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Gone Too Far
Keeping secrets ruined her life. But the truth might just kill her.
Piper Woods can't wait for the purgatory of senior year to end. She skirts the fringes of high school like a pro until the morning she finds a notebook with mutilated photographs and a list of student sins. She's sure the book is too gruesome to be true, until pretty, popular Stella dies after a sex-tape goes viral. Everyone's sure it's suicide, but Piper remembers Stella's name from the book and begins to suspect something much worse.
Drowning in secrets she doesn't want to keep, Piper's fears are confirmed when she receives an anonymous text message daring her to make things right. All she needs to do is choose a name, the name of someone who deserves to be punished...
Piper Woods can't wait for the purgatory of senior year to end. She skirts the fringes of high school like a pro until the morning she finds a notebook with mutilated photographs and a list of student sins. She's sure the book is too gruesome to be true, until pretty, popular Stella dies after a sex-tape goes viral. Everyone's sure it's suicide, but Piper remembers Stella's name from the book and begins to suspect something much worse.
Drowning in secrets she doesn't want to keep, Piper's fears are confirmed when she receives an anonymous text message daring her to make things right. All she needs to do is choose a name, the name of someone who deserves to be punished...
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 6, 2015
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January 5, 2021
3.5 stars
By the end of the first chapter I was reminded how the whole high school experience was not pleasant at times. Even though I'm old enough to be the main character's mother, I found it fairly easy to jump right back into that teenage mindset. Definitely would not have done everything the character did, but at least I could understand the thought process behind it.
Piper Woods is a photographer and is on her high school yearbook staff. She finds a notebook at school with a list of some of the not so good things her classmates have been up to this year. After Piper witnesses a heated discussion among some students, one of them winds up dead. Of course, Piper has suspicions that the tragedy was no accident. She then receives an anonymous text with the instructions on how to make things right, so to speak. All she needs to do is provide a name, and that person will receive a proper punishment.
I apologize if my synopsis makes the story sound weird and confusing, that's more to do with my lack of writing skills. The plot does make sense in a CW tv series type way. Basically don't analyze it too much or you'll get less enjoyment out of the story. The whole revenge type plot is intriguing and it ended up being a decent YA mystery.
Piper might not be my favorite character, but I could relate to her on some level. Most of us have faced a situation in which we try to justify our behavior even though we have a pretty good idea of the differences between right and wrong.
I received a copy of this book from FIREreads Midnight. All thoughts expressed are my honest opinion.
By the end of the first chapter I was reminded how the whole high school experience was not pleasant at times. Even though I'm old enough to be the main character's mother, I found it fairly easy to jump right back into that teenage mindset. Definitely would not have done everything the character did, but at least I could understand the thought process behind it.
Piper Woods is a photographer and is on her high school yearbook staff. She finds a notebook at school with a list of some of the not so good things her classmates have been up to this year. After Piper witnesses a heated discussion among some students, one of them winds up dead. Of course, Piper has suspicions that the tragedy was no accident. She then receives an anonymous text with the instructions on how to make things right, so to speak. All she needs to do is provide a name, and that person will receive a proper punishment.
I apologize if my synopsis makes the story sound weird and confusing, that's more to do with my lack of writing skills. The plot does make sense in a CW tv series type way. Basically don't analyze it too much or you'll get less enjoyment out of the story. The whole revenge type plot is intriguing and it ended up being a decent YA mystery.
Piper might not be my favorite character, but I could relate to her on some level. Most of us have faced a situation in which we try to justify our behavior even though we have a pretty good idea of the differences between right and wrong.
I received a copy of this book from FIREreads Midnight. All thoughts expressed are my honest opinion.
February 16, 2015
See more reviews at YA Midnight Reads
If you love a good revenge story, this is definitely a book you want to check out.
Gone Too Far starts off on a promising note. Piper Woods discovers a notebook on the ground on her way to class one day, and what she thought was a generic notebook that probably contains someone's finals notes actually is filled with the true stories about several of the students that attend Piper's high school that, if revealed, could corrupt them. Piper soon receives a text message from an unknown number which tells Piper that he/she knows about the notebook that she found and that he/she could corrupt anyone as long as Piper sent he/she a name. At first, Piper doesn't want to respond, but when Stella dies after a sex-tape of her goes on the internet, Piper wants justice and revenge. So she sends the mysterious texter a name.
I admit, I really did not like Piper at the start. She was awfully impulsive and was driven solely on her emotions; her sense of justice was really twisted, and I wanted to rip my hair out because of that. However, I love that Piper grows as a character throughout the story. She soon begins to mature and learn from her mistakes; and I really appreciate that. Her story arc was impressive and soon, by the end, the main character grew under my skin.
This is now my second novel that I've read by Natalie Richards and once again I am impressed by the messages that this author tries to convey through her novels. Nick is the love interest in Gone Too Far and oh my gosh he is absolutely the cutest. Piper has always disliked the popular crowd and holds the impression that all of the popular people are manipulative and total jerks. With Nick, she learns that not everyone is the same and that there's more to a person when you look behind those outer layers. The romance was certainly a highlight in this book, and it didn't even take over the main plot line, which was a bonus.
Gone Too Far was an enjoyable read that had some great underlying messages. While I feel that this novel could have been even better executed, the romance and character growth made up for it.
~Thank you Sourcebooks Fire for sending me this copy!~
If you love a good revenge story, this is definitely a book you want to check out.
Gone Too Far starts off on a promising note. Piper Woods discovers a notebook on the ground on her way to class one day, and what she thought was a generic notebook that probably contains someone's finals notes actually is filled with the true stories about several of the students that attend Piper's high school that, if revealed, could corrupt them. Piper soon receives a text message from an unknown number which tells Piper that he/she knows about the notebook that she found and that he/she could corrupt anyone as long as Piper sent he/she a name. At first, Piper doesn't want to respond, but when Stella dies after a sex-tape of her goes on the internet, Piper wants justice and revenge. So she sends the mysterious texter a name.
I admit, I really did not like Piper at the start. She was awfully impulsive and was driven solely on her emotions; her sense of justice was really twisted, and I wanted to rip my hair out because of that. However, I love that Piper grows as a character throughout the story. She soon begins to mature and learn from her mistakes; and I really appreciate that. Her story arc was impressive and soon, by the end, the main character grew under my skin.
"I don't think you've got a terrible person in you."
"I think we all do. If you scratch the surface."
This is now my second novel that I've read by Natalie Richards and once again I am impressed by the messages that this author tries to convey through her novels. Nick is the love interest in Gone Too Far and oh my gosh he is absolutely the cutest. Piper has always disliked the popular crowd and holds the impression that all of the popular people are manipulative and total jerks. With Nick, she learns that not everyone is the same and that there's more to a person when you look behind those outer layers. The romance was certainly a highlight in this book, and it didn't even take over the main plot line, which was a bonus.
Gone Too Far was an enjoyable read that had some great underlying messages. While I feel that this novel could have been even better executed, the romance and character growth made up for it.
~Thank you Sourcebooks Fire for sending me this copy!~
April 5, 2015
You guys know how much I like my revenge stories. There's something that feels really sweet when mean and awful people get a dose of their own medicine. The best one I've read to date is Gretchen McNeil's Don't Get Mad duology, which had an amazing cast of female characters (who totally kicked butt and whose different personalities really made both novels shine), so I was kind of expecting to feel the same intensity in Richard's. Unfortunately, while I liked the idea of the premise (which wasn't all that original, sadly enough...), it didn't feel like it was executed greatly enough.
So, the story starts with Piper finding a notebook filled with cryptic statements about what people have done to other people. She witnessed someone get bullied in school, a victim who was later found dead, having jumped into the train tracks. Feeling guilty for not having done anything about it when she had the chance to do so, she seeks the help of a vigilante to exact justice on those who "deserve" it. As the title suggests, she later finds out that perhaps the retribution she was going for was going too far.
To be honest, the way the narration style was told left me quite exhausted. It felt so all over the place and so... detached, somehow, lacking the emotion and intimacy needed for a 1st person point of view. It felt like it talked about so many things while not talking about anything at all. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't "telling than showing" at all, quite opposite in fact, but it just lacked the substance somehow. This is quite unfortunate considering this is a book about REVENGE and JUSTICE and RIGHTING BULLYING but the connection with the reader just wasn't there, leaving it lacking in intensity as well.
I also was left disappointed with the "retribution" done. The book keeps saying that they were so DAMAGING and everything, but they felt amateur-ish at best. It lacked the "bang" that Get Even was full of, making me roll my eyes throughout the book. Add to the fact that Piper's 1st person narration was very disconnecting, I didn't feel the impact of the action done at all. In fact, they felt more superficial than anything else. The acts later become more heavy later on, but they just didn't "heavy" enough as the narration keeps insisting they were.
And the romance was just... ugh. Insta-love once again makes their cameo here. Piper is your photographer who has a bit of social anxiety, and then all of a sudden, this popular guy takes an interest in her and putting the moves on her in such obvious ways? It was disappointing how their romance lacked the build-up and the transition for two people who "seemingly" come from different worlds in high school heirarchy. I kept rolling my eyes whenever she would get flutters in her stomach and she was all, "I wonder what was that? Oh, it was probably nothing." and I'm like ughhhhh blech.
I did like the messages this book promoted and its fight against bullying and social ostracization. We need more of those these days.
So, the story starts with Piper finding a notebook filled with cryptic statements about what people have done to other people. She witnessed someone get bullied in school, a victim who was later found dead, having jumped into the train tracks. Feeling guilty for not having done anything about it when she had the chance to do so, she seeks the help of a vigilante to exact justice on those who "deserve" it. As the title suggests, she later finds out that perhaps the retribution she was going for was going too far.
To be honest, the way the narration style was told left me quite exhausted. It felt so all over the place and so... detached, somehow, lacking the emotion and intimacy needed for a 1st person point of view. It felt like it talked about so many things while not talking about anything at all. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't "telling than showing" at all, quite opposite in fact, but it just lacked the substance somehow. This is quite unfortunate considering this is a book about REVENGE and JUSTICE and RIGHTING BULLYING but the connection with the reader just wasn't there, leaving it lacking in intensity as well.
I also was left disappointed with the "retribution" done. The book keeps saying that they were so DAMAGING and everything, but they felt amateur-ish at best. It lacked the "bang" that Get Even was full of, making me roll my eyes throughout the book. Add to the fact that Piper's 1st person narration was very disconnecting, I didn't feel the impact of the action done at all. In fact, they felt more superficial than anything else. The acts later become more heavy later on, but they just didn't "heavy" enough as the narration keeps insisting they were.
And the romance was just... ugh. Insta-love once again makes their cameo here. Piper is your photographer who has a bit of social anxiety, and then all of a sudden, this popular guy takes an interest in her and putting the moves on her in such obvious ways? It was disappointing how their romance lacked the build-up and the transition for two people who "seemingly" come from different worlds in high school heirarchy. I kept rolling my eyes whenever she would get flutters in her stomach and she was all, "I wonder what was that? Oh, it was probably nothing." and I'm like ughhhhh blech.
