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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I thought this would be a fun mystery to listen to while I worked. Instead I received a predictable and and depressing book about child molestation. The characters were mostly unlikeable. The ending felt hollow. There was no real conclusion to the core mystery and the cop's storyline felt like a complete waste of time, the only purpose seeming to illustrate the long-term effects of child sexual abuse and to create a red herring.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Pedophilia, Police brutality
Moderate: Kidnapping
I liked this book a lot! There is something about children being at the forefront of a mysterious plot.. I dont know why but it always intrigues me. This gave me 'The Chalk Man' vibes a little bit. Maybe it was the 80's or the atmosphere. I have to google though b/c I am not sure I picked up the actual big spoiler. I need to double check I got it right.
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book really captivated me! As a child I remember watching "Unsolved Mysteries" cases and Lifetime movies about missing and abducted children. A child of the 90s, I grew up knowing not to talk to strangers or get in cars with people I didn't know. But, the real reason I grew up being taught this was that so many other kids went missing in the decades before I was born. The 80s in particular seemed to be a haven for child abductors. This book really captures what it must've been like to be raised during that time. Also, reading it as a mom is totally different than reading it as someone that doesn't have kids of their own. I can't even begin to imagine how the parents of abducted children must feel like. I feel like the author did a nice job describing what that must be like for parents of kids like Matt and Chris. Unfathomable!
"I met a monster once, face to face."
This book destroyed me! I was bawling after the last chapter. It made me a paranoid parent all over again. As a parent, it's always a struggle to let your kids grow up and gain independence but also wanting to keep them close and safe. The final chapter of this book reignited all my mothering fears of something happening to my children and gave me chills and nightmares.
This book was fantastic. It was everything that I want from a novel based on a true crime. It was heartbreaking, informative, suspenseful, thought provoking, and thrilling. I read it in one day! I was able to connect to the characters and empathize with their emotional distress.
The Monsters We Make is an eye opening reminder that not every bad guy is a stranger. That we need to listen to our children when they say someone makes them uncomfortable. A must read!
Thank you so much NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the e-book in exchange for my honest review!
This book destroyed me! I was bawling after the last chapter. It made me a paranoid parent all over again. As a parent, it's always a struggle to let your kids grow up and gain independence but also wanting to keep them close and safe. The final chapter of this book reignited all my mothering fears of something happening to my children and gave me chills and nightmares.
This book was fantastic. It was everything that I want from a novel based on a true crime. It was heartbreaking, informative, suspenseful, thought provoking, and thrilling. I read it in one day! I was able to connect to the characters and empathize with their emotional distress.
The Monsters We Make is an eye opening reminder that not every bad guy is a stranger. That we need to listen to our children when they say someone makes them uncomfortable. A must read!
Thank you so much NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the e-book in exchange for my honest review!
This book really held my interest, I couldn’t stop listening to it. I didn’t know it was based on a true story, i loved that it took place in the 80s and it was a local-ish book. But the ending was unsatisfying, I didn’t like the keeping track of how long the kids have been missing if it never has anything to do with anything. And a person’s house burns down in the book and the cops don’t investigate anything?? The really frustrating part was the main child Sammy, was obviously experiencing some kind of trauma, but no one ever asked him if he was ok. He told a teacher and his mom and they just ignored him?????!