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Tell Me When You Feel Something
The perfect after-school job turns deadly for teens working as "simulated patients" at the local med school. Everyone has something to hide and no one is safe in this contemporary YA thriller that exposes the dark reality of #MeToo in the world of medicine, for fans of Karen McManus and Holly Jackson.
It seemed like a cool part-time program — being a "simulated" patient for med school students to practice on. But now vivacious, charismatic Viv lies in a very real coma. Cellphone footage just leads to more questions. What really happened? Other kids suspect it was not an intentional overdose — but each has a reason why they can't tell the truth.
Through intertwining and conflicting narratives, a twisted story unfolds of trust betrayed as we sift through the seemingly innocent events leading up to the tragic night. Perhaps simulated patients aren't the only people pretending to be something they're not . . .
It seemed like a cool part-time program — being a "simulated" patient for med school students to practice on. But now vivacious, charismatic Viv lies in a very real coma. Cellphone footage just leads to more questions. What really happened? Other kids suspect it was not an intentional overdose — but each has a reason why they can't tell the truth.
Through intertwining and conflicting narratives, a twisted story unfolds of trust betrayed as we sift through the seemingly innocent events leading up to the tragic night. Perhaps simulated patients aren't the only people pretending to be something they're not . . .
336 pages, Paperback
First published June 15, 2021
27 people are currently reading
1622 people want to read
About the author
Vicki Grant
30 books137 followersAfter a long and messy adolescence, Vicki Grant stumbled into writing. She worked her way up from 30-second ads to 30-minute television scripts to full-length novels. She's written sixteen young adult, middle-grade and high-low novels. Her most recent YA novel, 36 Questions That Changed My Mind About You, has been published worldwide in over twenty territories.. Vicki lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Awards:
Arthur Ellis Award
◊ Best Juvenile (2006): Quid Pro Quo
Red Maple Award: Not Suitable For Family Viewing
CBC Young Canada Reads: The Puppet Wrangler.
Awards:
Arthur Ellis Award
◊ Best Juvenile (2006): Quid Pro Quo
Red Maple Award: Not Suitable For Family Viewing
CBC Young Canada Reads: The Puppet Wrangler.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 273 reviews
February 27, 2021
I received an ARC for this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review! Thank you!
TRIGGER WARNINGS: sexual assault and grooming.
Where were the trigger warnings in this book?? This book is written in detail and it deserved a trigger warning at the beginning- this is one of the reasons why I’m lowering my rating!
This book hooked my attention from the beginning. I also really enjoyed the writing style,short chapters and the time jumps that’s why I was able to read it in 2 days! I was really invested in Vivis story and I really wanted to find out what had happened to her. However the ending did not live up to my expectations. I saw that ”twist” coming from the beginning of the book and I was really disappointed.
In the end I would recommended this book for people who are scared of thrillers and are not triggered by its content. If you are a thriller lover and have read a lot of ya/adult thrillers I would skip this one. It’s nothing new or something you would go crazy over.
TRIGGER WARNINGS: sexual assault and grooming.
Where were the trigger warnings in this book?? This book is written in detail and it deserved a trigger warning at the beginning- this is one of the reasons why I’m lowering my rating!
This book hooked my attention from the beginning. I also really enjoyed the writing style,short chapters and the time jumps that’s why I was able to read it in 2 days! I was really invested in Vivis story and I really wanted to find out what had happened to her. However the ending did not live up to my expectations. I saw that ”twist” coming from the beginning of the book and I was really disappointed.
In the end I would recommended this book for people who are scared of thrillers and are not triggered by its content. If you are a thriller lover and have read a lot of ya/adult thrillers I would skip this one. It’s nothing new or something you would go crazy over.
March 22, 2022
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Teen for providing a free eARC in exchange for an honest review!
1) I read this book as an eArc and this may have made the formatting of this book more confusing than it is in the printed version.
2) There are a lot of really intense topics that I think needed trigger warnings.
