*Thank you to Celadon Books and BookishFirst for this ARC in exchange for an honest review* Locust Lane was definitely different than I was expecting even despite reading the first look. It centers around a wealthy enclave of Massachusetts. When a community is turned upside down when a girl is murdered. Eden Perry was well liked but also had many secrets. She hung around the popular set of kids in town including Jack Parrish, the rich preppy kid who can do not wrong and his girlfriend Hannah. Throw in the mix the new kid Christopher from out of town and chaos is just being invited to join.
I quickly figured out a couple things while reading the sneak peek. The parents and the community at large will rally around their own but damn I didn’t realize going into it what lengths and how callous people can be. Especially if the people in question are wealthy and have power. This is true when it comes when it comes to the Parrish family. Celila, Oliver, and the title, pampered POS son Jack. One of the main characters in this. The absolute level of arrogance this kid had was off the charts. Smooth and charismatic on the outside he held a dark secret on the inside.
Not the least of which was the fact that the kid was a sadist with a horrific view of women. My God though his mother Celila. After reading this I would define her as the stereotypical rich housewife who was a complete bimbo. No that title goes to Alice whose stepdaughter Hannah was dating Jack. Celila though absolutely cared about appearances and especially how her family was perceived.
To say she buried her head in the sand and was an absolute idiot when it came to her son’s true character. At one point she walks in on her son and sees him watching what can only be described as rape porn. That scene was horrific to read. The kid is a sociopath. Alice meanwhile like I mentioned is the stereotypical, wealthy, bimbo housewife. God I couldn’t with this woman she was so self- absorbed. She has zero self-awareness. She has no relationship with her work obsessed husband Geoff and an awkward as hell relationship with her stepdaughter Hannah.
Surprise surprise she’s having an affair with the town’s hotshot chief Michel. Who just happens to be Christopher’s father. Whose son ends up at the center of the murder. Who I really felt sorry for was Eden’s mother Danielle and Patrick Noone. Who suffered his own tragedy when his daughter died by overdose. Even though Danielle was mother she felt like a third-party onlooker in this saga. I felt so bad for her. I completely mis-read her when I read the sneak peek. She is completely out of her element in the midst of this murder case.
Patrick is dealing with his own demons since the death of his own daughter, demons that it seemed he could not outrun. I hated the ending of this. It left me with a lot of questions and left me so angry with how the case turned out.
I quickly figured out a couple things while reading the sneak peek. The parents and the community at large will rally around their own but damn I didn’t realize going into it what lengths and how callous people can be. Especially if the people in question are wealthy and have power. This is true when it comes when it comes to the Parrish family. Celila, Oliver, and the title, pampered POS son Jack. One of the main characters in this. The absolute level of arrogance this kid had was off the charts. Smooth and charismatic on the outside he held a dark secret on the inside.
Not the least of which was the fact that the kid was a sadist with a horrific view of women. My God though his mother Celila. After reading this I would define her as the stereotypical rich housewife who was a complete bimbo. No that title goes to Alice whose stepdaughter Hannah was dating Jack. Celila though absolutely cared about appearances and especially how her family was perceived.
To say she buried her head in the sand and was an absolute idiot when it came to her son’s true character. At one point she walks in on her son and sees him watching what can only be described as rape porn. That scene was horrific to read. The kid is a sociopath. Alice meanwhile like I mentioned is the stereotypical, wealthy, bimbo housewife. God I couldn’t with this woman she was so self- absorbed. She has zero self-awareness. She has no relationship with her work obsessed husband Geoff and an awkward as hell relationship with her stepdaughter Hannah.
Surprise surprise she’s having an affair with the town’s hotshot chief Michel. Who just happens to be Christopher’s father. Whose son ends up at the center of the murder. Who I really felt sorry for was Eden’s mother Danielle and Patrick Noone. Who suffered his own tragedy when his daughter died by overdose. Even though Danielle was mother she felt like a third-party onlooker in this saga. I felt so bad for her. I completely mis-read her when I read the sneak peek. She is completely out of her element in the midst of this murder case.
Patrick is dealing with his own demons since the death of his own daughter, demons that it seemed he could not outrun. I hated the ending of this. It left me with a lot of questions and left me so angry with how the case turned out.