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whatkatyread87's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Very after school special. Everything tied up too neatly and an unnecessary little cliffy that just felt dumb
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Violence, Blood, Stalking, Murder, and Abandonment
booksshereads's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I love this one so much! This is my first five star read from this author. I know the story was set for you to believe one thing but I read too many of these books to sense where the direction is going. My prediction was right but also the original twist was still good. The ending was nice. I still felt that way too.
This book was good from beginning to end for sure. I recommend! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This book was good from beginning to end for sure. I recommend! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
Minor: Child death
ashwatever98's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Mental illness, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Bullying, Torture, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Toxic relationship, and Injury/Injury detail
I thought the pace of the story was pretty good. The one thing that rubbed me the wrong way is how Erika describes her son, Liam and the fact that she is quick to assume things. Besides this, I thought that this book was pretty good, overall. I also did not expect the way things ended up in the end. I was led to believe one way but then when I came around to the plot twist, I was taken aback. That part was completely unexpected.zoedonn's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Confinement, Death, Mental illness, Kidnapping, Murder, and Classism
Moderate: Gore, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Bullying, Drug use, Violence, Blood, Vomit, and Stalking
grace_frank's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
kaelizaco's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
palmsygal's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed it but was a bit disappointed considering I thought the previous novel I read by Freida was a 4.5 review for me!
This time, the plot twist was a bit too predictable, you can probably guess quite easily who has actually committed the crime within the first half.
I did like the multiple POVs, however I was a bit sad that we never got a Liam POV. I think even after everything is unfolded, it would’ve been great to get some in depth into Liam’s mind, as we have only learnt about him for others’ perspectives.
There was a lot of repetition in this book that I didn’t find in Never Lie - one thing I really praised in Never Lie was that every chapter was different and you learnt new things each time, which was not conveyed at all in this book, which was a shame.
Another thing that irked me: what happened to the grandad? I get it. It was put in there for another ‘hidden, secret info’ ploy. But one chapter and then bam, never again? No clue what happened to him, no clue if he ended up happy, no clue if he was actually guilty of anything, no idea. Just my opinion though, that irked me slightly.
The ending, gosh. Not needed, in my opinion. I understand Freida was looking for another shock factor and ambiguity, but I think it almost ruined the main ‘plot twist’ of the story.
All in all, I know I’m spewing a lot of negativity, but I did still enjoy the novel. I like how fast-paced it was, the story was interesting, and i actually really liked Hannah’s character (which I know might be controversial). I simply think there was a lot of repetition, a non-shocking plot twist, and a lack of rounding everything up properly.
This time, the plot twist was a bit too predictable, you can probably guess quite easily who has actually committed the crime within the first half.
I did like the multiple POVs, however I was a bit sad that we never got a Liam POV. I think even after everything is unfolded, it would’ve been great to get some in depth into Liam’s mind, as we have only learnt about him for others’ perspectives.
There was a lot of repetition in this book that I didn’t find in Never Lie - one thing I really praised in Never Lie was that every chapter was different and you learnt new things each time, which was not conveyed at all in this book, which was a shame.
Another thing that irked me: what happened to the grandad? I get it. It was put in there for another ‘hidden, secret info’ ploy. But one chapter and then bam, never again? No clue what happened to him, no clue if he ended up happy, no clue if he was actually guilty of anything, no idea. Just my opinion though, that irked me slightly.
The ending, gosh. Not needed, in my opinion. I understand Freida was looking for another shock factor and ambiguity, but I think it almost ruined the main ‘plot twist’ of the story.
All in all, I know I’m spewing a lot of negativity, but I did still enjoy the novel. I like how fast-paced it was, the story was interesting, and i actually really liked Hannah’s character (which I know might be controversial). I simply think there was a lot of repetition, a non-shocking plot twist, and a lack of rounding everything up properly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death
booksbytheglass's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
ooooo okay another hit from freida mcfadden!!!! 🤩
from the outside, liam looks like the perfect son, but even his mother has her suspicions about his slightly sociopathic behavior and tendencies. when another girl from liam’s high school disappears, it’s up to the community to decide if liam is really guilty or innocent.
going in, I knew it was going to be one big mindf!ck of a journey, and boy was I right!!! I knew it couldn’t be as easy as it all sounded, but I was here for the family drama and just went along for the ride 😅
having read multiple thrillers, I did have an inkling of the ending, but the way freida writes is so captivating that I didn’t mind at all! and the different writing styles for the different characters really solidified the story for me too!
it definitely felt like a crossover between A FLICKER IN THE DARK and THE UNDOING - which was slightly predictable in my mind but totally worth the binge!!
rating: 4 stars
wine pairing: williamette valley riesling
from the outside, liam looks like the perfect son, but even his mother has her suspicions about his slightly sociopathic behavior and tendencies. when another girl from liam’s high school disappears, it’s up to the community to decide if liam is really guilty or innocent.
going in, I knew it was going to be one big mindf!ck of a journey, and boy was I right!!! I knew it couldn’t be as easy as it all sounded, but I was here for the family drama and just went along for the ride 😅
having read multiple thrillers, I did have an inkling of the ending, but the way freida writes is so captivating that I didn’t mind at all! and the different writing styles for the different characters really solidified the story for me too!
it definitely felt like a crossover between A FLICKER IN THE DARK and THE UNDOING - which was slightly predictable in my mind but totally worth the binge!!
rating: 4 stars
wine pairing: williamette valley riesling
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Kidnapping