Left wanting for more
I had such high hopes for this book after reading They Wish They Were Us, but this one didn’t quite live up to those expectations. Don’t get me wrong, it was okay. Did I think it was amazing? No. There were just too many things that irked me for it to be considered a really good book.
What I liked:
I liked the story line and the mystery of the “whodunnit.” I love when a book keeps you guessing until the end and bonus points for having me question everybody, even our main characters! Also, can we talk about the big reveal that I never saw coming?! Quite the plot twist and one I was absolutely not expecting. Another part of the book I enjoyed were some of the themes that got touched on, such as the way the girls were treated compared with the guys. It was blatantly obvious and I liked that Jessica Goodman showed how much of a problem this can be. It also touched on things such as addiction, teenage pregnancy and abortion, emotional abuse and more.
What I didn’t like:
Oh my gosh, the characters! Seriously, I don’t think a single one was likeable. I found myself annoyed by each and every character in this book, which really detracted from the story. I also found the beginning to be a bit slow. It seemed to take quite a while before we even touched on the mystery part of the story. I think I was expecting it to be a bit more fast-paced than it was. Lastly, while I did love the big reveal at the end of the story, I had a hard time believing it. It just seemed so far-fetched that it kind of fell a bit flat for me.
So, not amazing and not terrible. This one was just okay for me, but I’ll still be looking forward to Jessica Goodman’s next book.
*Thank you to Razorbill, Penguin Teen, and BookishFirst for an early copy of this book in exchange for my honest review*
What I liked:
I liked the story line and the mystery of the “whodunnit.” I love when a book keeps you guessing until the end and bonus points for having me question everybody, even our main characters! Also, can we talk about the big reveal that I never saw coming?! Quite the plot twist and one I was absolutely not expecting. Another part of the book I enjoyed were some of the themes that got touched on, such as the way the girls were treated compared with the guys. It was blatantly obvious and I liked that Jessica Goodman showed how much of a problem this can be. It also touched on things such as addiction, teenage pregnancy and abortion, emotional abuse and more.
What I didn’t like:
Oh my gosh, the characters! Seriously, I don’t think a single one was likeable. I found myself annoyed by each and every character in this book, which really detracted from the story. I also found the beginning to be a bit slow. It seemed to take quite a while before we even touched on the mystery part of the story. I think I was expecting it to be a bit more fast-paced than it was. Lastly, while I did love the big reveal at the end of the story, I had a hard time believing it. It just seemed so far-fetched that it kind of fell a bit flat for me.
So, not amazing and not terrible. This one was just okay for me, but I’ll still be looking forward to Jessica Goodman’s next book.
*Thank you to Razorbill, Penguin Teen, and BookishFirst for an early copy of this book in exchange for my honest review*