I did like the messages this book promoted and its fight against bullying and social ostracization. We need more of those these days.
August 15, 2019
Ah..High School..a place where the drama is never ending. And in Piper's world it can also be deadly.
When High school student Piper finds a school notebook full of student photos torn to shreds she is uneasy. And those misgivings quickly spreads to terror as student secrets begin going viral, resulting in a student suicide.
Lost in a nightmare, Piper has doubts about how the student actually died. As more secrets come to light, Piper receives a mysterious text from none other then the anonymous person behind all the terror. And this person is insisting Piper join them in the student takedown. If she says yes she will be an accessory. If she says no things will get far far worse..
This was a Pretty good book. I like how the whole story flows and how it takes a long hard look at life in high school and when does standing up for oneself morph into getting revenge.
Piper was a genuinely decent character who tries, at least most of the time, to do the right thing.She may not always succeed but she tries.
The who is behind it story was done well and kept me on my toes. There is alot here. The book is deeper then one might originally think.
Yes, folks, there is a romance! But I even liked how that was handled. The romance, which would normally turn me off worked so well here and it was nicely developed.
SPOILERS:
Although the ending was bit to pat, I still enjoyed it.
Gone to far is a fast read and, at least for me, I was drawn in from the start. This is a solid 4 star read and if you like YA fiction, this is a good one.
When High school student Piper finds a school notebook full of student photos torn to shreds she is uneasy. And those misgivings quickly spreads to terror as student secrets begin going viral, resulting in a student suicide.
Lost in a nightmare, Piper has doubts about how the student actually died. As more secrets come to light, Piper receives a mysterious text from none other then the anonymous person behind all the terror. And this person is insisting Piper join them in the student takedown. If she says yes she will be an accessory. If she says no things will get far far worse..
This was a Pretty good book. I like how the whole story flows and how it takes a long hard look at life in high school and when does standing up for oneself morph into getting revenge.
Piper was a genuinely decent character who tries, at least most of the time, to do the right thing.She may not always succeed but she tries.
The who is behind it story was done well and kept me on my toes. There is alot here. The book is deeper then one might originally think.
Yes, folks, there is a romance! But I even liked how that was handled. The romance, which would normally turn me off worked so well here and it was nicely developed.
SPOILERS:
Although the ending was bit to pat, I still enjoyed it.
Gone to far is a fast read and, at least for me, I was drawn in from the start. This is a solid 4 star read and if you like YA fiction, this is a good one.
February 4, 2015
You can also read my review HERE.
This is definitely one of my fastest read this year. It made my heart race, it kept me guessing and it made me stay up all night. It made me forget that I have a bladder and that I have to feed myself. I don’t know about you but those are signs of a good and brilliant book. This is my first from Natalie D. Richards and I honestly don’t know why. I’ve read good things about her first novel, Six Months Later and I can’t wait to be lost again in the mystery of that novel.
Piper is an interesting MC. She’s smart and creative and full of understandable flaws. When it comes to mystery/thriller books, main characters are really important because they have to voice out what the readers are thinking. It is pure torture if the main character are irritating and not asking the obvious questions. Thank the book gods that Piper is not like that. The other supporting characters are well crafted as well. I suspected everyone to be honest.
But of course, the mystery is the reason that Gone Too Far is a success. Natalie’s writing is really easy to get lost into. Like I mentioned above, this is a fast red for me. I stayed up all night. And when I guessed who the culprit was and found out in the end that I was right, I did my weird celebratory dance in the middle of the night (and the world will never know) Gone Too Far also showed how high school can mess up someone. I was never a fan of high school and I’m pretty much trying to forget those years but I’m still thankful that I did not end up like the culprit.
Overall, Gone Too Far is really a brilliant and exceptional book. The plot is well thought, the characters are believable and if you’re looking for a stay-up-all-night-forget-everything kind of read, this is it!
This is definitely one of my fastest read this year. It made my heart race, it kept me guessing and it made me stay up all night. It made me forget that I have a bladder and that I have to feed myself. I don’t know about you but those are signs of a good and brilliant book. This is my first from Natalie D. Richards and I honestly don’t know why. I’ve read good things about her first novel, Six Months Later and I can’t wait to be lost again in the mystery of that novel.
Piper is an interesting MC. She’s smart and creative and full of understandable flaws. When it comes to mystery/thriller books, main characters are really important because they have to voice out what the readers are thinking. It is pure torture if the main character are irritating and not asking the obvious questions. Thank the book gods that Piper is not like that. The other supporting characters are well crafted as well. I suspected everyone to be honest.
But of course, the mystery is the reason that Gone Too Far is a success. Natalie’s writing is really easy to get lost into. Like I mentioned above, this is a fast red for me. I stayed up all night. And when I guessed who the culprit was and found out in the end that I was right, I did my weird celebratory dance in the middle of the night (and the world will never know) Gone Too Far also showed how high school can mess up someone. I was never a fan of high school and I’m pretty much trying to forget those years but I’m still thankful that I did not end up like the culprit.
Overall, Gone Too Far is really a brilliant and exceptional book. The plot is well thought, the characters are believable and if you’re looking for a stay-up-all-night-forget-everything kind of read, this is it!
July 8, 2024
"It's a long-standing boundaries dispute."
"Our own little Gaza Strip?"
What the hell.
"Our own little Gaza Strip?"
What the hell.
November 17, 2014
Okay, per usual, I'm not going to bother recapping because other people will do a better job. Instead, I'll just hit the highlights and avoid any major spoilers.
Oh, and full disclosure?
I critique with Natalie Richards so if that bothers you, turn away now...still here? Good. Let's go.
One of the best things about GTF is how real it feels--not just the emotions, but the events. The book, Piper's reactions, the students' behavior, it all feels so possible to me. Which makes the whole thing incredibly and wonderfully creepy.
And compulsively readable. Seriously. I don't think I could turn the pages fast enough.
The other stuff I loved? How the vigilantism was justified. Piper isn't some cringing heroine who falls in with the wrong crowd while on her way to church. She participates. And, as a reader, I cheered her on and, honestly, THAT'S the brilliant part of this book--how we get taken over the edge into darkness. I love that. I love seeing how you could potentially justify horrible actions. I love seeing how Piper looked at herself in the beginning and how that changed by the end.
What else did I love? Um, can we say Nick? Why yes, we can. Nick's the perfect contrast to Piper and I caught myself smiling every time he was on screen...on page...whatever.
Bottom line (you know, I was going to say 'basically' bc I can't seem to lay off the adverbs in this review), if you like your thrillers with a literary bent and a romantic edge, this is what you want.
Enjoy!!
Oh, and full disclosure?
I critique with Natalie Richards so if that bothers you, turn away now...still here? Good. Let's go.
One of the best things about GTF is how real it feels--not just the emotions, but the events. The book, Piper's reactions, the students' behavior, it all feels so possible to me. Which makes the whole thing incredibly and wonderfully creepy.
And compulsively readable. Seriously. I don't think I could turn the pages fast enough.
The other stuff I loved? How the vigilantism was justified. Piper isn't some cringing heroine who falls in with the wrong crowd while on her way to church. She participates. And, as a reader, I cheered her on and, honestly, THAT'S the brilliant part of this book--how we get taken over the edge into darkness. I love that. I love seeing how you could potentially justify horrible actions. I love seeing how Piper looked at herself in the beginning and how that changed by the end.
What else did I love? Um, can we say Nick? Why yes, we can. Nick's the perfect contrast to Piper and I caught myself smiling every time he was on screen...on page...whatever.
Bottom line (you know, I was going to say 'basically' bc I can't seem to lay off the adverbs in this review), if you like your thrillers with a literary bent and a romantic edge, this is what you want.
Enjoy!!
December 22, 2014
I am always up for a good mystery and when you throw in a mystery, with a genre I already love (YA) you have quite the winning combination.
Having enjoyed Richard's debut novel Six Months I was eager to read another one of her books and see if it would be every bit as fun as her first.
I am happy to report that it was and that I read this in a single sitting. And why I didn't have everything completely figured out, I did have a lot figured out before the big reveal, but it was okay because the book was so entertaining that I kept wanting to read more and it didn't matter if I had it all figured out or not, the story was just that engaging and fun.
Piper was an interesting character, it took me quite a while before I could decide if I actually liked her or not. She could be unfair and judgmental but she did change, she did grow and because of that growth, I found myself liking her more and more as the story progressed.
Nick on the other hand, I loved from the very beginning. There is something to be said about a boy who is sweet and just good. Someone as far away from a bad boy as you can get and every bit better because of it.
This was another good solid mystery for Richard's and I will continue to pick up her books and read them because of it, it was relatable, engaging and had characters that were realistic and situations we could have all found ourselves in at one time or another.
Having enjoyed Richard's debut novel Six Months I was eager to read another one of her books and see if it would be every bit as fun as her first.
I am happy to report that it was and that I read this in a single sitting. And why I didn't have everything completely figured out, I did have a lot figured out before the big reveal, but it was okay because the book was so entertaining that I kept wanting to read more and it didn't matter if I had it all figured out or not, the story was just that engaging and fun.
Piper was an interesting character, it took me quite a while before I could decide if I actually liked her or not. She could be unfair and judgmental but she did change, she did grow and because of that growth, I found myself liking her more and more as the story progressed.
Nick on the other hand, I loved from the very beginning. There is something to be said about a boy who is sweet and just good. Someone as far away from a bad boy as you can get and every bit better because of it.
This was another good solid mystery for Richard's and I will continue to pick up her books and read them because of it, it was relatable, engaging and had characters that were realistic and situations we could have all found ourselves in at one time or another.
January 24, 2015
Let me start this review by saying…I loved this story. It had everything I love in a YA novel, a bit of mystery, some romance, and the politics of navigating high school. Richards created some interesting characters and a very realistic situation while creating a story that had me turning the pages to see what would happen next.
Piper is in her senior year of high school and just counting the days to graduation so she can get to the college of her choice and focus on her photography. She has always been at the bottom of the popularity ladder…not quite the bottom, but close enough. Piper’s closest friends are Manny and Tacey…both of whom are on the yearbook staff with her.
I loved Piper. She is smart, sarcastic/snarky, and really loves the people in her life. Yes, she has her flaws…one of them being the fact that she is fairly judgmental with good reason. All her life the popular kids have bullied or made her life hellish, which is part of the reason she can’t wait to get away. But with that in mind, it is very clear that as the story progresses that this is something that she is using to help justify the reasons why she does certain things.