There are many short POV's throughout this entire book and that made it hard for me to get invested in the characters. You would hardly get a snippet into the characters life and then we would be on to the next person. The problem with this was it did not drive me to keep reading because I knew I would have to go through many POV's as well as a timeline jump. We jumped between two different timelines in no specific order and this made it difficult to stay attuned with the story. Once we concluded a person's chapter there would be a police interview that would repeat the entire chapter and making the book feel clunky. Again, I think this may have had more to do with the fact that I read it in a digital format and the printed version may be more clear.
-I loved the setting of the medical school and the high school students being simulated patients. That was a really interesting concept that made some of the topics easier to talk about in the book.
Overall, I think this was a fast read that for me had a slow start. Once I got about half way through the book I was more interested in finishing it and the ending was pretty good! 3 stars for me but I can think of many people that I can recommend this book too that will enjoy it more than I did.
1) I read this book as an eArc and this may have made the formatting of this book more confusing than it is in the printed version.
2) There are a lot of really intense topics that I think needed trigger warnings.
There are many short POV's throughout this entire book and that made it hard for me to get invested in the characters. You would hardly get a snippet into the characters life and then we would be on to the next person. The problem with this was it did not drive me to keep reading because I knew I would have to go through many POV's as well as a timeline jump. We jumped between two different timelines in no specific order and this made it difficult to stay attuned with the story. Once we concluded a person's chapter there would be a police interview that would repeat the entire chapter and making the book feel clunky. Again, I think this may have had more to do with the fact that I read it in a digital format and the printed version may be more clear.
-I loved the setting of the medical school and the high school students being simulated patients. That was a really interesting concept that made some of the topics easier to talk about in the book.
Overall, I think this was a fast read that for me had a slow start. Once I got about half way through the book I was more interested in finishing it and the ending was pretty good! 3 stars for me but I can think of many people that I can recommend this book too that will enjoy it more than I did.
June 16, 2021
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for an egalley in exchange for an honest review.
Now this YA novel had an interesting premise- teen girl lies in a coma while we are treated to flashbacks of the days leading up to the accident as well as multiple character perspectives and police interviews. It was a little slow and drawn out in getting to the climax of the story, however, I just kept turning the pages.
Publication Date 15/06/21
Goodreads review published 16/06/21
Now this YA novel had an interesting premise- teen girl lies in a coma while we are treated to flashbacks of the days leading up to the accident as well as multiple character perspectives and police interviews. It was a little slow and drawn out in getting to the climax of the story, however, I just kept turning the pages.
Publication Date 15/06/21
Goodreads review published 16/06/21
June 19, 2021
This book definitely need to come with a serious trigger warning for sexual assault. I read an electronic arc of this book from netgalley and that may have made some of the formatting weird (does the print book have large sections of red font int he middle of sections randomly?), but give that it was an ARC that didn’t change my writing. The book changes point of view pretty quickly and it can be a little hard to track at times, but in general I liked the story being told from multiple perspectives. Time is pretty shifty too and each section is labeled with either a time before or after the big high school party of the summer. The party where Viv overdoses and ends up in the hospital in a coma. Her friend Davida is determined to figure out what happened, but she discovers a lot about her friend that makes her realize she didn’t really know her at all. The drama levels were beyond over the top and detracted from the story. I will say I loved that a lot of the story took place at a medical school where Viv, Davida, and their friend Tim work as actors portraying various ailments for student doctors to practice on.
March 4, 2021
Tell me when you feel something by Vicki Grant is a YA contemporary mystery. We start off learning Viv, had dropped into a coma after supposedly taking a few pills at a party. Viv's best friend Davida states that Viv would never take drugs. We follow through a mystery based on what exactly happened.
The writing followed through nicely and flowed smoothly. It's understandable and simple. Though it's good it's somewhat part of the 4-star reasoning because it was too basic and simple-- there could've, been more thrill you know? We were narrated through a couple of different perspectives and styles of writing that included police interviews. During the start, we read about the after of Viv being in a coma and during the middle we read about the before, leaving us at the end with the after again. Continuing with the writing, parts felt cringeworthy. Specifically when some talk of pedophilia was involved. One thing about this book, there were NO trigger warnings (I included them at the end of the review). While still being a fun YA book, there should've stilled been a page for that in the beginning.
I loved the concept of the setting, I found it original and intriguing. Tell me when you feel something took place at a medical school. Where Viv and Davida were both Stimulated Patients SP, in a program. I loved how that was included because I had gotten to learn much more about being an SP what happens at programs like that.
TRIGGER WARNINGS: Sexual Assult, Pedophilia, Alcohol, & Drugs.
Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Teen for letting me read an eARC of this book. I voluntarily left an honest review.
eARC provided by Netgalley & Publisher
EXPECTED RELEASE DATE: June 15, 2021
REVIEWED: 3/3/2021
The writing followed through nicely and flowed smoothly. It's understandable and simple. Though it's good it's somewhat part of the 4-star reasoning because it was too basic and simple-- there could've, been more thrill you know? We were narrated through a couple of different perspectives and styles of writing that included police interviews. During the start, we read about the after of Viv being in a coma and during the middle we read about the before, leaving us at the end with the after again. Continuing with the writing, parts felt cringeworthy. Specifically when some talk of pedophilia was involved. One thing about this book, there were NO trigger warnings (I included them at the end of the review). While still being a fun YA book, there should've stilled been a page for that in the beginning.
I loved the concept of the setting, I found it original and intriguing. Tell me when you feel something took place at a medical school. Where Viv and Davida were both Stimulated Patients SP, in a program. I loved how that was included because I had gotten to learn much more about being an SP what happens at programs like that.
TRIGGER WARNINGS: Sexual Assult, Pedophilia, Alcohol, & Drugs.
Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Teen for letting me read an eARC of this book. I voluntarily left an honest review.
eARC provided by Netgalley & Publisher
EXPECTED RELEASE DATE: June 15, 2021
REVIEWED: 3/3/2021
March 24, 2021
When I first started this book, it seemed really promising. I was hooked from the beginning and was very interested in finding out what happened. Also, really loved the writing style. However, I felt like too much of the focus was on pointless things and it took forever to get to what actually happened. It felt like the ending and what happened was way too rushed and so for that I didn't really enjoy the book overall.
Thank you NetGalley & Penguin Random House Canada for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Thank you NetGalley & Penguin Random House Canada for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
February 21, 2021
Thanks to Netgalley and Publisher for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Davida, Tim and Viv are working as SP in summer break at med school. Everything was fine Viv and her long term boyfriend Jack are so happy. Davida and Tim are getting along. Everything seems fine. Until one day Viv fall in a comma and the video showed her taking a pill deliberately. Davida has known Viv for 36 days but she can't believe that Viv can take drugs.
I am a sucker of YA mystery so after reading the synopsis I had to read it. But it takes me ages to finish it which simply means that it wasn't able to hook me to finish it in one sitting or in a couple of days. The pace of the story was slow, there were many characters but it was hard to feel for them as the story focused on them for a while and they disappear after a few chapters. There were so many loose ends and loopholes. It felt like the author didn't even care about all the side tracks and left them in between... I like the concept of the story and the ending was so dark and creepy but unsatisfying.
Davida, Tim and Viv are working as SP in summer break at med school. Everything was fine Viv and her long term boyfriend Jack are so happy. Davida and Tim are getting along. Everything seems fine. Until one day Viv fall in a comma and the video showed her taking a pill deliberately. Davida has known Viv for 36 days but she can't believe that Viv can take drugs.
I am a sucker of YA mystery so after reading the synopsis I had to read it. But it takes me ages to finish it which simply means that it wasn't able to hook me to finish it in one sitting or in a couple of days. The pace of the story was slow, there were many characters but it was hard to feel for them as the story focused on them for a while and they disappear after a few chapters. There were so many loose ends and loopholes. It felt like the author didn't even care about all the side tracks and left them in between... I like the concept of the story and the ending was so dark and creepy but unsatisfying.
February 9, 2021
***Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of TELL ME WHEN YOU FEEL SOMETHING by Vicki Grant in exchange for my honest review.***
After taking pills at a party, Vivienne lies in a coma. Her best friend Davida swears Viv never drinks or uses drugs. BFFs know everything about each other, even if they’ve only been friends for five weeks. Vic’s and Davida’s boyfriends both suspects, are questioned by police as are those from her part-time job as a Simulated Patient SP at a medical school.
The SP program drew me to TELL ME WHEN YOU FEEL SOMETHING. Living near a number of medical schools, I was familiar with programs where people role played illnesses for student diagnosis. I’d never known programs to have the cosmetic application and the extent of physical preparation Vicki Grant described, but that added to the interest of the SP job.
Grant created an interesting cast of minor characters and family set ups, which added dimension to the story. TELL ME WHEN YOU FEEL SOMETHING alternated timelines and points of view. I knew early on many were unreliable narrators, how inaccurate I was unsure. Most of my theories turned out to be wrong.
TELL ME SOMETHING is a unique, interesting mystery that will appear to a wide variety of readers.
After taking pills at a party, Vivienne lies in a coma. Her best friend Davida swears Viv never drinks or uses drugs. BFFs know everything about each other, even if they’ve only been friends for five weeks. Vic’s and Davida’s boyfriends both suspects, are questioned by police as are those from her part-time job as a Simulated Patient SP at a medical school.
The SP program drew me to TELL ME WHEN YOU FEEL SOMETHING. Living near a number of medical schools, I was familiar with programs where people role played illnesses for student diagnosis. I’d never known programs to have the cosmetic application and the extent of physical preparation Vicki Grant described, but that added to the interest of the SP job.
Grant created an interesting cast of minor characters and family set ups, which added dimension to the story. TELL ME WHEN YOU FEEL SOMETHING alternated timelines and points of view. I knew early on many were unreliable narrators, how inaccurate I was unsure. Most of my theories turned out to be wrong.
TELL ME SOMETHING is a unique, interesting mystery that will appear to a wide variety of readers.
April 21, 2021
This is a story about medical acting... in more ways than one.
I was super curious about this bc I’ve had acquaintances who did medical acting & it’s a curious thing, to help someone learn the more nuanced aspects of doctoring like empathy. I also enjoy a good mystery/thriller, so it seemed right up my alley. I did really enjoy it, but it was *very* non linear & It felt very confusing at points- the jumping around between 3 characters & 3 timelines, and police interviews left the story a bit muddled for me. To be fair, nonlinear story telling is never my favorite- so it may just be a personal preference issue. That being said, I think overall it was a solid read with a good twist & a cast I enjoyed
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Thank you Netgalley & Penguin Random House Canada for the e-Arc!
I was super curious about this bc I’ve had acquaintances who did medical acting & it’s a curious thing, to help someone learn the more nuanced aspects of doctoring like empathy. I also enjoy a good mystery/thriller, so it seemed right up my alley. I did really enjoy it, but it was *very* non linear & It felt very confusing at points- the jumping around between 3 characters & 3 timelines, and police interviews left the story a bit muddled for me. To be fair, nonlinear story telling is never my favorite- so it may just be a personal preference issue. That being said, I think overall it was a solid read with a good twist & a cast I enjoyed
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Thank you Netgalley & Penguin Random House Canada for the e-Arc!
May 23, 2021
Rating: 2/5 stars
TW: Alcoholism, fake blood, sexual assault, rape, dead animals
I received this novel as an e-ARC from NetGalley and Penguin Teen. Any and all thoughts are my own.
Viv is seemingly the perfect girl. Her family is rich, she has good friends, and has a good paying job as a "simulated patient" for med school students to practice on. However, everything changes when she is caught taking a mysterious pill at a party and ends up in a coma. Now, Davida, Viv's friend, is attempting to unravel the past to determine what exactly happened to Viv that night.
I was extremely drawn in by the set-up of the story, that being it taking place at this simulated patient program where the teens are basically fake test subjects. I have never heard of this kind of program and I'm curious how many facilities actually employ this kind of program. It took you through the ins and outs of the program and what these kids actually dealt with, which I think was awesome!
