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shaynav's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
carbethpow's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
bookybook0105's review against another edition
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
2.75
charlottesometimes's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
fitzyyyyy's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
shanwolfe22's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I liked the writing but not the story. The concept itself is interesting--an interloper staves off returning to New York City, and her problems, by conning her way into the privileged lives of a rich beach town over Labor Day weekend. The book was tense and the discomfort palpable. There were many moments where I thought something worse was going to occur--the little boy or the dog drowning, the teenagers falling off the cliff, Jack killing himself, or Alex's identity as a thief being outed through the one photo she took with one of her hosts--but it didn't. She just kind of kept fucking everything up, relationally and emotionally. I thought it may have been interesting for more of the trauma Alex had to have incurred earlier on in her life to be revealed. A lot was fill-in-the-blanks for the reader, including the cliffhanger ending. So it's a really a book for the reader to insert their own anxieties. I think Alex is incredibly empty, so it was scary to read her judgements of others, as they were mainly projections of her own lack of self, but even scarier when she got them right.
renowned1's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Fascinating read! Not much is really given to set context and honestly not a lot is given by the end too. But the brilliance is in keeping the reader hooked on finding out what Alex’s deal is.
cami19's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
amyredgreen's review against another edition
5.0
Rounding up a little. I love Emma Cline's writing. This story is maybe not all that groundbreaking but it's completely compelling throughout.