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A review by rachaeljs
Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney
dark
mysterious
sad
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
2.0
While I love an unreliable narrator, I was really put off by the cynical, self deprecating, emotionally stunted POVs in this book. What seems to have been intended to be dark and intriguing often came off like a middle schooler whining. The use of nursery rhymes was so cheesy and irritating and the main character was so unlikable that I had a hard time getting into it.
While the twists did surprise me, they ultimately felt too far fetched and repetitive to pack a punch. I wish I hadn't wasted my time reading this, especially when the ending felt like a corny lifetime movie trying to get a sequel.
Not to mention the depiction of OCD was so inaccurate, there's logic to all of the "compulsive behaviors" and intrusive thoughts which is the opposite of how they play out in real life.
Also TW for SA.
More detailed spoilers below:
The main twists of this book are that everyone is unhinged and by the third time a character is revealed to be sociopathic or homicidal, it just doesn't really hit.
There is also an extremely graphic and entirely unneeded disturbing SA scene, which comes chapters after a less graphic SA.
The ending also seems to imply that someone presumed dead may still be alive but with 0 reason for them to fake their death, I was left completely confused and with more questions than answers. I was rooting for no one and so any ending would have been a let down.
While the twists did surprise me, they ultimately felt too far fetched and repetitive to pack a punch. I wish I hadn't wasted my time reading this, especially when the ending felt like a corny lifetime movie trying to get a sequel.
Not to mention the depiction of OCD was so inaccurate, there's logic to all of the "compulsive behaviors" and intrusive thoughts which is the opposite of how they play out in real life.
Also TW for SA.
More detailed spoilers below:
The main twists of this book are that everyone is unhinged and by the third time a character is revealed to be sociopathic or homicidal, it just doesn't really hit.
There is also an extremely graphic and entirely unneeded disturbing SA scene, which comes chapters after a less graphic SA.
The ending also seems to imply that someone presumed dead may still be alive but with 0 reason for them to fake their death, I was left completely confused and with more questions than answers. I was rooting for no one and so any ending would have been a let down.
Graphic: Rape