Still not sure how I feel about this one

I've got a lot of weird and conflicting feelings about this one. When I got it, I felt like it was rather imposing, it would be long and it would drag considering it had pretty small text. I'm not sure I would have been as engrossed by it if I hadn't listened to it, but I did, so it did capture my attention overall.

The characters aren't precisely likable, but they're human. With many facets and faults, with good parts and bad parts, and good parts that can lead to bad outcomes and bad parts that can lead to good outcomes, I guess. Bodie wasn't a supremely likable narrator, but she serves the plot really well for the many themes that were going on.

I felt there were a lot of layers, and a lot of interesting social commentary. The way we can look back, from maturity to the experiences of youth and give them context, or understand that they were ultimately unacceptable, or realise the grim reality that was there for anyone who was ready to see.

Then there's the MeToo stuff, both as a force for getting people heard, but also as a vehicle for someone willing to abuse it to boost their notoriety. Everything's a double edged sword, and the grim reality of people who will use any opportunity felt very relatable.

Add to that the social media angle, which could occasionally be a force for change, by surfacing people who deserve to be found and shamed, as well as having the potential to ruin lives for a mistake, or a statement out of context. It was a bittersweet observation, though I'm definitely on the side of social media being absolutely evil for the most part.

They all blend together well, benefits and drawbacks that come with life, with growing up, with a specific point in time that are never going to be available ever again just because of the alignment of stars under which someone was born.

That said, it's not a fast paced story, and the fact that it's heavily addressed to a particular, absent character makes it a bit odd to get used to. And the lack of a happy, or at least moderately happy ending also makes things pretty grim in the grand scheme of things.

But it's ultimately interesting, and I suppose it's a reason for introspection, hence my high rating, but I'm definitely conflicted about it all.

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Missed Opportunity

I’m genuinely struggling to believe that same author, who wrote ‘The Great Believers’ wrote this bland, mediocre mystery thriller. Initially I assumed we would get a fierce and intelligent takedown of the patriarchy. A story that turned the whole ‘girl gets murdered’ trope on its head. Empowering the victim and giving us insight into a messed up society. Instead, we get a soapy melodrama, with too many random characters, a very weird time shift, and ultimately a boring story. I was intrigued by all of the oblique references to well-known murder cases, as I honestly thought the author was going to do something with, or say something about, them. But she didn’t. It’s just background noise. Reads like a missed opportunity.

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3 people found this helpful

Excellent

A truly compelling story on every level- very well structured, plus themes and ideas I will be thinking about for a long time to come. A huge recommend.

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Secret History meets Serial

Loved it - great narration, high end psychological thriller/murder mystery with wry, smart humour, deeper issues really well explored - not remotely preachy makes you think and relate. Really works on audible. Heard about it on podcast First Draft, an inspiring interview with the author. Now want to read all her work.

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2 people found this helpful

Solid B+

Really enjoyed this - a well written, clever and insightful take on society’s preoccupation with true crime, especially murdered women and girls. (Maybe if there weren’t so many, we wouldn’t be so preoccupied…) But still manages to be funny and not preachy.
You’re always in safe hands with Julia Whelan for a good listening experience.

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1 person found this helpful

Brilliant

Great story, and great performance, really well plotted and paced. Reviewers who can't understand the ending should stick to picture books.

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2 people found this helpful

A story with a great sense of place

I loved the narrator and the story she ‘stumbled’ her way through. It was poignant and thoughtful. A really impressive book. I think the characters will stay with me for a long time.

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1 person found this helpful

weird

this was a weird book 📖. I finished it, but I still don't get the point of this book. it wasn't bad, just slow and pointless. great narrator. I also didn't like the ending. Basically, everything that happened from the beginning was for nothing.

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Ok story but the arrogance cuteness of the main character becomes a challenge to deal with.

A conflicting listen where you bounce between interested engagement and annoyance, partly due to the tone of the narration and partly due to the all too brilliant wisdom and constant self analysis of the main character who becomes increasingly irritating. The story is from the first person perspective and switches from the present to the past with the principal character possessing perfect recall of key details, this keeps jarring the listener out of story line. It’s a good tale overall, however the too clever narration and the large group of tortured genius teenagers living in a high school version of Oxford University can become too much after a while. May be a better read than listen.

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Gripping storyline. Was it a great book, though?

I kept listening to learn who the killer was. Interesting plot lines, some noteable sociocultural commentary but nothing really that made me say this was a really good book. The narrator was great in my opinion.

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