However, the rest of the book fell extremely flat for me. Let's start with how the story is told. We start off in Davida's POV as she is being interrogated, which sets readers up to think that she's our main character, right? Wrong. A majority of the story is told from Viv's POV up until the accident that landed her in the hospital. It kind of reminded me of Sadie by Courtney Summers in its narrative choice, but it really didn't work for me. I was convinced this was Davida's whole story of investigation, but it just seems like a re-hashing of what happened to Viv from Viv's perspective. It was contradictory to me.
Speaking of POVs, the story is consistently shifting between interviews, different major and minor characters, and time skips. It was very confusing to follow in the first 20% of the book because you still have no idea who's story this is supposed to be telling. Is Davida solving the mystery or is this just the story of Viv and the other characters are just minor players? In addition, this layout unfortunately resulted in the re-hashing of information and plot twists that were supposed to be big, but in reality felt boring and repetitive, a big downfall for any mystery novel.
Another caveat to the story was that there were these moments that would have been perfect as an individual chapter or moment as they really leave the reader in suspense. Instead, it's broken up several times by another character's POV and it infuriated me to no end. I want to know what's in that box or in that letter but nope, we absolutely have to go back to Viv's POV for the sake of backstory.
I also absolutely despised Tim's POV and his character. His character was beyond bizarre and he may have had a heart of gold, but he was annoying and his POV could have been excluded and the story would have been a thousand times better. I first thought he was a creeper with how he was written, only to find out he's one of Viv's best friends? It wasn't good.
Mysteries are supposed to have build-up, theories, hints dropped every once in a while about what truly happened and who could be the culprit. This book had none of that. Everything gets dropped on you 80% of the way through the book and left me thinking, "Was this foreshadowed at all?" The answer was no, it wasn't. Did it make sense in the end? Kind of? It didn't feel as cohesive to me as this story should have been.
Now one of the biggest downfalls had to be the hint of bad mental health rep and medical inaccuracies. Davida talks at one point about her mother who abandoned her and how she had bipolar disorder. She had only known her for a few years before she left, but Davida even refers to it as her mother "getting sick." It was only really mentioned once, but it gave me big red flags. I'm just glad it wasn't really drawn out besides Davida's PTSD with some of the events.
Now for medical inaccuracies, this is a spoiler for the end of the novel, so feel free to skip this if needed: It's revealed that Viv took oxycodone, a single pill of it. She mixed it with alcohol before, and apparently that was what put her in the coma. However, after consulting my friend who is a medical school student, I discovered that this is NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO ACCOMPLISH unless Viv took a lot more oxycodone pills. So the whole mystery is completely made up and that angered me a lot.
Tell Me When You Feel Something falls into the category of great idea, horrible execution. I wouldn't recommend this to any fans of mystery novels or those trying to get into mystery. It's extremely confusing to get into and will leave you wishing there was more build-up.
TW: Alcoholism, fake blood, sexual assault, rape, dead animals
I received this novel as an e-ARC from NetGalley and Penguin Teen. Any and all thoughts are my own.
Viv is seemingly the perfect girl. Her family is rich, she has good friends, and has a good paying job as a "simulated patient" for med school students to practice on. However, everything changes when she is caught taking a mysterious pill at a party and ends up in a coma. Now, Davida, Viv's friend, is attempting to unravel the past to determine what exactly happened to Viv that night.
I was extremely drawn in by the set-up of the story, that being it taking place at this simulated patient program where the teens are basically fake test subjects. I have never heard of this kind of program and I'm curious how many facilities actually employ this kind of program. It took you through the ins and outs of the program and what these kids actually dealt with, which I think was awesome!
However, the rest of the book fell extremely flat for me. Let's start with how the story is told. We start off in Davida's POV as she is being interrogated, which sets readers up to think that she's our main character, right? Wrong. A majority of the story is told from Viv's POV up until the accident that landed her in the hospital. It kind of reminded me of Sadie by Courtney Summers in its narrative choice, but it really didn't work for me. I was convinced this was Davida's whole story of investigation, but it just seems like a re-hashing of what happened to Viv from Viv's perspective. It was contradictory to me.
