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amylia's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
3.0
I loved everything about this book and was so hooked up until close to the end when
a BS "diagnosis" of Borderline Personality Disorder. As someone with BPD I am so over the stigma and having it used like this. There was ZERO mention of it until suddenly it's attached to these horrible acts
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, and Death of parent
Moderate: Homophobia
shereadsmysteries's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abortion, Alcohol, Child abuse, Addiction, Physical abuse, Toxic friendship, Violence, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Mental illness, Murder, Stalking, Blood, and Bullying
Moderate: Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual content, Suicide, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gaslighting, and Grief
Minor: Abandonment, Classism, and Homophobia
ellejo3's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
It was an okay thriller. I liked the all-girls boarding school setting, complicated backgrounds, and the secret societies aspect. However, the overall mystery was obvious and I didn't particularly care for some of the other POVs that weren't Ash. Also, the homophobic scenes were so tired and disappointing. I don't buy that a girl not being straight is shocking in a modern setting at a school with 200 girls, especially considering that the majority of them are from DC, a city where 8.6% of the population identifies as LGBTQ+, a higher percentage than any U.S. state. Knowing more about which state the senator was from and what her family's beliefs were could've helped a little in this regard, at least with why she wanted to stay closeted. However, I still don't buy the girls at school being homophobic. Also, the bury-your-gays trope here was gratuitous.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Homophobia
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