As the story kicks off, Piper finds a mysterious notebook on the steps at school and while it happens to be in code, there is a lot of information stored in the notebook that Piper is uncomfortable having. Despite that, she doesn’t turn it in and this is the beginning of the mysteries that she works to unravel. That same day, Piper witnesses a verbal attack by the popular boys (Jackson, Tate, and Nick – in all fairness, the attack was by Tate and Jackson and Nick was completely taken by surprise) on Stella, one of the most popular girls in school. We come to find out that one of the boys is her boyfriend and he had just seen a video of Stella having sex with someone other than him. A few days later, it is found out that Stella was hit by a train and dies.
Stella’s death leads Piper to believe that she should have done something and opens up the door for all the guilty feelings she carries throughout the story. As the story moves forward, we also find out that Nick is feeling guilty as well. He has also been noticing Piper and even though Piper thinks it is fairly sudden that he is paying attention to her, he implies that it is only sudden because she is finally noticing him. I will definitely talk more about Nick in a minute but getting back to the story, because of her guilt, when Piper receives a mysterious text about getting some justice for Stella and this pulls Piper into something she never expected.
I loved the characters that Richards’ created in this story. In addition to Piper, there is Manny, her best friend. He has a tough life and it’s clear he is on a slightly different path than Piper. He is ok with it but she isn’t and this is one of the things in their friendship that creates tension and as they get closer to graduation, becomes even more of an issue. While there wasn’t much of Manny on his own, the friendship between Manny and Piper was great.
Nick is another solid character and I loved how the relationship/friendship between him and Piper progressed. While Piper had feelings, she was a bit leery about trusting him…mostly because he was one of the popular kids. I loved how he called her out on it though and the fact that he didn’t let her get away with it was important. I think Nick is one of those characters that everyone can love…he might be too perfect but I honestly don’t care. He is smart, athletic, and has a personality. Plus, he totally calls Piper out on her crap like this….
“Well, I guess we can chitchat about all the common interests we probably don’t have.” I’m trying for playful and coming off all wrong. I used to be better at this, I think.
He laughs anyway. “Well, I’m not sure how you could know since you’ve never asked about my intersts.”
Point to Nick for rolling with the punches. He smiles and it warms me all over.
“You’re right. What are you interested in, Nick?”
“You, for starters.” His smirk makes him look like trouble. It also renders me incapable of speech.
Outside of the characters and the budding relationship between Piper and Nick, there is a great story and mystery around who is sending the messages to Piper as well as who owns the notebook she found. As the story moves forward, we learn more about it all and our eyes are opened right alongside Piper’s.
If you are looking for a great story with a bit of mystery, some action, and some swoony parts, I recommend you check this one out. I was unable to put it down and despite guessing who was behind the text messages, I still found myself unable to put the book down. Definitely check this one out when you can!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the review copy!
Piper is in her senior year of high school and just counting the days to graduation so she can get to the college of her choice and focus on her photography. She has always been at the bottom of the popularity ladder…not quite the bottom, but close enough. Piper’s closest friends are Manny and Tacey…both of whom are on the yearbook staff with her.
I loved Piper. She is smart, sarcastic/snarky, and really loves the people in her life. Yes, she has her flaws…one of them being the fact that she is fairly judgmental with good reason. All her life the popular kids have bullied or made her life hellish, which is part of the reason she can’t wait to get away. But with that in mind, it is very clear that as the story progresses that this is something that she is using to help justify the reasons why she does certain things.
As the story kicks off, Piper finds a mysterious notebook on the steps at school and while it happens to be in code, there is a lot of information stored in the notebook that Piper is uncomfortable having. Despite that, she doesn’t turn it in and this is the beginning of the mysteries that she works to unravel. That same day, Piper witnesses a verbal attack by the popular boys (Jackson, Tate, and Nick – in all fairness, the attack was by Tate and Jackson and Nick was completely taken by surprise) on Stella, one of the most popular girls in school. We come to find out that one of the boys is her boyfriend and he had just seen a video of Stella having sex with someone other than him. A few days later, it is found out that Stella was hit by a train and dies.
Stella’s death leads Piper to believe that she should have done something and opens up the door for all the guilty feelings she carries throughout the story. As the story moves forward, we also find out that Nick is feeling guilty as well. He has also been noticing Piper and even though Piper thinks it is fairly sudden that he is paying attention to her, he implies that it is only sudden because she is finally noticing him. I will definitely talk more about Nick in a minute but getting back to the story, because of her guilt, when Piper receives a mysterious text about getting some justice for Stella and this pulls Piper into something she never expected.
I loved the characters that Richards’ created in this story. In addition to Piper, there is Manny, her best friend. He has a tough life and it’s clear he is on a slightly different path than Piper. He is ok with it but she isn’t and this is one of the things in their friendship that creates tension and as they get closer to graduation, becomes even more of an issue. While there wasn’t much of Manny on his own, the friendship between Manny and Piper was great.
Nick is another solid character and I loved how the relationship/friendship between him and Piper progressed. While Piper had feelings, she was a bit leery about trusting him…mostly because he was one of the popular kids. I loved how he called her out on it though and the fact that he didn’t let her get away with it was important. I think Nick is one of those characters that everyone can love…he might be too perfect but I honestly don’t care. He is smart, athletic, and has a personality. Plus, he totally calls Piper out on her crap like this….
“Well, I guess we can chitchat about all the common interests we probably don’t have.” I’m trying for playful and coming off all wrong. I used to be better at this, I think.
He laughs anyway. “Well, I’m not sure how you could know since you’ve never asked about my intersts.”
Point to Nick for rolling with the punches. He smiles and it warms me all over.
“You’re right. What are you interested in, Nick?”
“You, for starters.” His smirk makes him look like trouble. It also renders me incapable of speech.
Outside of the characters and the budding relationship between Piper and Nick, there is a great story and mystery around who is sending the messages to Piper as well as who owns the notebook she found. As the story moves forward, we learn more about it all and our eyes are opened right alongside Piper’s.
If you are looking for a great story with a bit of mystery, some action, and some swoony parts, I recommend you check this one out. I was unable to put it down and despite guessing who was behind the text messages, I still found myself unable to put the book down. Definitely check this one out when you can!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the review copy!
December 4, 2014
Initial reaction: I think that I would've liked this even more if it didn't feel like certain things were missing from the connection with the narrative. I loved the strongly asserted female voice and intent of the narrative overall.
Full review:
Natalie Richards's "Gone Too Far" is a decent novel and I liked it quite a bit for what it offered. I'm guessing some of you are expecting a "but" in there somewhere because of my rating of only 3 stars, and you would be correct. Something in this read felt like it was missing for me. I couldn't figure out what it was at first, but it finally hit me as I went along. I'll explain that part of it shortly.
"Gone Too Far" starts off with a bang. I loved the protagonist's voice at first. Piper's pretty self-aware, and I liked that about her. She also seems to have a close group of friends that are detailed and intricately drawn, with distinct personalities and meaningful connections to Piper's circle. The narrative starts with Piper finding a mysterious notebook full of things that are described as "truths", corruptions, things that remain hidden about people in the popular crowd. She really doesn't know what to do with this book, but as an event rocks Piper's perception of the social hierarchy that exists within her school, she feels compelled to do something in the aftermath of something that leaves her feeling completely helpless.
Enter: the mysterious texter. A vigilante. Someone who promises Piper that those who do bad things will be punished. Apparently said person knows about the notebook that Piper's found, and the fact that Piper feels the need to get revenge over the tragic events that she witnessed at school. The actions start light and become heavier as time goes on, to the point where the namesake of the novel is pretty spot on for measure. And yes, said person becomes power hungry and crosses the line, with Piper feeling like everything's been taken to the extreme and more people are getting hurt than helped.
No, I won't call this mysterious person Light/Kira, because compared to "Death Note", this person's waaaaay on the scale of lightweight in terms of moral transgressions. At first I thought this book would be a little more intense with the emotions and actions as this mysterious person became more power hungry, but the narrative seemed to pull its emotional punches in places, like it didn't want to go the whole nine yards as far as what this person was willing to do to seek justice against the pretty popular people who got away with stuff just because of their status and power in school.
Piper knows what she's going into is complicated and an odd sense of justice, but doesn't quite realize the extent. It takes her relationship with someone from the "in-crowd" to knock her presumptions out of the park as well. Richards does a fine job with showing the connections in the relationships between characters here. I liked Piper's connections with Tate, Stella, Nick, Manny...the cast was shown in the interactions vividly. I think the problem was the fact that there were some emotionally key scenes that didn't match up for the intensity they were meant to have. You get that the scenarios are bad, but there's an odd distance between those events and punch gut reeling that you get when someone's doing this kind of thing to someone that Piper cares about, even to the point where it turns around on her and gets her in the crosshairs for suspicion. Plus, when the reveal's finally made about her mysterious texter, I felt like it was a little haphazard in the reveal. I think it could've been far, far smoother than it was actually delivered. It wasn't a bad reveal, but the motivations somewhat fell apart at the fringes for me, and that kept the read from being more than what it was.
Still, I'd give it kudos for showing Piper coming to terms that her perceptions of relationships weren't all that they were cracked up to be. The narrative did keep me guessing, and I enjoyed some of the bit interactions of the characters. I'm interested to see how Richards develops things in her other works for sure. I kind of wish this one had a little more fire and bite to it though, not to the point of melodrama or emotional resonance for manipulation sake, but something that really grips you and doesn't let go right along with the character. I wanted to feel it, I was ready to be convinced for it, but it felt like it pulled back just when it could've hit home.
Overall score: 3/5 stars
Note: I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, from the publisher Sourcebooks Fire.
Full review:
Natalie Richards's "Gone Too Far" is a decent novel and I liked it quite a bit for what it offered. I'm guessing some of you are expecting a "but" in there somewhere because of my rating of only 3 stars, and you would be correct. Something in this read felt like it was missing for me. I couldn't figure out what it was at first, but it finally hit me as I went along. I'll explain that part of it shortly.
"Gone Too Far" starts off with a bang. I loved the protagonist's voice at first. Piper's pretty self-aware, and I liked that about her. She also seems to have a close group of friends that are detailed and intricately drawn, with distinct personalities and meaningful connections to Piper's circle. The narrative starts with Piper finding a mysterious notebook full of things that are described as "truths", corruptions, things that remain hidden about people in the popular crowd. She really doesn't know what to do with this book, but as an event rocks Piper's perception of the social hierarchy that exists within her school, she feels compelled to do something in the aftermath of something that leaves her feeling completely helpless.
Enter: the mysterious texter. A vigilante. Someone who promises Piper that those who do bad things will be punished. Apparently said person knows about the notebook that Piper's found, and the fact that Piper feels the need to get revenge over the tragic events that she witnessed at school. The actions start light and become heavier as time goes on, to the point where the namesake of the novel is pretty spot on for measure. And yes, said person becomes power hungry and crosses the line, with Piper feeling like everything's been taken to the extreme and more people are getting hurt than helped.
No, I won't call this mysterious person Light/Kira, because compared to "Death Note", this person's waaaaay on the scale of lightweight in terms of moral transgressions. At first I thought this book would be a little more intense with the emotions and actions as this mysterious person became more power hungry, but the narrative seemed to pull its emotional punches in places, like it didn't want to go the whole nine yards as far as what this person was willing to do to seek justice against the pretty popular people who got away with stuff just because of their status and power in school.
Piper knows what she's going into is complicated and an odd sense of justice, but doesn't quite realize the extent. It takes her relationship with someone from the "in-crowd" to knock her presumptions out of the park as well. Richards does a fine job with showing the connections in the relationships between characters here. I liked Piper's connections with Tate, Stella, Nick, Manny...the cast was shown in the interactions vividly. I think the problem was the fact that there were some emotionally key scenes that didn't match up for the intensity they were meant to have. You get that the scenarios are bad, but there's an odd distance between those events and punch gut reeling that you get when someone's doing this kind of thing to someone that Piper cares about, even to the point where it turns around on her and gets her in the crosshairs for suspicion. Plus, when the reveal's finally made about her mysterious texter, I felt like it was a little haphazard in the reveal. I think it could've been far, far smoother than it was actually delivered. It wasn't a bad reveal, but the motivations somewhat fell apart at the fringes for me, and that kept the read from being more than what it was.
Still, I'd give it kudos for showing Piper coming to terms that her perceptions of relationships weren't all that they were cracked up to be. The narrative did keep me guessing, and I enjoyed some of the bit interactions of the characters. I'm interested to see how Richards develops things in her other works for sure. I kind of wish this one had a little more fire and bite to it though, not to the point of melodrama or emotional resonance for manipulation sake, but something that really grips you and doesn't let go right along with the character. I wanted to feel it, I was ready to be convinced for it, but it felt like it pulled back just when it could've hit home.
Overall score: 3/5 stars
Note: I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, from the publisher Sourcebooks Fire.
April 18, 2015
It started really well but I expected much more. In my opinon it didn't go too far but too long , I found it rather slow and it took ages for the main character to find out the truth . Almost a DNF.
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February 19, 2015
Find the original review here at This is the Story of My(Reading) Life
Piper is usually found to be hidden behind her camera. Which means her classmates see her coming but they also forget she's there. She has her friends but for the most part Piper feels invisible. One morning she finds this notebook full of what appears to be the shady and secretive going on's of the kids in her school. Piper has every intention of turning the note book in and getting as far away from it, but she just can't seem to give it up. Than she's standing at her locker, which happens to be next to the most popular girl, Stella, in schools locker. When Stella starts getting bullied and called out over a sex tape, Piper thinks about stepping in but doesn't. Than the sex tape goes viral and Stella turns up dead. Hit by a train. Piper doesn't believe for a second that it was accidental. She feels like she could have prevented Stella's death. Which is absurd. But when she gets an anonymous text saying she can help get the people back responsible for Stella's death, she eventually coincides and gets herself involved in something that is way over her head.
You'd think that this sounds like a decent mystery/revenge type story. I thought so too. But unfortunately Gone Too Far fell really flat. Let's start with Piper. She's a hypocritical wet blanket. She's so torn up about what happened to Stella. Of course it's awful. Stella was bullied over a sex tape that she never gave consent for. When Piper sees the video, it's obvious that Stella had no idea she was being taped. It's terrible and tragic. Piper is completely torn up over Stella's death. Which on one hand is a little understandable, a class mate died well before her time. But Piper and Stella have never been friends. In fact their interactions have only been through a camera lens. Piper is disgusted over the way Stella was treated. She seems to hate the bully behaviour. Which we all should be against. But than Piper is pretty quick to jump into the exact behaviour that she was so against five minutes ago. She's given the chance to pick a name and the anonymous texter will essentially take that person down. So Piper is doing the exact same thing that the kids did to Stella. I can't get on board with that. Sure, I like myself a revenge story. But I didn't see Piper as getting revenge. I saw her getting caught up in a situation she never should have stepped into. Piper is told where to show up with her camera and take pictures of the "destruction". She does and she enjoys it.
Piper has absolutely no personality. She's meak and is easy to harp on her friends when they're not living up to expectations. Piper is quick to say her best friend is an asshole, and only she gets him. What? That's the first impression you want to give us of your best friend? Seriously.
The "popular" guy Nick starts to take an interest in Piper. She's immediately dismissive of him and a little rude. I really don't understand Nick's interest in her. But he's that misunderstood popular football player, who really has a lot if different and artsy interests. Typical YA romance.
I wasn't all that impressed with any of the characters, but even Piper's friends had more personality than her. I got that from the limited interactions we saw. Obviously I was not a fan of Piper's.
Truthfully, I did a lot of skimming. I could skip pages at a time and not miss a single plot element. I also felt something was off with the writing. I can't really pin point what exactly. It didn't flow well. The dialogue was all over the place. There'd be a conversation going on and it seemed like a sentence or two was missing. The writing wasn't terrible. It was pretty average. But with it lacking a good flow I wasn't drawn in.
Like I mentioned the revenge element was not my thing. I didn't see it as justified. And even the acts of revenge weren't all that special. Usually a revenge story has some pretty soul destroying consequences for the accused. In Gone Too Far only one of the kids that had something done to them took it personally. Everything was pretty tame.
Finding out who the anonymous texter was is what kept me reading until the end. I had a theory and I wanted to make sure I was right. I was. I don't think it was very hard to figure out who the texter was. All the clues were laid out for Piper and the reader.
Unfortunately Gone Too Far was a pretty sub par read for me. It took a lot not just to DNF. But I did want to find out the mystery. So that was all the kept me reading.
Piper is usually found to be hidden behind her camera. Which means her classmates see her coming but they also forget she's there. She has her friends but for the most part Piper feels invisible. One morning she finds this notebook full of what appears to be the shady and secretive going on's of the kids in her school. Piper has every intention of turning the note book in and getting as far away from it, but she just can't seem to give it up. Than she's standing at her locker, which happens to be next to the most popular girl, Stella, in schools locker. When Stella starts getting bullied and called out over a sex tape, Piper thinks about stepping in but doesn't. Than the sex tape goes viral and Stella turns up dead. Hit by a train. Piper doesn't believe for a second that it was accidental. She feels like she could have prevented Stella's death. Which is absurd. But when she gets an anonymous text saying she can help get the people back responsible for Stella's death, she eventually coincides and gets herself involved in something that is way over her head.
You'd think that this sounds like a decent mystery/revenge type story. I thought so too. But unfortunately Gone Too Far fell really flat. Let's start with Piper. She's a hypocritical wet blanket. She's so torn up about what happened to Stella. Of course it's awful. Stella was bullied over a sex tape that she never gave consent for. When Piper sees the video, it's obvious that Stella had no idea she was being taped. It's terrible and tragic. Piper is completely torn up over Stella's death. Which on one hand is a little understandable, a class mate died well before her time. But Piper and Stella have never been friends. In fact their interactions have only been through a camera lens. Piper is disgusted over the way Stella was treated. She seems to hate the bully behaviour. Which we all should be against. But than Piper is pretty quick to jump into the exact behaviour that she was so against five minutes ago. She's given the chance to pick a name and the anonymous texter will essentially take that person down. So Piper is doing the exact same thing that the kids did to Stella. I can't get on board with that. Sure, I like myself a revenge story. But I didn't see Piper as getting revenge. I saw her getting caught up in a situation she never should have stepped into. Piper is told where to show up with her camera and take pictures of the "destruction". She does and she enjoys it.
Piper has absolutely no personality. She's meak and is easy to harp on her friends when they're not living up to expectations. Piper is quick to say her best friend is an asshole, and only she gets him. What? That's the first impression you want to give us of your best friend? Seriously.
The "popular" guy Nick starts to take an interest in Piper. She's immediately dismissive of him and a little rude. I really don't understand Nick's interest in her. But he's that misunderstood popular football player, who really has a lot if different and artsy interests. Typical YA romance.
I wasn't all that impressed with any of the characters, but even Piper's friends had more personality than her. I got that from the limited interactions we saw. Obviously I was not a fan of Piper's.
Truthfully, I did a lot of skimming. I could skip pages at a time and not miss a single plot element. I also felt something was off with the writing. I can't really pin point what exactly. It didn't flow well. The dialogue was all over the place. There'd be a conversation going on and it seemed like a sentence or two was missing. The writing wasn't terrible. It was pretty average. But with it lacking a good flow I wasn't drawn in.
Like I mentioned the revenge element was not my thing. I didn't see it as justified. And even the acts of revenge weren't all that special. Usually a revenge story has some pretty soul destroying consequences for the accused. In Gone Too Far only one of the kids that had something done to them took it personally. Everything was pretty tame.
Finding out who the anonymous texter was is what kept me reading until the end. I had a theory and I wanted to make sure I was right. I was. I don't think it was very hard to figure out who the texter was. All the clues were laid out for Piper and the reader.
Unfortunately Gone Too Far was a pretty sub par read for me. It took a lot not just to DNF. But I did want to find out the mystery. So that was all the kept me reading.
January 3, 2015
Read my review and enter the giveaway for Gone Too Far, Six Months Later and swag right HERE :)
“Malum Non Vide: See No Evil”
This was me while I read Gone Too Far. I finished reading it in one day and it was finally 11:29 pm that I typed up this review. Why? Because it was fresh in my mind, sure.
But also because Gone Too Far is the best mind fuckery of the deepest level and I’d wanted to purge this book from my system before I went to sleep that night.
I think the main reason that Gone Too Far has affected me so much is this: all the events that take place in the book are so realistic, I can almost see them happen. In all its twisted glory, the book weaves and flows through certain aspects of high schools that no one can escape. Bullying, starving, cheating. Hell, even cheating for good.
You’ll see when you read the book.
Piper Woods stands aside and watches as a group of her classmates, Jackson and Tate, bully and tease Stella about a sex tape that’d been leaked. Piper doesn’t—can’t—do anything and stands frozen, as their harsh words seem to gather the whole school’s attention. But when the news of Stella’s “tragic” death reaches Piper, she wonders if it was suicide.
When Piper finds the heinous book that seems to contain the sins of the people in her school, the death of Stella is still fresh in her mind. She feels partly responsible for not standing up to the bullies and decides to do something about them. And then she gets a text message:
Do you blame yourself?
Do you wish you’d done something? What if you still could?
I think Gone Too Far was the perfect example of a book that basically has everything in it… mystery, self-discovery and romance. The main character is clueless about whom the book belongs to and who keeeps texting her, so the reader only knows as much as she does. Which is great, because the mystery in Gone Too Far begins from the very first page, and it’ll pull you in until you finish the book.
Despite her “issues,” Piper’s inner monologue, her sassy nature, her intelligence, all of it kind of grew on me. I was cheering for her, and mentally chastising her and crying for her and crying with her. Gone Too Far was quite an eye-opener where it came to living with other people’s preconceived notions about you. Labels.
Maybe there’s more to the class bully. Maybe the girl you call a “slut” has a story of her own. Maybe the class scholar isn’t one because he chooses to be.
Nick is also a very well-developed character but I didn’t find him quite as interesting as Piper. Sure, he was kind and smart and genuinely a good person but the way he was so caring and forgiving with Piper seemed a tad bit unrealistic to me. But that’s the only real complaint I had with the book.
I can’t even begin to tell you how much I loved Miss Richards’ writing style. It’s the type that keeps you just the right bit informed and yet, vastly clueless—just the way she wanted it, I suppose. For lovers of YA’s with a lot of revenge and drama but also suspense and angst, I do believe I’ve found the ideal novel for you.
*I was provided a free ecopy of this book in exchange of an honest review. This did not in any way, however, influence the content of this review.*
“Malum Non Vide: See No Evil”
This was me while I read Gone Too Far. I finished reading it in one day and it was finally 11:29 pm that I typed up this review. Why? Because it was fresh in my mind, sure.
But also because Gone Too Far is the best mind fuckery of the deepest level and I’d wanted to purge this book from my system before I went to sleep that night.
I think the main reason that Gone Too Far has affected me so much is this: all the events that take place in the book are so realistic, I can almost see them happen. In all its twisted glory, the book weaves and flows through certain aspects of high schools that no one can escape. Bullying, starving, cheating. Hell, even cheating for good.
You’ll see when you read the book.
Piper Woods stands aside and watches as a group of her classmates, Jackson and Tate, bully and tease Stella about a sex tape that’d been leaked. Piper doesn’t—can’t—do anything and stands frozen, as their harsh words seem to gather the whole school’s attention. But when the news of Stella’s “tragic” death reaches Piper, she wonders if it was suicide.
When Piper finds the heinous book that seems to contain the sins of the people in her school, the death of Stella is still fresh in her mind. She feels partly responsible for not standing up to the bullies and decides to do something about them. And then she gets a text message:
Do you blame yourself?
Do you wish you’d done something? What if you still could?
I think Gone Too Far was the perfect example of a book that basically has everything in it… mystery, self-discovery and romance. The main character is clueless about whom the book belongs to and who keeeps texting her, so the reader only knows as much as she does. Which is great, because the mystery in Gone Too Far begins from the very first page, and it’ll pull you in until you finish the book.
Despite her “issues,” Piper’s inner monologue, her sassy nature, her intelligence, all of it kind of grew on me. I was cheering for her, and mentally chastising her and crying for her and crying with her. Gone Too Far was quite an eye-opener where it came to living with other people’s preconceived notions about you. Labels.
Maybe there’s more to the class bully. Maybe the girl you call a “slut” has a story of her own. Maybe the class scholar isn’t one because he chooses to be.
Nick is also a very well-developed character but I didn’t find him quite as interesting as Piper. Sure, he was kind and smart and genuinely a good person but the way he was so caring and forgiving with Piper seemed a tad bit unrealistic to me. But that’s the only real complaint I had with the book.
I can’t even begin to tell you how much I loved Miss Richards’ writing style. It’s the type that keeps you just the right bit informed and yet, vastly clueless—just the way she wanted it, I suppose. For lovers of YA’s with a lot of revenge and drama but also suspense and angst, I do believe I’ve found the ideal novel for you.
*I was provided a free ecopy of this book in exchange of an honest review. This did not in any way, however, influence the content of this review.*
November 15, 2014
Warning: Do not start reading this book at night. I'm still bleary-eyed this morning from staying up way past my bedtime to finish it. Disclosure: I know Natalie. But here's the funny thing-- she TOLD me the entire plot of the book a few months ago and I forgot who did it and could not read fast enough to see how it was all going to turn out. So, make of that what you will. I rarely write reviews for books by friends. So, make of that what you will too. My verdict: suspenseful, fast moving, psychological thriller with a perfectly drawn MC.
June 15, 2019
DNF @pg 160. I have to stop torturing myself. This is not helping my reading slump and I am tired.
This book is about a girl named Piper who finds a mysterious book at school filled with all the bad things her fellow students have done. She chooses to ignore it, but then she keeps getting texts telling her to pick a person to punish. Someone needs to pay, and Piper is given the opportunity to make that happen without actually having to do it herself. She’s caught in sort of a “is this right or wrong?” conflict because it’s a toss-up of whether people deserve to be punished.
This book was released in 2015, and I’m distressed because I can’t tell if this book just screams 2015 with every line or if it is especially cringey. This book is full of girl-hate, cringey lines, alpha-male types, “I’m not like other girls” rhetoric, and tbh I am tired. It’s 2019. I can’t keep forcing myself to read books where the main character says things like “I’m not this girl. Please don’t let me be that girl.” Like?? What does that even mean?? For context, she’s saying that while flirting with a boy, which makes it seem although Piper seems that flirting is beneath her because “other girls” do that. She’s special and different and above all that nonsense. Barf.
Speaking of Piper, Piper is SO very irritating. Piper is a photographer who stays behind the lens. She is negative and abrasive and judgemental of anyone and everyone that she deems to be different than her. She has a very specific opinion of the “popular kids”, which screams Teen drama from 2013™️. She is also rather hypocritical, because she seems to think that it’s not anyone’s place to bully others, and feels no remorse for humiliating and defaming other people under the thin guise of revenge.
Listen. I am not against revenge stories. My problem with this is that Piper is not the person these people have done bad things too. Piper is not getting revenge for herself, she is doing some sort of weird vigilante mission for a girl she literally talked to once. She’s acting as if she’s doing the right thing, and this book is marketing it as if she is going after these people for justice and for genuine revenge. Piper has not been given a reason for her herself to seek revenge, but feels like she’s entitled to ruin others simply because she can justify it half-assed. She joys in capturing the pain and humiliation of her victims with her camera, but laments about how wrong it is to cause others pain. It’s exhausting. A revenge story only works if the MC is seeking their own revenge or seeking justice for genuine reasons. Reminder: Piper does not know the girl who’s embarrassment starts this mess. She feels she must avenge her, but there is no emotional connection and therefore Piper just seems like a hypocritical borderline psychopath who enjoys causing pain.
The writing in this is jarring, because it seems as though the author feels the need to describe. Every. Single. Thing. The MC does or sees or hears. It’s the most clear and long-winded example of “telling not showing” that I have ever seen, and it is unbearable to read through. Another problem I had with the writing was the just embarrassing lines.
“You ever seeing the saying, ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’?”
I scoff. “Of course”
“Same principle applies to football jerseys Piper.”
Cringe-tastic.
“I stop short at the stairs, frowning at girly chatter. Freshman I think. All of them sporting identical overpriced boots.”
Judgemental AND rude. Double whammy. Also she’s a senior so she’s 18 and she’s mocking 14 year olds?? And “girly chatter” is amazingly both girl-hate and “not like other girls”
“And it’s not just because he’s a tasty boy with a killer grin”
TASTY???? WHAT???? Why would you describe people as tasty???? Gross.
Now the ending. The bad guy. I guessed from I think page 50 who the bad guy was. I checked at the end and I was right. It’s so painfully obvious because you only actually get to know two characters other than the love interest and it’s obviously not going to be him. Also, and this one is the actual reason I’m mad it’s so obvious, said character leaves the school just before the assembly where our bad guy does his bad guy thing. The fact that she didn’t notice the correlation is painful, because she never stops talking about how many AP classes she’s taking. Maybe if the author had added more characters leaving, it wouldn’t have been so obvious, but she takes care to point out that this character leaves and doesn’t mention any of our other characters leaving. Mysteries are hard to write and I know that, but this just seems lazy.
So it appears my reading slump continues, and also that I will be donating this book. I really have to get better at DNF-ing rather than self-torture.
This book is about a girl named Piper who finds a mysterious book at school filled with all the bad things her fellow students have done. She chooses to ignore it, but then she keeps getting texts telling her to pick a person to punish. Someone needs to pay, and Piper is given the opportunity to make that happen without actually having to do it herself. She’s caught in sort of a “is this right or wrong?” conflict because it’s a toss-up of whether people deserve to be punished.
This book was released in 2015, and I’m distressed because I can’t tell if this book just screams 2015 with every line or if it is especially cringey. This book is full of girl-hate, cringey lines, alpha-male types, “I’m not like other girls” rhetoric, and tbh I am tired. It’s 2019. I can’t keep forcing myself to read books where the main character says things like “I’m not this girl. Please don’t let me be that girl.” Like?? What does that even mean?? For context, she’s saying that while flirting with a boy, which makes it seem although Piper seems that flirting is beneath her because “other girls” do that. She’s special and different and above all that nonsense. Barf.
Speaking of Piper, Piper is SO very irritating. Piper is a photographer who stays behind the lens. She is negative and abrasive and judgemental of anyone and everyone that she deems to be different than her. She has a very specific opinion of the “popular kids”, which screams Teen drama from 2013™️. She is also rather hypocritical, because she seems to think that it’s not anyone’s place to bully others, and feels no remorse for humiliating and defaming other people under the thin guise of revenge.
Listen. I am not against revenge stories. My problem with this is that Piper is not the person these people have done bad things too. Piper is not getting revenge for herself, she is doing some sort of weird vigilante mission for a girl she literally talked to once. She’s acting as if she’s doing the right thing, and this book is marketing it as if she is going after these people for justice and for genuine revenge. Piper has not been given a reason for her herself to seek revenge, but feels like she’s entitled to ruin others simply because she can justify it half-assed. She joys in capturing the pain and humiliation of her victims with her camera, but laments about how wrong it is to cause others pain. It’s exhausting. A revenge story only works if the MC is seeking their own revenge or seeking justice for genuine reasons. Reminder: Piper does not know the girl who’s embarrassment starts this mess. She feels she must avenge her, but there is no emotional connection and therefore Piper just seems like a hypocritical borderline psychopath who enjoys causing pain.
The writing in this is jarring, because it seems as though the author feels the need to describe. Every. Single. Thing. The MC does or sees or hears. It’s the most clear and long-winded example of “telling not showing” that I have ever seen, and it is unbearable to read through. Another problem I had with the writing was the just embarrassing lines.
“You ever seeing the saying, ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’?”
I scoff. “Of course”
“Same principle applies to football jerseys Piper.”
Cringe-tastic.
“I stop short at the stairs, frowning at girly chatter. Freshman I think. All of them sporting identical overpriced boots.”
Judgemental AND rude. Double whammy. Also she’s a senior so she’s 18 and she’s mocking 14 year olds?? And “girly chatter” is amazingly both girl-hate and “not like other girls”
“And it’s not just because he’s a tasty boy with a killer grin”
TASTY???? WHAT???? Why would you describe people as tasty???? Gross.