Speaking of POVs, the story is consistently shifting between interviews, different major and minor characters, and time skips. It was very confusing to follow in the first 20% of the book because you still have no idea who's story this is supposed to be telling. Is Davida solving the mystery or is this just the story of Viv and the other characters are just minor players? In addition, this layout unfortunately resulted in the re-hashing of information and plot twists that were supposed to be big, but in reality felt boring and repetitive, a big downfall for any mystery novel.
Another caveat to the story was that there were these moments that would have been perfect as an individual chapter or moment as they really leave the reader in suspense. Instead, it's broken up several times by another character's POV and it infuriated me to no end. I want to know what's in that box or in that letter but nope, we absolutely have to go back to Viv's POV for the sake of backstory.
I also absolutely despised Tim's POV and his character. His character was beyond bizarre and he may have had a heart of gold, but he was annoying and his POV could have been excluded and the story would have been a thousand times better. I first thought he was a creeper with how he was written, only to find out he's one of Viv's best friends? It wasn't good.
Mysteries are supposed to have build-up, theories, hints dropped every once in a while about what truly happened and who could be the culprit. This book had none of that. Everything gets dropped on you 80% of the way through the book and left me thinking, "Was this foreshadowed at all?" The answer was no, it wasn't. Did it make sense in the end? Kind of? It didn't feel as cohesive to me as this story should have been.
Now one of the biggest downfalls had to be the hint of bad mental health rep and medical inaccuracies. Davida talks at one point about her mother who abandoned her and how she had bipolar disorder. She had only known her for a few years before she left, but Davida even refers to it as her mother "getting sick." It was only really mentioned once, but it gave me big red flags. I'm just glad it wasn't really drawn out besides Davida's PTSD with some of the events.
Now for medical inaccuracies, this is a spoiler for the end of the novel, so feel free to skip this if needed: It's revealed that Viv took oxycodone, a single pill of it. She mixed it with alcohol before, and apparently that was what put her in the coma. However, after consulting my friend who is a medical school student, I discovered that this is NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO ACCOMPLISH unless Viv took a lot more oxycodone pills. So the whole mystery is completely made up and that angered me a lot.
Tell Me When You Feel Something falls into the category of great idea, horrible execution. I wouldn't recommend this to any fans of mystery novels or those trying to get into mystery. It's extremely confusing to get into and will leave you wishing there was more build-up.
January 7, 2022
TW: sexual assault, alcoholism, grooming, pedophilia
Get ready for a rant review with notes from my reading, because, oh boy, I have thoughts!!! I picked this up simply because I thought the premise was interesting. I don’t think I’ve read anything this bad in a long time. I knew from the first few chapters that it was gonna be rough, but it was short so I figured why not give it a chance. The bar was low, and somehow it went lower.
This is a YA book, and I feel like the author took really harmful topics like sexual assault, grooming, pedophilia and alcoholism and tried to turn it into some shallow teen drama. It also has some really harmful family dynamics and side character stories that are also really not okay.
I knew so early on that it was the doctor who assaulted Viv, and while I will admit the author did give decent examples of grooming assault behaviours, I was not prepared for the level of horrible crimes. It seemed like half this book was a teen drama about family problems, friends and drinking, and then all of a sudden it becomes about mass sexual assault to teens in this med school work program.
So many issues were glossed over, like the father cheating on the mother, and then the mother being made out to be over-the-top for her crazy reactions??? And then Viv just went along with her dad and his new wife, even though she claimed to feel bad for her mom??? That really bothered me and it was just a subplot. Viv also was clearly suffering from alcoholism but yeah, it’s totally okay that she’s “friends” with a cab driver who will buy this underage girl alcohol so she stays “off the streets”!!!! Davida and Tim literally were irrelevant. All their chapters felt like pointless filler drama. Don’t get me started on the hospital assistant who knew about 20 years of pedophilia, said it was “harmless” and then decided to kill the victims that could have revealed their crimes. She clearly had a mental health disorder, but this just randomly came about in the last few chapters so it was very poorly written for shock.
