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ninasbooks57's review
4.0
Loved this book but was frustrated with the length of time it took for police to secure the zoo!!! Very intense book!!
adelinebal4's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.75
This book has a lot of interesting things to say; I really connected with the commentary about motherhood, human empathy, the American mass shooting epidemic; and the exploration of this question: can we predict which children will grow up to be violent, and what can anyone do about it?
I especially loved the arc of Joan coming to realize she was to quick to harshly judge the mother who left her crying baby in the trash can. I also loved the arc of her coming to feel protective over Kailynn.
The problem is the pacing, which is really off. The situation is so tense and thrilling and scary and it’s kind of bananas that it actually dragged at times. A lot of really significant action scenes were bogged down by random anecdotes or inner monologues, which ultimately was forgivable because they were mostly relevant to the plot eventually… but it could have been done in a much less clunky way!
I will also say that the last 15 pages or so were absolutely heart pumping, thrilling!!The way she managed to be sneaky about Joan’s being shot was AWESOME, I loved it!! Those last pages being so exciting took me from 3 stars to 3.75.
The problem is the pacing, which is really off. The situation is so tense and thrilling and scary and it’s kind of bananas that it actually dragged at times. A lot of really significant action scenes were bogged down by random anecdotes or inner monologues, which ultimately was forgivable because they were mostly relevant to the plot eventually… but it could have been done in a much less clunky way!
I will also say that the last 15 pages or so were absolutely heart pumping, thrilling!!
eamcmahon3's review
4.0
A nice, quick read. Gripping and well written. I think it could be nice to have some resolution after the zoo but it was also an interesting writing choice to end it where it did
louisayd's review
3.0
It may have been the voice the audiobook narator used, or kids in general, but Lincoln the 4 year old son was annoying. Aside from that I didn't care for all the references to cat violence or animal violence in general.
sachahart_logan's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
Moderate: Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, and Animal cruelty
georginaschirru's review
5.0
I read this book in one sitting! It was gripping and the exciting and had me on the edge of my seat. A fantastic read!
laureenreads's review
4.0
I didn't mean to read this when I did. I was all "I'll just read the first paragraph..." and then somehow I had read the entire book. All in one sitting. This was followed by much flailing and going "oh my god".
This book had my pulse racing, and had me on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen, and what would I do if I was in that same situation. I doubt I would have handled it nearly as well as Joan does with Lincoln.
Mrs Powell seemed pretty out of place as well. We had a short bit of her point of view at the start, then she showed up later, but didn't seem essential to the story. At least with Kaitlynn, Joan was provoked into doing more than just hiding with Lincoln which helped to develop the story some.
All in all, I really enjoyed reading this book. It was breathtaking in its intensity and had me hooked within moments.
This book had my pulse racing, and had me on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen, and what would I do if I was in that same situation. I doubt I would have handled it nearly as well as Joan does with Lincoln.
Spoiler
I'm disappointed at the lack of resolution in exactly why Robby and Matt were doing what they did, but at the same time since the focus is mostly just on Joan that makes sense. I felt, though, that since we did see some of the story from Robby's point of view that there could have been more explanation. That, or just leaving out Robby's PoV entirely.Mrs Powell seemed pretty out of place as well. We had a short bit of her point of view at the start, then she showed up later, but didn't seem essential to the story. At least with Kaitlynn, Joan was provoked into doing more than just hiding with Lincoln which helped to develop the story some.
All in all, I really enjoyed reading this book. It was breathtaking in its intensity and had me hooked within moments.
eri_cat93's review
5.0
Well, I read this entire book in a day so that should tell you something about how engaging & quick it is. I honestly loved this book. The description had me intrigued but hesitant as I’m not the typical target audience for stories about motherhood & the “power of a mothers love” (see my normal reaction to this:
drrodman29's review against another edition
3.0
As many others have said, a very amazing concept but not the best execution. The kid was just so freaking annoying. It would have been a lot more interesting to me if it followed the point of view of a single woman instead of a mother and her child. However, I’m sure it’s more interesting and gripping of a book for women with children.
ripxw's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence