Lydia
The most frustrating part of this book was Owen and Roan (which rhyme exactly) being the two main male characters. I need a break from domestic “thrillers” as they all are basically the same.
2.5
Unfortunately this one missed the mark a tiny bit. Read The One and The Passengers instead, they are both easy 5 stars.
If you're looking for a fast-paced book with a lot of unpredictable twists, this is NOT your book. However, the premise is unique and the story was well executed.
Wow. This book was awful. It felt like a first draft someone in high school turned in after they wrote it in one night before the deadline.
I hadn't heard of Alexa Donne until I read this book, but after finishing The Ivies I searched her and was absolutely horrified to learn she gives writing advice on Youtube. After watching many of her videos, I feel as though my brain has melted into a puddle of goo. Please, if you are looking for writing advice, do not take any of hers. If anything, use her videos as a guideline of what not to do.
I'm sorry for being uncharacteristically harsh, I am just so stunned by this author and her work.
WHY IS EVERYBODY IN THIS SERIES SO FUCKING STUPID?!? GAH. I'm hate reading at this point.
3.5
I feel like Simone St. James might be a one-trick pony. I loved the broken girls, but this felt like déjà vu.
The twists in this book will have you wondering what the heck you just read (in a good way).
I actually had a fun time reading this book, but there are some major flaws that cause me to knock off a couple stars.
For starters, you have to get past the ick factor. I won't give away any spoilers, but you might want to look into them if you don't have a high tolerance for inappropriate relationships.
Secondly, the main character is dumb as a box of rocks and could have figured out the entire situation if she would have just used her brain for 3 minutes. I was almost literally yelling at her through parts of the book.
Lastly, I'm getting very tired of the housewife who drinks too much trope. It's seriously exhausting and not interesting. An unreliable narrator due to alcohol does not automatically make a thriller.
Oh, and some of the writing is absolutely abysmal.
You will hate literally every person in this book, so beware if you aren't a fan of unlikeable characters.
Probably the weakest in the series so far, but still fun. I wish they had been a little more creative with the kids' personalities instead of making them carbon copies of Gwen and Martin. Even switching the genders to make Bruceter the “smart” one would've been nice.
I may have rated this better had the audiobook's narrator been better, but she was GOD AWFUL. She punctuated every sentence with a question mark and it drove me completely insane.
The novel itself was okay, but I wouldn't recommend it
A little cheesy, but very cute. I'm still thinking about this series two years later.
This book really captured me at the start but started losing me halfway in. By 3/4 I was ready for it to hurry up and be over. The religious themes were too strong
I'm amazed there are so many books in this series. The main characters are so unlikeable and blah. It's like every other detective/cop novel out there.
The first book was AMAZING, but I had a lot of issues with this one. I'm hoping book 3 pulls it all together
I could knock off an entire star for how many times Megan Miranda used the phrase “he/she blinked slowly”
I loved this book from the very first chapter. It was definitely a different format from most thrillers, which I thoroughly appreciate! It was haunting and disturbing and totally kept me on the edge of my seat.
But then...(spoilers)
THERE WAS NO TWIST, or rather it came too late. The bad person is exactly who they portrayed the whole book and the ending left you feeling no different than you would have without the letter. The letter itself was such a bore to read and frankly didn't change anybody's mind. Good book but bad ending.
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