Now the ending. The bad guy. I guessed from I think page 50 who the bad guy was. I checked at the end and I was right. It’s so painfully obvious because you only actually get to know two characters other than the love interest and it’s obviously not going to be him. Also, and this one is the actual reason I’m mad it’s so obvious, said character leaves the school just before the assembly where our bad guy does his bad guy thing. The fact that she didn’t notice the correlation is painful, because she never stops talking about how many AP classes she’s taking. Maybe if the author had added more characters leaving, it wouldn’t have been so obvious, but she takes care to point out that this character leaves and doesn’t mention any of our other characters leaving. Mysteries are hard to write and I know that, but this just seems lazy.
So it appears my reading slump continues, and also that I will be donating this book. I really have to get better at DNF-ing rather than self-torture.
Read
December 12, 2014I really enjoyed this author's debut book, Six Months Later, and was very excited to read this!
Like Six Months Later, Gone Too Far is a contemporary/suspense/revenge tale that takes place in high school. (I mean, most YA takes place when the characters are attending high school, but most of this book actually takes place in school.) While Six Months Later felt a little sci-fi, this book is more firmly grounded in reality.
The main character, Piper, is a senior who dreams of being a globetrotting photojournalist, but for her final year in high school, must resign herself to being on the yearbook staff. One day, she's running late for class and finds a mysterious notebook. The book has secrets about all Piper's classmates, but with the students' names written in code. Piper's mildly intrigued, until one student's secret is outed, resulting in suicide. Then Piper is contacted by text by an anonymous person who asks her help in getting revenge. Piper agrees and texts back the name of the person she deems most responsible for the girl's death. And so begins her uneasy partnership with a person who may or may not have a hidden agenda against the mean/popular kids in school... But can Piper trust this anonymous vigilante?
If you're thinking this book has a strong PLL (Pretty Little Liars) vibe, it does. The anonymous texts, the bullying, the secrets -- all of this reminded me a bit of the show. The book did take a while to set things up -- I'd say I wasn't fully invested until about a third of the way in -- but once Piper becomes a full accomplice of Mystery Texter, with unforseen consequences, things get considerably more gripping. There's a romance that I thought added a nice touch to the book and just when I was worried that the characters didn't have enough depth, they got more :)
I'm pretty good at guessing culprits, and I was sure that I'd picked out this one based on some random details that didn't seem essential to the story but I was happy to be completely and totally wrong. I did think at the end, things got a little bit clunky as the loose ends were wrapped up, but all in all I did enjoy this once the plot got going.
The "mean girls" and high school hijinks in this one won't be for every reader, but I'd definitely recommend it to those who are looking for a book with a PLL vibe and/or YA revenge story..
Like Six Months Later, Gone Too Far is a contemporary/suspense/revenge tale that takes place in high school. (I mean, most YA takes place when the characters are attending high school, but most of this book actually takes place in school.) While Six Months Later felt a little sci-fi, this book is more firmly grounded in reality.
The main character, Piper, is a senior who dreams of being a globetrotting photojournalist, but for her final year in high school, must resign herself to being on the yearbook staff. One day, she's running late for class and finds a mysterious notebook. The book has secrets about all Piper's classmates, but with the students' names written in code. Piper's mildly intrigued, until one student's secret is outed, resulting in suicide. Then Piper is contacted by text by an anonymous person who asks her help in getting revenge. Piper agrees and texts back the name of the person she deems most responsible for the girl's death. And so begins her uneasy partnership with a person who may or may not have a hidden agenda against the mean/popular kids in school... But can Piper trust this anonymous vigilante?
If you're thinking this book has a strong PLL (Pretty Little Liars) vibe, it does. The anonymous texts, the bullying, the secrets -- all of this reminded me a bit of the show. The book did take a while to set things up -- I'd say I wasn't fully invested until about a third of the way in -- but once Piper becomes a full accomplice of Mystery Texter, with unforseen consequences, things get considerably more gripping. There's a romance that I thought added a nice touch to the book and just when I was worried that the characters didn't have enough depth, they got more :)
I'm pretty good at guessing culprits, and I was sure that I'd picked out this one based on some random details that didn't seem essential to the story but I was happy to be completely and totally wrong. I did think at the end, things got a little bit clunky as the loose ends were wrapped up, but all in all I did enjoy this once the plot got going.
The "mean girls" and high school hijinks in this one won't be for every reader, but I'd definitely recommend it to those who are looking for a book with a PLL vibe and/or YA revenge story..
September 19, 2015
Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire via Netgalley for the free review copy in exchange for my honest opinion.
Did I like this book?
I initially requested this book because I'd been hearing some buzz about it through the blogosphere, but I wasn't really expecting much. To say my expectations were exceeded is a bit of an understatement as I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this book!
I was easily able to relate to Piper. She's not part of the cool, popular crowd, but she has her own group of friends and a passion for photography. In short, someone I would probably be friends with. She could also be judgemental, especially when it came to Nick and his crowd, but I found that to be a realistic aspect of her personality.
Piper gets involved, kind of by accident, in trying to solve the mystery around a classmate's suicide. Piper is not sure that Stella meant to step in front of that train - was she pushed? I was fully absorbed in this storyline, making guesses about what really happened to Stella, trying to figure out who wrote the notebook and who was texting Piper, and then whether or not any of these things were connected to the other. The plot was quite twisty-turny,which I really appreciated. I had my suspicions, as did Piper, but nothing really turned out as I had envisioned, which was great!
Will you like this book?
I would certainly recommend this book to anyone wanting a bit of action and whodunnit mystery added to their typical contemporary YA fare. I thought the writing was solid and the plot was well-paced. So yeah, if the synopsis grabs your attention, definitely give this one a go!
Will I read more by this author?
As I said before, I was pleasantly surprised by "Gone Too Far", so I am uber eager to try another title by Natalie D. Richards!
Did I like this book?
I initially requested this book because I'd been hearing some buzz about it through the blogosphere, but I wasn't really expecting much. To say my expectations were exceeded is a bit of an understatement as I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this book!
I was easily able to relate to Piper. She's not part of the cool, popular crowd, but she has her own group of friends and a passion for photography. In short, someone I would probably be friends with. She could also be judgemental, especially when it came to Nick and his crowd, but I found that to be a realistic aspect of her personality.
Piper gets involved, kind of by accident, in trying to solve the mystery around a classmate's suicide. Piper is not sure that Stella meant to step in front of that train - was she pushed? I was fully absorbed in this storyline, making guesses about what really happened to Stella, trying to figure out who wrote the notebook and who was texting Piper, and then whether or not any of these things were connected to the other. The plot was quite twisty-turny,which I really appreciated. I had my suspicions, as did Piper, but nothing really turned out as I had envisioned, which was great!
Will you like this book?
I would certainly recommend this book to anyone wanting a bit of action and whodunnit mystery added to their typical contemporary YA fare. I thought the writing was solid and the plot was well-paced. So yeah, if the synopsis grabs your attention, definitely give this one a go!
Will I read more by this author?
As I said before, I was pleasantly surprised by "Gone Too Far", so I am uber eager to try another title by Natalie D. Richards!
July 23, 2015
Not far enough
I finished this one really fast but not because it was an amazing story. It was just a short and quick read. I'm not saying it was bad. It just wasn't amazing.
I found the writing to be mediocre. Nothing crazy or anything. I felt like at times it fell flat when it came to descriptions and characterizations. I found that at times it tried too hard to be like a suspenseful TV. It just didn't work for me.
The plot was just ok. I found it interesting, but nothing crazy exciting or new. It kind of reminded me of Pretty Little Liars. I hated PLL. I probably won't ever reread this book.
Character wise the story was ok. I felt like that was were it was it's strongest, but even then it wasn't that great. I felt like they were inconsistent.
I guess I would recommend this to those who love YA and thrillers coz it's kind of a mash of the two. Enjoy
I finished this one really fast but not because it was an amazing story. It was just a short and quick read. I'm not saying it was bad. It just wasn't amazing.
I found the writing to be mediocre. Nothing crazy or anything. I felt like at times it fell flat when it came to descriptions and characterizations. I found that at times it tried too hard to be like a suspenseful TV. It just didn't work for me.
The plot was just ok. I found it interesting, but nothing crazy exciting or new. It kind of reminded me of Pretty Little Liars. I hated PLL. I probably won't ever reread this book.
Character wise the story was ok. I felt like that was were it was it's strongest, but even then it wasn't that great. I felt like they were inconsistent.
I guess I would recommend this to those who love YA and thrillers coz it's kind of a mash of the two. Enjoy
September 27, 2024
This review was originally posted on The Moonlight Library.
I really enjoyed Gone Too Far by Natalie D Richards who, I have discovered since reading the book, is known for YA psychological thrillers. Gone Too Far was published in 2015 but it feels like it could have come out recently. I also want to mention that YA thrillers are one of my favourite genres in audiobook, and I almost never read them in ebook or paperback because I'm largely unable to resist the lure of spoiling a really well-written book by flipping to the final pages.
However I will say that Gone Too Far didn't really feel like a thriller to me, more just, like, a normal contemporary YA. Not even a YA romance: sure there was a romance, a very sweet and I'm totally into it romance, however it definitely wasn't the focus point of the book. Marketing the book as a thriller is not necessarily up to the author: Laurie Petrous's Love, Heather was marketed as a thriller which I think was a misstep from the publishers. I've talked about marketing before, and how authors don't necessarily have a say in how their publisher markets it and they DEFINITELY do not have a say in where their book ends up in a bookshop. Maybe because Natalie D Richards is an established thriller writer, they lumped Gone Too Far in as a thriller; maybe there's no such genre as 'general YA' without it being contemporary romance; I don't know enough about the industry. But it did not feel like a thriller to me. Mostly because I felt like Piper was never really in danger: she was one step removed from the bullying which created a pretty thick buffer. She didn't really do anything active herself: even the requests from her mysterious 'partner' to photograph the incidents didn't really have an outcome or reason.
However, I really liked everything about Gone Too Far. I enjoyed Piper as a main character, I definitely liked the love interest and their progressing relationship (not exactly enemies, but definitely with great reluctance on Piper's part), I loved the wider cast of characters, and I loved Piper's photography hobby/job and her desire to become a journalist. I did guess a couple of things and turned out to be right, but as they're spoilers I won't mention that here, as I think it would be better to go in without knowing.
I think maybe the main thing that stops this book from being 5 stars is that although I absolutely buy Piper's remorse and guilt regarding the actions of another character, and how she wishes she'd stepped in and done something, and those feelings drive the entire plot in a very believable and logical way... I feel like the book/Piper didn't question enough who was responsible for the first act of violence, and that Piper was too focused on punishing bullies in general rather than narrowing the focus of the plot to helping the first victim.
