This book was good.


I love the fact that we don't know who died up until the last second. But, aside from keeping the mystery alive and some truly excellent scenes (you can see which ones I mean based on my comparison to the TV show below) , when I break down the book piece by piece, it kind of fails for me.

* The characters were kind of boring and for the most part flat. While they were supposed to be dynamic and you can point out ways they changed, they still felt static.
* It's really much longer than it needs to be. There are a lot of pointless characters and events. Spoiler I'm looking at you lice outbreak which was used to transition into an odd makeover scene and Jane's many should I stay or should I go inner monologues.
* I didn't enjoy reading it. I kept reading to find out what happened not because it was a fun read.

Also, do not recommend the audio book. Most of the voices sound the same which gets confusing. This is really better read on paper.

I can understand why they made an HBO series out of this book. It’s kinda like the Australian Broadchurch. The TV show is not as good as the book, but if they followed the book to a T and made it into slightly a longer mini-series, I think it would have been amazing.

Ways the Book Differs from Season 1 of the Show (spoilers for both)
Spoiler
THINGS THE TV SHOW CHANGED TO ITS DETRIMENT
* The entire Trivia Night Scene is MUCH better in the book.
- There's no talent show, just lots and lots of drinking. 
- Bonnie spills a drink on Madeline. {minor}
- There's an entirely different cast out on the balcony (Ed, Madeline, Jane, Perry, Celeste, Renata, Bonnie, Nathan). 
- Perry finds out he slept with Jane but does not remember her. 
- What incites the violence is Celeste tossing her drink on Perry. He gets one slap and then Ed makes sure to step in because Ed's the freakin' man.
- Bonnie realizes he's the reason his son is hurting her daughter and she goes