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gwenswoons's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
It’s interesting this is categorized as YA, and it made me a little wary since I’m not generally a YA reader (except for, like, The Poet X or Firekeeper’s Daughter, which are both such great literature regardless of category!). Liar’s Beach is not some magnificent literature (but it’s not, to my feel, trying to be that) but I found it so effective at what it was, a sort of semi-locked room mystery. I really loved the character of Holiday — the blurb says she’s a recast Hercule Poirot and while I don’t read Agatha Christie (racism) I do feel like I could easily follow Holiday from book to book, which is to me such a great feeling to have about a mystery-novel protagonist!
The class disparities in this and the sort of ambivalence and shame surrounding them — it’s a summer novel, but it’s very much centered on prep school characters, and the narrator is in a totally different socioeconomic bracket than his peers — often reminded me of The Secret History, which, again, great compliment for a thriller or mystery I think! Somehow it evokes dark academia despite being set on Martha’s Vineyard.
Overall I thought this was super effective and I’ll for sure (in 2025, I think! Have to finish up a few more December reads first!) read the second novel Katie Cotugno set in this universe.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
savreads28's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Classism
avidreaderandgeekgirl's review against another edition
- 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
2.75
Graphic: Cursing, Drug use, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Medical content, and Grief
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Blood