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drridareads's review against another edition
Tried to read for months. Found the concept intriguing. Never read a book on phobias before. But it just wasn't for me.
morganrondo's review against another edition
4.0
This book reminded me of both The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and Flowers for Algernon.
It was an interesting, suspenseful story, though unrealistic at times.
It was an interesting, suspenseful story, though unrealistic at times.
boyeatsgod's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars // while this book was on the slower side, i couldn't put it down.
the synopsis does not in any way do justice to what this book is actually about. i went into it thinking i was going to read a quirky unrequited love type of coming of age story about a boy who just doesn't fit in and has the odds against him and i am on the other side of this novel completely torn apart. i feel horrible for greg, i feel horrible about the things he's done and god he was such a creepy main character to read through the eyes of but i couldn't help but feel for him and root for him all the same. my heart feels hollow.
the writing style was wonderful, the format was interesting and there were many instances where the diary format allowed for more experimental prose which i adored!
go into this book with an open mind and follow greg's tale, you won't regret it.
the synopsis does not in any way do justice to what this book is actually about. i went into it thinking i was going to read a quirky unrequited love type of coming of age story about a boy who just doesn't fit in and has the odds against him and i am on the other side of this novel completely torn apart. i feel horrible for greg, i feel horrible about the things he's done and god he was such a creepy main character to read through the eyes of but i couldn't help but feel for him and root for him all the same. my heart feels hollow.
the writing style was wonderful, the format was interesting and there were many instances where the diary format allowed for more experimental prose which i adored!
go into this book with an open mind and follow greg's tale, you won't regret it.
nyniamhsedai's review against another edition
4.0
Heavy going at times, but if you are a fan of reading Perfume, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and We Need to Talk About Kevin, while watching Martha, Marcy, May, Marlene, and Girl Interrupted, all the while listening to Stan, then this is the book for you. The narrative was interestingly done, the pace was perfect and the transcripts help build up the tension as the story arced. Very good.
andintothetrees's review against another edition
4.0
Click here to read my full review, on my book blog.
booksandladders's review against another edition
4.0
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
I really enjoyed this one. I liked that we got to see schizophrenia in this manner because it felt so real. I also really liked the inclusion of the police transcripts in between. I thought they added clarity to the narrative. I liked that we got it from Greg's point of view rather than from the outside. I think it would have been difficult to connect with Greg if we hadn't been so deep inside his head. The hardest part for me to get through were the "Date Unknown" sections because of the way they were written. I mean, it was necessary for the book and to understand Greg's mind, but those bits took me double the amount of time to read.
I have read some of the other reviews that say the ending is left open but I didn't think so? I'm going to put my thoughts on the ending under spoiler, but reading will spoil the entire book for you so don't do it.
My only real complaint is that I felt like some of the storylines were headed in one direction and then tapered off. Like the Lucy one and the Mrs. Hayes one. It seemed like they were going to be more important to the story than what they actually were. I was anticipating there to be a bit more about them in the future, but really it was just something to throw us off the scent or to show that life was still happening in the background even when Greg was living in his own mind.
I highly recommend this one. It was one of the most interesting books I've read in a long time. And I think once you get used to the writing style, you will be enthralled by this novel. As well, it is just really good. Like REALLY GOOD.
Books and Ladders | Queen of the Bookshelves | Books Are My Fandom | Twitter | Instagram | Bloglovin'
"It's amazing how much damage we did just by leaving, just by not being there."
I really enjoyed this one. I liked that we got to see schizophrenia in this manner because it felt so real. I also really liked the inclusion of the police transcripts in between. I thought they added clarity to the narrative. I liked that we got it from Greg's point of view rather than from the outside. I think it would have been difficult to connect with Greg if we hadn't been so deep inside his head. The hardest part for me to get through were the "Date Unknown" sections because of the way they were written. I mean, it was necessary for the book and to understand Greg's mind, but those bits took me double the amount of time to read.
I have read some of the other reviews that say the ending is left open but I didn't think so? I'm going to put my thoughts on the ending under spoiler, but reading will spoil the entire book for you so don't do it.
Spoiler
To me, Greg accidentally drowned Alice. He was having one of his episodes and didn't realize that he was hurting her and scratched her so badly and then left. He was the one holding her head up so as soon as that happened, she went underwater. Combine that with the fact she probably had a bit of alcohol poisoning from the whiskey, and that is how people drown. Especially since that almost happened to Sarah back on Finners Island, I assumed these two stories tied together. However, not knowing FOR SURE didn't impact my liking of the book.My only real complaint is that I felt like some of the storylines were headed in one direction and then tapered off. Like the Lucy one and the Mrs. Hayes one. It seemed like they were going to be more important to the story than what they actually were. I was anticipating there to be a bit more about them in the future, but really it was just something to throw us off the scent or to show that life was still happening in the background even when Greg was living in his own mind.
I highly recommend this one. It was one of the most interesting books I've read in a long time. And I think once you get used to the writing style, you will be enthralled by this novel. As well, it is just really good. Like REALLY GOOD.
Books and Ladders | Queen of the Bookshelves | Books Are My Fandom | Twitter | Instagram | Bloglovin'
burstnwithbooks's review against another edition
2.0
WHAT THE CRAP. I don’t understand what just happened. I’ll have more fully formed thoughts on this when it’s not 2 am... but for now suffice to say it was kind of Perks of Being a Wallflower ripoff-y But not as good? In a creepy way? I thought this book was going to be fantastic when I started it but it was TOO over the top and just... no thanks?
kitty_kat21's review against another edition
3.0
This book is very mid-range for me.
It is a story told largely through the eyes of Greg, a troubled teen who battles with mental illness. Greg's wealthy family are largely emotionally absent, and Greg is the complete opposite of popular in his school. Told through Greg's journal entries, the reader gets an intimate portrayal of his sad and depressing life. The only ray of positivity is his crush on a girl from school -Alice. In between Greg's journal entries, the reader is treated to a police interview transcript about Greg referring to a tragic incident.
The actual event was pretty anti-climatic for me and so this book didn't really have the 'wow' factor. It is pretty easy read, and the story is interesting but it wasn't a book that amazed me.
It is a story told largely through the eyes of Greg, a troubled teen who battles with mental illness. Greg's wealthy family are largely emotionally absent, and Greg is the complete opposite of popular in his school. Told through Greg's journal entries, the reader gets an intimate portrayal of his sad and depressing life. The only ray of positivity is his crush on a girl from school -Alice. In between Greg's journal entries, the reader is treated to a police interview transcript about Greg referring to a tragic incident.
The actual event was pretty anti-climatic for me and so this book didn't really have the 'wow' factor. It is pretty easy read, and the story is interesting but it wasn't a book that amazed me.
badbye's review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0