Release Date - July 7, 2015
Publisher Website - Simon and Schuster
Publisher Social Media - Twitter
Pages - 336 pages
My Rating - 2.5/5
**received for an honest review from publisher**
Here is the Goodreads synopsis
Gone Girl meets 13 Reasons Why in this stylish, sexy, and atmospheric story about friendship packed with twists and turns that will leave you breathless.The premise of this novel seemed to promise a taunt, tangled mystery with a sexy edge. While there are certainly moments of this within the novel, it never quite came together, for me at least, in a satisfying way. A story of toxic relationships, secrets and lies. It had so much potential but just never quite delivered.
They say Delia burned herself to death in her stepfather's shed. They say it was suicide.
But June doesn't believe it.
June and Delia used to be closer than anything. Best friends in that way that comes before everyone else-before guys, before family. It was like being in love, but more. They had a billion secrets, tying them together like thin silk cords.
But one night a year ago, everything changed. June, Delia, and June's boyfriend Ryan were just having a little fun. Their good time got out of hand. And in the cold blue light of morning, June knew only this-things would never be the same again.
And now, a year later, Delia is dead. June is certain she was murdered. And she owes it to her to find out the truth...which is far more complicated than she ever could have imagined.
Sexy, dark, and atmospheric, Suicide Notes from Beautiful Girls will keep you guessing until the very last page.
The marketing of this book actually does it no favours. The comparisons made make it all too easy to anticipate the twists, and mark the story as one that is all too familiar as your reading. While this isn't commentary on the novel itself, I feel it did impact how the novel is experienced.
The writing of the story was a non issue for me. The first half is rather smart, sharp and intriguing. Lynn Weingarten certainly has talent and is able to weave a compelling narration together. The pacing of this novel is on point, and there is something addictive about the way the story is presented. There is something there in the suicide/maybe murder mystery plot that could have really worked. It's the later half that dissolved into a mess of clichés.
Toxic relationships can work in novels and they can be completely fascinating. Particularly if you show why the characters would be involved with that kind of relationship. Diving into why they would Embrace the darkness, so to speak. It takes natural character progression and chemistry along with showcasing the reasons behind the character's choices. I don't feel that the characters choices always made sense for the characterization that we were given. The characters do not have to make the same choices that I would, but I do need to understand why they would make them, and that just didn't happen for me here.
In the end too many things are left unexplored or explained. Character motivation is key and I didn't feel like we found out the motivation behind what was happening. The spark that lit this fire, and what really happened to set everything spiralling, are left ambiguous. The truth remains elusive, with the reader having little closure on the whys of everything.
A novel that started out strong but tapered to a rushed, unfulfilling ending. It's a story that invokes deja vu as it feels reminiscent of others. Sadly, the twists and turns of this story feel telegraphed as a result. It's a fantastic idea, with some decent writing, the premise just wasn't executed, for me, as well as it could have been.
I read this recently. What did you think of the ending??
ReplyDeleteThe latter half of the novel was not my favourite and that included the ending. It felt rushed to me and not fully explained. You?
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