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erintowner's review against another edition
5.0
This was a twisty turny psychological thriller with some truly surprising plot twists. I really couldn't put it down. I loved the setting of the book in a chemistry lab; either the author did her research well or she's spent a lot of time in the world of scientific research. This book seemed to posit deeper questions than the average book in this genre. Some people will take the how the author talks about 'female relationships' out of context and use her words to support the popular ideas that women can't be friends, women are socialized to be nice in society but aren't at their very cores, etc. Thinking like that is reductive and not how I interpreted the author's points. I felt the author captured some things a lot of women experience very well without being too dramatic or pitting her characters against each other in a literary catfight. If you're nervous about reading this book because of all the attention that's been focused on the female characters' relationships to each other and ohmygod what do they MEAN for ALL WOMEN, don't worry about that. I didn't experience this book that way.
crimsoncor's review against another edition
3.0
Liked but didn't love. Missing the breathless, edge-of-your-seat urgency of her other books I have read (which are all curiously poorly reviewed on good reads. This one has better reviews, shrug).
cleath2018's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
mbkarapcik's review against another edition
4.0
Like the tagline of the book reads, "You don't have a self until you have a secret," every character in the book seems to be hiding something. The beginning of the book feels chilling while the secret that binds Kit to Diane is revealed. A creepy book with harrowing events and an examination of female relationships, not really friendships. Some parts of the book slow down in the middle, but the writing is strong and darkly seductive. It seems impossible for any character to completely tell the truth or make a reasonable, moral decisions even if the want to! This would work really well as a book club read.
I read that it has been compared to Gone Girl, but I cannot entirely agree. I felt the same underlying chill, but it's quite different. A reader may even compare it to Luckiest Girl Alive, but the book is its own entity. I'm already set to read her other works!
I read that it has been compared to Gone Girl, but I cannot entirely agree. I felt the same underlying chill, but it's quite different. A reader may even compare it to Luckiest Girl Alive, but the book is its own entity. I'm already set to read her other works!
problematique's review
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-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
3.5
yikesbmg's review against another edition
5.0
THIS BOOK WAS FIREEEEEEE. Suspenseful plot line with good twists, complex characters, and really great then/now format. I gobbled it up in 2 days. So good! So good.
thehaleysheriff's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, Pedophilia, and Murder