub-storylines with even more storylines that made no sense:
1. A murder mystery from the 80s (how this is solved was so nonchalant and impractical and was such a throwaway that I am still trying to understand why so much emphasis was on this case from the beginning. 40% in the book it is solved.)
2. an abused best friend that is missing
3. a rich kid treasure hunt (??? the main character doesn't go to this school and these rich kids pop in and out of the story so frequently why is this even a thing in the book!?)
4. current missing kids
5. an evil Homeowners Association
and somehow the author flimsily tied them all together. It was so far-fetched that even in the world of fiction I could not suspend my disbelief.
Jeez. It was all over the place. And on top of all that we have a main character that was wishy-washy and just as confusing as the story.
{rant} How dare ya'll even compare this to the fabulous book [b:Sadie|34810320|Sadie|Courtney Summers|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1556559178l/34810320._SY75_.jpg|56026767]{endrant}
Nope nope nope.
Also, this connection to Jessica Fletcher (great-aunt...sure) was extremely thin and made no sense at all nor had any bearing on the story other than to try to ride on the popularity of the book and tv series.
1. A murder mystery from the 80s (how this is solved was so nonchalant and impractical and was such a throwaway that I am still trying to understand why so much emphasis was on this case from the beginning. 40% in the book it is solved.)
2. an abused best friend that is missing
3. a rich kid treasure hunt (??? the main character doesn't go to this school and these rich kids pop in and out of the story so frequently why is this even a thing in the book!?)
4. current missing kids
5. an evil Homeowners Association
and somehow the author flimsily tied them all together. It was so far-fetched that even in the world of fiction I could not suspend my disbelief.
Jeez. It was all over the place. And on top of all that we have a main character that was wishy-washy and just as confusing as the story.
{rant} How dare ya'll even compare this to the fabulous book [b:Sadie|34810320|Sadie|Courtney Summers|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1556559178l/34810320._SY75_.jpg|56026767]{endrant}
Nope nope nope.
Also, this connection to Jessica Fletcher (great-aunt...sure) was extremely thin and made no sense at all nor had any bearing on the story other than to try to ride on the popularity of the book and tv series.
mattyb's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Suicide, Child death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Grief, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Forced institutionalization
ashleylyons15's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-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? No
3.5
ssshamblin's review against another edition
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.5