Overall I did really enjoy this book and I'm aware it's one of the author's first books, so I am really interested in trying out some of her later books (in audio!) to see how she's improved. I listened to Gone Too Far in audio and really enjoyed the narrator.
I really enjoyed Gone Too Far by Natalie D Richards who, I have discovered since reading the book, is known for YA psychological thrillers. Gone Too Far was published in 2015 but it feels like it could have come out recently. I also want to mention that YA thrillers are one of my favourite genres in audiobook, and I almost never read them in ebook or paperback because I'm largely unable to resist the lure of spoiling a really well-written book by flipping to the final pages.
However I will say that Gone Too Far didn't really feel like a thriller to me, more just, like, a normal contemporary YA. Not even a YA romance: sure there was a romance, a very sweet and I'm totally into it romance, however it definitely wasn't the focus point of the book. Marketing the book as a thriller is not necessarily up to the author: Laurie Petrous's Love, Heather was marketed as a thriller which I think was a misstep from the publishers. I've talked about marketing before, and how authors don't necessarily have a say in how their publisher markets it and they DEFINITELY do not have a say in where their book ends up in a bookshop. Maybe because Natalie D Richards is an established thriller writer, they lumped Gone Too Far in as a thriller; maybe there's no such genre as 'general YA' without it being contemporary romance; I don't know enough about the industry. But it did not feel like a thriller to me. Mostly because I felt like Piper was never really in danger: she was one step removed from the bullying which created a pretty thick buffer. She didn't really do anything active herself: even the requests from her mysterious 'partner' to photograph the incidents didn't really have an outcome or reason.
However, I really liked everything about Gone Too Far. I enjoyed Piper as a main character, I definitely liked the love interest and their progressing relationship (not exactly enemies, but definitely with great reluctance on Piper's part), I loved the wider cast of characters, and I loved Piper's photography hobby/job and her desire to become a journalist. I did guess a couple of things and turned out to be right, but as they're spoilers I won't mention that here, as I think it would be better to go in without knowing.
I think maybe the main thing that stops this book from being 5 stars is that although I absolutely buy Piper's remorse and guilt regarding the actions of another character, and how she wishes she'd stepped in and done something, and those feelings drive the entire plot in a very believable and logical way... I feel like the book/Piper didn't question enough who was responsible for the first act of violence, and that Piper was too focused on punishing bullies in general rather than narrowing the focus of the plot to helping the first victim.
Overall I did really enjoy this book and I'm aware it's one of the author's first books, so I am really interested in trying out some of her later books (in audio!) to see how she's improved. I listened to Gone Too Far in audio and really enjoyed the narrator.
February 4, 2020
I really enjoyed this book, read it in one day.
It was a very big Shock when you found out her did it.
I started to think Nick was sending the texts to her.
I did not really think it would be Manny.
Really good mystery.
It was a very big Shock when you found out her did it.
I started to think Nick was sending the texts to her.
I did not really think it would be Manny.
Really good mystery.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 15, 2025
3 stars at best. definitely a filler book for me
December 3, 2014
Natalie D. Richards' second YA novel tells a story of bullying and vengeance, ignorance and punishment, cruelty and trying to make things right. It's a well written and captivating story, though it isn't quite as intense and unpredictable as Richards' debut, Six Months Later. Still, all things considered, Gone Too Far is a decent mystery/high school drama - a good read for a long Winter afternoon with a cup of hot chocolate.
Piper Woods, a senior who prefers to hide behind the lens of her camera, can't wait to be done with all the drama and injustice of high school. She's a good observer and she sees things - she's a photographer after all and noticing things is part of her job. However, witnessing injustice and actually doing something to stop it are two different things, and Piper doesn't want to get into any trouble, she prefers to stay off the radar and keep a low profile.
Things change when she finds a notebook filled with pictures of fellow students and some of their nastiest, darkest secrets (like cheating, bulling, breaking the law, etc). Disturbing as the notebook is, Piper doesn't think too much about it, not until a popular girl named Stella is found dead after a sex-tape is uploaded to the school website. Piper begins to wonder whether her death was a suicide or something more. Things get even more twisted when she gets a text message from the owner of the notebook asking her to pick a person who deserves to be punished and help make things right.
Gone Too Far is a classic revenge story with a twist. We don't know who the owner of the notebook is or what his/her motives are - that's something we discover at the very end, though if I am to be honest, I guessed the identity of our mysterious vigilante very early on. I also though the motives for the "big fat Greek revenge" were a bit iffy. But even though I came very close to DNF-ing this book, I pushed through, wanting to find out if my guess was right (it was, but I'm glad I finished the book).
Just like Richard's first book, Gone Too Far is well written, well paced and captivating enough to keep me intrigued and turning pages. It's not a unique story, though, the plot line isn't very original and the characters are rather stereotypical and, therefore, unrelatable. Still, it's not a bad book at all. It's somewhere in the middle. If you have read high school revenge stories before (like Gretchen McNeil's Get Even or Jacqueline Green's Truth or Dare), you won't find Gone Too Far especially riveting or surprising. There's nothing here that would make this story stand out in the crowd of similar high school mysteries. If, however, you haven't read anything like this before, you'll probably enjoy it quite a lot.
Overall, while I wasn't exactly blown away by this book, I can't say I regret reading it, either. It's a good enough book to kill a few hours with. It's fast-paced and fun to read, and even though its premise isn't the most original out there, I think it's worth reading.
Piper Woods, a senior who prefers to hide behind the lens of her camera, can't wait to be done with all the drama and injustice of high school. She's a good observer and she sees things - she's a photographer after all and noticing things is part of her job. However, witnessing injustice and actually doing something to stop it are two different things, and Piper doesn't want to get into any trouble, she prefers to stay off the radar and keep a low profile.
Things change when she finds a notebook filled with pictures of fellow students and some of their nastiest, darkest secrets (like cheating, bulling, breaking the law, etc). Disturbing as the notebook is, Piper doesn't think too much about it, not until a popular girl named Stella is found dead after a sex-tape is uploaded to the school website. Piper begins to wonder whether her death was a suicide or something more. Things get even more twisted when she gets a text message from the owner of the notebook asking her to pick a person who deserves to be punished and help make things right.
Gone Too Far is a classic revenge story with a twist. We don't know who the owner of the notebook is or what his/her motives are - that's something we discover at the very end, though if I am to be honest, I guessed the identity of our mysterious vigilante very early on. I also though the motives for the "big fat Greek revenge" were a bit iffy. But even though I came very close to DNF-ing this book, I pushed through, wanting to find out if my guess was right (it was, but I'm glad I finished the book).
Just like Richard's first book, Gone Too Far is well written, well paced and captivating enough to keep me intrigued and turning pages. It's not a unique story, though, the plot line isn't very original and the characters are rather stereotypical and, therefore, unrelatable. Still, it's not a bad book at all. It's somewhere in the middle. If you have read high school revenge stories before (like Gretchen McNeil's Get Even or Jacqueline Green's Truth or Dare), you won't find Gone Too Far especially riveting or surprising. There's nothing here that would make this story stand out in the crowd of similar high school mysteries. If, however, you haven't read anything like this before, you'll probably enjoy it quite a lot.
Overall, while I wasn't exactly blown away by this book, I can't say I regret reading it, either. It's a good enough book to kill a few hours with. It's fast-paced and fun to read, and even though its premise isn't the most original out there, I think it's worth reading.
January 7, 2015
**3.5/4 stars**
Originally posted at: http://iliveforreading.blogspot.com/2...
Oh my god: WHAT. A. THRILL. Holyyyyyy crap. I love books that have a twist that turns your insides, makes your heart stop and your eyes pop. Gone Too Far had this twist. Sure, it’s a little strange how things turned out, but holy moly, I did NOT expect it to be who it was. I guessed and I guessed, but totally didn’t see it coming. Yeesh. Normally I tend to expect the usual from “these” kind of books, but I was seriously surprised by this one– and really enjoyed it.
For one thing, I truly never got Piper. Sure, she’s the photographer, but I really understood her character or seemed to go more in dept into her emotions. Despite the fact that it was a first-person narration it seemed very third-person featuring a focalised narrative. Nonetheless, the only times when we actually get a glimpse of emotion is when she’s around Nick. Guys: I’m in love with the jock. I like how he goes against the stereotypes and for once, the girl actually gets with the popular guy, not the typical loner-esque, artsy one in the end. Defying clichés, woohoo!
As I mentioned before, I couldn’t really guess who it was in the end. I mean, I had my suspicions at the beginning, but then quickly ruled them out foolishly. There were two possibilities (not gonna mention who!), but even they got ruled out because of events in the book. While the reveal was quite a shock, the actual reasons behind it I didn’t understand. I was probably hoping for something more, I don’t know, scandalous? something that we completely missed out? Nonetheless, the twist is like a punch to the stomach, and I was honestly so shocked that I just kinda sat there for a while with my mouth wide open, wondering what the heck just happened.
Overall, while I had some problems with the end, Gone Too Far was a spine-tingling thriller that I couldn’t put down. Be prepared for chills, thrills, and feels (try to imagine that rhymes... so “fills”?), because Richard’s sophomore novel is action-packed and will have you flipping pages, desperate to find out what happens next.
Originally posted at: http://iliveforreading.blogspot.com/2...
Oh my god: WHAT. A. THRILL. Holyyyyyy crap. I love books that have a twist that turns your insides, makes your heart stop and your eyes pop. Gone Too Far had this twist. Sure, it’s a little strange how things turned out, but holy moly, I did NOT expect it to be who it was. I guessed and I guessed, but totally didn’t see it coming. Yeesh. Normally I tend to expect the usual from “these” kind of books, but I was seriously surprised by this one– and really enjoyed it.
For one thing, I truly never got Piper. Sure, she’s the photographer, but I really understood her character or seemed to go more in dept into her emotions. Despite the fact that it was a first-person narration it seemed very third-person featuring a focalised narrative. Nonetheless, the only times when we actually get a glimpse of emotion is when she’s around Nick. Guys: I’m in love with the jock. I like how he goes against the stereotypes and for once, the girl actually gets with the popular guy, not the typical loner-esque, artsy one in the end. Defying clichés, woohoo!
As I mentioned before, I couldn’t really guess who it was in the end. I mean, I had my suspicions at the beginning, but then quickly ruled them out foolishly. There were two possibilities (not gonna mention who!), but even they got ruled out because of events in the book. While the reveal was quite a shock, the actual reasons behind it I didn’t understand. I was probably hoping for something more, I don’t know, scandalous? something that we completely missed out? Nonetheless, the twist is like a punch to the stomach, and I was honestly so shocked that I just kinda sat there for a while with my mouth wide open, wondering what the heck just happened.
Overall, while I had some problems with the end, Gone Too Far was a spine-tingling thriller that I couldn’t put down. Be prepared for chills, thrills, and feels (try to imagine that rhymes... so “fills”?), because Richard’s sophomore novel is action-packed and will have you flipping pages, desperate to find out what happens next.
