Mollie
If you had asked me what I thought my rating would be before the end, it would have been 3.5 to 4. I just felt a little let down by the end- it felt rushed, the years going by in a blink, left wondering what was really going on with certain characters. There's so many important topics touched on in this book, but feels like we never get deep enough to really glean meaningful lessons from them in here. Perhaps that's intentionally- there's parts of this book that feel so long- which in some ways mimics the distance between the twins. And maybe it's intentional that the end feels so sudden and empty, as life happens a day at a time but the years pass by all at once. I just was left wanting a little more conclusion at the end.
3.5 stars.
Don't get me wrong- it's a fun ride. Well.... fun in the sense of a non-real murder story.
Just a bit (this might be an understandment) unbelievable. I much prefer my young teen detectives to be a little more realistic, like Nancy Drew or Veronica Mars- so my bar is pretty darn high for a type of story like this.
I liked Pip, but I wanted just A LITTLE more about her personality- because what was she like before this case? We get glimpses that are strong, but not enough throughout the story.
The second half of this book is very fast paced and exciting though- the kind where you don't want to put it down.
Not life changing- just entertaining, and sometimes that's the kind of read you need.
I only knew this book was more dark than I was expecting from perusing other reviews before I started this one. And it really does sneak up on you- you think it's going to be a certain type of book, but it ends up being something so much more raw and honest. I think this is a really honest telling of what it is like to lose your way, especially in your 20s. You can't help but root and ache for Queenie, even when she makes terrible choices.
Probably more of a 3.5 for me. Sometimes it felt predictable and it was longer than it needed to be at points. It will make you want to hug your best friends a little tighter next time you see them.
This is a really interesting take on grief, trauma and facing your past- in a way I would never expected or have ever read before. I really enjoy Nina LaCour's writing style- she just really makes you FEEL what the characters are feeling. I think going into this book not knowing what it's about is for the best. I'll be thinking about this one for awhile.
There are elements of this story that I enjoyed- the way the scarf was used to tie the stories together, and the emotions the two main characters experienced made sense to me, as well as the decisions they grapple with and the historical parallels drawns. But I did not like the romance as I felt the doctor was a little pushy about her anxiety, and I also do not understand why the connection between the scarf past and present was so indirect that it lessened the impact a bit for me.
Required reading for the system and culture women must exist in America.
Chanel speaks for so many.
Official member of the Circe fan club.
She's not perfect. She's messy and vengeful at times, but she fights against the parameters of her life to find her own peace. We love a witchy, empowered woman.
This one is just straight up delightful. It's the most fun I've had reading a book in probably the last year at least. You can't help but fall in love with the main characters. It's hopeful and joyful and lovely without being straight up sugar fluff. Cannot wait to read more from this author.
I hope we get to live in the America of this book someday.
If you love a classic scary movie, you'll probably enjoy this.
It's well paced and interesting without being ridiculous. The storyline did keep me guessing. It seems like the sort of story you've heard a 100 times, but still, this iteration finds a way to be completely unique.
My one critique would be that I could tell Maggie was written by a man. This is my first Riley Sager novel so I really didn't know anything about him, but there were times I felt that I could tell Maggie didn't quite feel grounded in a way that felt like a realistic female character- she just made choices that felt incongruent with the female experience. (Not that there is one perfect way to be a woman- that's not my point here, at all. It was more of the ways women have to act in our society for their own safety kind of things, if that makes sense.)
I was not quite expecting the more fantastical parts of this book that I got. It just felt a little disconnected due to them? And the random running away part just never sat right with me, felt more like the author added it to fit into a trope and less because it made sense.
3.75. Good twists and turns- truly didn't figure out the mystery until it was revealed. Thrilling but not a breakneck pace type of novel, which only adds to the moody, desperate atmosphere of the novel set in a town with running dry. I also read this over the course of some of the hottest days of the year so far... only added to the effect.
This is a hard one to rate beacuse it's just so, so utterly weird. It's strangeness creeps in from the onset, and the brashness at which the narrator displays all her dark, cloying, sick thoughts is alarming. The writing is lyrical without being over the top, and it kept my interest- especially once I hit the 1/3 mark.
The whole thing feels like the kind of dream you wake up from and question what perverse sort of conciousness you experienced. Which, given the themes here, makes perfect sense.
Really, really liked this book. It is so well written- specifically for the nuance that every single character in this book has. Every person is just fully realized and contains the complexities and contridictions that real humans have. I spent a significant amount of morning commute today contemplating this book- there's a lot to chew on here.
3.5
I have to give it credit for getting me out of my reading rut, and it was equal measures heartfelt and funny.
Meh. Average. I do not have anything deep to say. Just felt rushed and characters lacked dimension. But it wasn't bad. It's fine.
1.5. The writing, the plot, the characters- none of it is good. Everything is incredibly shallow.
Listen, I get why some folks might find this pretentious and annoying but I LOVED THIS. I mean, I've always been interested in the pretentious black hole that is secret societies, so it's not exactly suprising to me that I did like this as much as I did. It's smart and cutting and raw at every corner, and the story kept me guessing. Magical fantasy/whatever you want to call it is by far my least read genre, but I devoured this and literally bought the sequel because I couldn't wait for the library, which I NEVER do.
3.5
Maybe I've read enough of Beatriz Williams books that I just can kinda see the formula behind them. Don't get me wrong, I still find them to be enjoyable reads. While Nassau in the 1940s is an interesting setting and while some of the true events of the place were weaved in, I was a little soured by it being glamourized at some points. Williams included some of the history that made it more realistic, but considering it was place and time full of nazi sympathizers... it didn't feel like enough.
It's entertaining, a quick read. Nothing too deep or mind blowing, really. Some minor suspense with a few different aspects. A good beachy read if that's your thing. It did make me want to visit Block Island, though!
Come for the true crime adjacent thriller, stay for the 60s Charm City vibes.
Probably not for everyone with the POV changes, but I liked that aspect of this book. I can see why some people would really dislike the main character, but I found her grounded and real- she certainly is self serving and can be frustrating- but that's how real people can be.
On page two of this book I thought to myself, “Oh no. I think this book is going to be terrible.” And shew, I was right. But due to near pathological need to finish a book once I've started, I continued. I don't think I've hated a book more in the last 6 months. I was infuriated every single time the main character was referred to as a ‘cool' girl- you know one-of-the-guys cool girls but it's only acceptable by bros because she's just so hot. Did we really have to hear about how hot everyone in this book is on every single page? Every single character (even the ones NOT in the romance) were described like swimsuit models and sometimes even described AS models. It was just so so shallow. There is a lot of laughing at each other's “jokes” in this book, which is ironic because literally nothing any character says in this novel is remotely funny- especially the dog's clothes. THEY WERE NEVER CUTE/WITTY. And the ending! UGH. I really just cannot deal with this book.
This was an improvement over the first book of this series, but it is just not my favorite. I love her other books, but there is just too much/too many repeated storylines/too many things happening. The supernatural parts of this story just feel so out of place.
Really enjoyed getting to know the narrator of this story and hear about her life. It's not idyllic or perfect, but an honest story. I did feel like the book dragged on a bit by the end- the first half in the 40s at the theater is the best part of the story from an excitement standpoint, but the real “meat & potatoes” is the middle to end. It's there you find the passages that have a melancholy realness to them and the truths about the choices we make and carving your own path out in the world.