January 13, 2015
When I saw the summary for Gone Too Far I knew that I had to have it, I read Richard's Six Months Later and loved it so I was expecting amazing things from this book and overall I enjoyed this one, but I was expecting so much more.
Piper Woods doesn't like the spotlight, she would rather hide behind her camera and observe instead. But when she sees someone getting bullied and doesn't say anything, it haunts her. Especially when that person that was bullied ends up dead 24 hours later. Piper is determined to not make the same mistake twice, so when an anonymous texter offers her the chance to make the bullies pay, she jumps at the chance, but it isn't long before things go a little too far, but will she be able to get out by then?
My biggest issue with this book was my lack of connection any of the characters, this was a problem because when the mysterious texter was revealed, while I didn't expect the person, it didn't really have that major shocking effect that I feel it would have if I would have felt more of a connection with the characters.
This book definitely feels a little Pretty Little Liars-ish with the anonymous texts and all the secrets that everyone has been keeping, but unlike the show, we find out who "A" is by the end of the book.
Gone Too Far has an interesting premise, a great plot, and while I enjoyed it, I feel like it could have been more.
Piper Woods doesn't like the spotlight, she would rather hide behind her camera and observe instead. But when she sees someone getting bullied and doesn't say anything, it haunts her. Especially when that person that was bullied ends up dead 24 hours later. Piper is determined to not make the same mistake twice, so when an anonymous texter offers her the chance to make the bullies pay, she jumps at the chance, but it isn't long before things go a little too far, but will she be able to get out by then?
My biggest issue with this book was my lack of connection any of the characters, this was a problem because when the mysterious texter was revealed, while I didn't expect the person, it didn't really have that major shocking effect that I feel it would have if I would have felt more of a connection with the characters.
This book definitely feels a little Pretty Little Liars-ish with the anonymous texts and all the secrets that everyone has been keeping, but unlike the show, we find out who "A" is by the end of the book.
Gone Too Far has an interesting premise, a great plot, and while I enjoyed it, I feel like it could have been more.
January 9, 2017
7/10
Having read Natalie Richard's books I knew this was going to make me slightly paranoid in trying to figure who did it. This time was no different.
Piper finds a notebook with code names that has a list of all of her classmates wrongdoings that someone has seen. The owner of the notebook wants Piper to help them right the wrongs and all she has to do is send a name.
"You can't pick through the pieces You have to look at the whole picture to see anything.
But when a video releases about fellow student and she ends up dying, the line between getting back at the people who hurt her started to blur. She judged a lot of people like we all do, and realized that they're people who make mistakes.
She judged Nick who was determined to make her see the other side and how much this 'revenge' affecting everyone. She was so against wanting to like Nick who was there for her and made his feelings and left the ball in her court. I suspected a lot of people, but then I would change my mind, because the characters would make me second guess. But when I found out at the end who it was I had a sneaking suspension. But didn't think twice about that person earlier.
Final Thoughts:
We have no right to judge someone unless we've been walking miles in their shoes.
Having read Natalie Richard's books I knew this was going to make me slightly paranoid in trying to figure who did it. This time was no different.
Piper finds a notebook with code names that has a list of all of her classmates wrongdoings that someone has seen. The owner of the notebook wants Piper to help them right the wrongs and all she has to do is send a name.
"You can't pick through the pieces You have to look at the whole picture to see anything.
But when a video releases about fellow student and she ends up dying, the line between getting back at the people who hurt her started to blur. She judged a lot of people like we all do, and realized that they're people who make mistakes.
She judged Nick who was determined to make her see the other side and how much this 'revenge' affecting everyone. She was so against wanting to like Nick who was there for her and made his feelings and left the ball in her court. I suspected a lot of people, but then I would change my mind, because the characters would make me second guess. But when I found out at the end who it was I had a sneaking suspension. But didn't think twice about that person earlier.
Final Thoughts:
We have no right to judge someone unless we've been walking miles in their shoes.
December 28, 2015
This is like a darker version of Mean Girls, and it's awesome and sad and swoony and difficult and oh-so-important. This is a great story that, sinilarly to Katie Cotugno's 99 Days, questions how much of other people's truths we are entitled to. Gone Too Far explores our collective judgmental mentality, especially in high school, and readers will discover with Piper exactly how you make a situation right, even after you've made it worse. My biggest complaint is honestly the glut of trendy names that were fairly difficult to keep apart at first: Connor, Cooper, Harrison, Jackson. I kid you not; at one point Harrison is mentioned, and I was like, "who the hell is this guy?!" even though he'd already been a major player in one of the opening scenes. But if name choice is the worst thing in a novel, it's a pretty dang good novel.
Also Nick = ♡.
Also Nick = ♡.
June 20, 2024
All he sees is a little girl with big, brown eyes and bruises on her neck. He doesn’t see the calculating seventeen-year-old who painstakingly picked every target, feeding names to Manny week after week.
Okay that sentence just really really pisses me off, first off calculating? Really? She is nothing but a whiny kinda self-obsessed teenage girl, honestly she wasn't even that smart let alone calculating. Secondly week after week makes it sound like she actually did this for some length of time, but no she sent TWO names and one by accident. UGH I'm so mad I could keep going for hours, but I hate leaving bad reviews so I'm gonna stop.
Okay that sentence just really really pisses me off, first off calculating? Really? She is nothing but a whiny kinda self-obsessed teenage girl, honestly she wasn't even that smart let alone calculating. Secondly week after week makes it sound like she actually did this for some length of time, but no she sent TWO names and one by accident. UGH I'm so mad I could keep going for hours, but I hate leaving bad reviews so I'm gonna stop.
October 30, 2018
A decent ya mystery, though I found the main character Piper somewhat annoying for looking down on everyone and being judgmental. I couldn’t figure what Nick saw in her, because he was a really sweet guy and I liked him.
The book seemed a little too short and I would have liked some things flushed out more.
The message - don’t judge someone because you don’t know their whole story - was a good one though.
The book seemed a little too short and I would have liked some things flushed out more.
The message - don’t judge someone because you don’t know their whole story - was a good one though.
August 8, 2020
”I think we all have a terrible person inside us. If you scratch the surface.”
At once pulse pounding and thrilling, this book, I could never put down. In all its shortness of breath, I still felt like I was pulled along for a wild cop car chase, that never stopped and ceased to stop turning corners. Gone Too Far felt like that.
The story follows our main character, Piper Woods, as she thinks it’s just one more year till she can break free from high school. Except, after the suicide of a fellow classmate, Piper feels like she could have done something to stop it. After a mysterious text message is sent to her, she finds it her duty to find revenge and justice, targeting fellow classmates for their petty mistakes.
And this story had a lot of potential.It didn’t use it in a proper manner. However, that doesn’t mean the story wasn’t bad. We deal with suicide, teen angst, bullies, and what makes high school so overwhelming. This makes for great storytelling, except for the fact that it never really gets the attention it deserves.
The story glosses over these factors and we get right on to the plot. The suicide could have been done better. Piper and her relationship with the school and her classmates could be done better. I could feel the frustration and pain surrounding Piper, but I didn’t see how it affected her.
Piper, as a character, I could feel sympathy with her. Most people say she is whiny, judgmental, and stuck up. I can see that. Yes, she does seem like a brat at times. She hurts people around her and conflicts herself with the idea of revenge and justice.
While she is immature and a little naive in the beginning, she makes up for it with grace. As she goes through these terrible things, she also starts to find that she needs to change as well. This gradual change, is what makes me like her character arc.
Another aspect to admire, what I loved, was the romance. Nick and Piper are just too cute to handle and their on page time together, was like a nice step away from the plot. It made me excited and happy. It just wasn’t ever enough.
And like Grave Mercy I do have a few minor issues. There were a few things I didn’t like: (1) The length of the book (2) the thrills and the chills.
The book could be 400 pages and I wouldn’t care. If that meant giving the reader a truly harrowing and thrilling adventure. If it meant feeling like you were the most wanted criminal in the world and people were after you. The plot would make sense and have time to better develop what it meant to say.
And as for the thrills, Piper could fight people and try to run away getting caught. Maybe there’s a scene where she fights in hand to hand combat with some student in the gym. Maybe there should be a rapid car chase where she tries to get away in her car from an enemy. Maybe Nick and Piper huddle close to each other in her car on a cold Christmas night at the mall or in the parking lot of the school.
All in all though, this book is quick and entertaining to me. Fun and sharp, Piper always seems to be different to me every time around. Always something to learn.
At once pulse pounding and thrilling, this book, I could never put down. In all its shortness of breath, I still felt like I was pulled along for a wild cop car chase, that never stopped and ceased to stop turning corners. Gone Too Far felt like that.
The story follows our main character, Piper Woods, as she thinks it’s just one more year till she can break free from high school. Except, after the suicide of a fellow classmate, Piper feels like she could have done something to stop it. After a mysterious text message is sent to her, she finds it her duty to find revenge and justice, targeting fellow classmates for their petty mistakes.
And this story had a lot of potential.It didn’t use it in a proper manner. However, that doesn’t mean the story wasn’t bad. We deal with suicide, teen angst, bullies, and what makes high school so overwhelming. This makes for great storytelling, except for the fact that it never really gets the attention it deserves.
The story glosses over these factors and we get right on to the plot. The suicide could have been done better. Piper and her relationship with the school and her classmates could be done better. I could feel the frustration and pain surrounding Piper, but I didn’t see how it affected her.
Piper, as a character, I could feel sympathy with her. Most people say she is whiny, judgmental, and stuck up. I can see that. Yes, she does seem like a brat at times. She hurts people around her and conflicts herself with the idea of revenge and justice.
While she is immature and a little naive in the beginning, she makes up for it with grace. As she goes through these terrible things, she also starts to find that she needs to change as well. This gradual change, is what makes me like her character arc.
Another aspect to admire, what I loved, was the romance. Nick and Piper are just too cute to handle and their on page time together, was like a nice step away from the plot. It made me excited and happy. It just wasn’t ever enough.
And like Grave Mercy I do have a few minor issues. There were a few things I didn’t like: (1) The length of the book (2) the thrills and the chills.
The book could be 400 pages and I wouldn’t care. If that meant giving the reader a truly harrowing and thrilling adventure. If it meant feeling like you were the most wanted criminal in the world and people were after you. The plot would make sense and have time to better develop what it meant to say.
And as for the thrills, Piper could fight people and try to run away getting caught. Maybe there’s a scene where she fights in hand to hand combat with some student in the gym. Maybe there should be a rapid car chase where she tries to get away in her car from an enemy. Maybe Nick and Piper huddle close to each other in her car on a cold Christmas night at the mall or in the parking lot of the school.
All in all though, this book is quick and entertaining to me. Fun and sharp, Piper always seems to be different to me every time around. Always something to learn.
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