Along with all this, the writing is also garbage. I felt like the author googled “how do teens speak” and “what do teens like” and went from there. I’ve never done notes during a reading before but here they are because I was just so shocked by the stupidity that I needed proof that I wasn’t making it up. Here ya go.
Stupid things from the book
⁃ “Face-vulva” to describe a chin dimple
⁃ “Poop-emoji” to describe chocolate icing
⁃ Using hashtags in the inner monologue??
⁃ The “betrayal” of your friend is just her not getting
in touch with you after summer camp when you were little???
⁃ “George was pale and damp-looking, as if someone had carved his perfect face out of congealed bacon fat”
⁃ Ripping apart a taxidermy squirrel because you “want to hurt something. Someone.” WHAT??? STILL SICK!!!!
⁃ This whole thing happens over the span of like a month but you’ve been “dating” for like 2 weeks and you say “I love you” excuse me???
⁃ “Dr. Hotness” being used more than his actual name
⁃ “She smiled at Davida and rolled her eyes heavenward, a GIF of bliss.” Does the author believe teens think this way??
⁃ HITTING YOUR BOYFRIEND SO HE’LL BELIEVE YOU WHEN YOU’RE LYING SAYING YOU WANT TO BREAK UP?!? EXCUSE ME??????
I think this book had the effect of bad reality tv because while it was total, problematic trash, I got to a point where I could not put it down just to see how stupid it was gonna get. Do not recommend✌🏻
Get ready for a rant review with notes from my reading, because, oh boy, I have thoughts!!! I picked this up simply because I thought the premise was interesting. I don’t think I’ve read anything this bad in a long time. I knew from the first few chapters that it was gonna be rough, but it was short so I figured why not give it a chance. The bar was low, and somehow it went lower.
This is a YA book, and I feel like the author took really harmful topics like sexual assault, grooming, pedophilia and alcoholism and tried to turn it into some shallow teen drama. It also has some really harmful family dynamics and side character stories that are also really not okay.
I knew so early on that it was the doctor who assaulted Viv, and while I will admit the author did give decent examples of grooming assault behaviours, I was not prepared for the level of horrible crimes. It seemed like half this book was a teen drama about family problems, friends and drinking, and then all of a sudden it becomes about mass sexual assault to teens in this med school work program.
So many issues were glossed over, like the father cheating on the mother, and then the mother being made out to be over-the-top for her crazy reactions??? And then Viv just went along with her dad and his new wife, even though she claimed to feel bad for her mom??? That really bothered me and it was just a subplot. Viv also was clearly suffering from alcoholism but yeah, it’s totally okay that she’s “friends” with a cab driver who will buy this underage girl alcohol so she stays “off the streets”!!!! Davida and Tim literally were irrelevant. All their chapters felt like pointless filler drama. Don’t get me started on the hospital assistant who knew about 20 years of pedophilia, said it was “harmless” and then decided to kill the victims that could have revealed their crimes. She clearly had a mental health disorder, but this just randomly came about in the last few chapters so it was very poorly written for shock.
Along with all this, the writing is also garbage. I felt like the author googled “how do teens speak” and “what do teens like” and went from there. I’ve never done notes during a reading before but here they are because I was just so shocked by the stupidity that I needed proof that I wasn’t making it up. Here ya go.
Stupid things from the book
⁃ “Face-vulva” to describe a chin dimple
⁃ “Poop-emoji” to describe chocolate icing
⁃ Using hashtags in the inner monologue??
⁃ The “betrayal” of your friend is just her not getting
in touch with you after summer camp when you were little???
⁃ “George was pale and damp-looking, as if someone had carved his perfect face out of congealed bacon fat”
⁃ Ripping apart a taxidermy squirrel because you “want to hurt something. Someone.” WHAT??? STILL SICK!!!!
⁃ This whole thing happens over the span of like a month but you’ve been “dating” for like 2 weeks and you say “I love you” excuse me???
⁃ “Dr. Hotness” being used more than his actual name
⁃ “She smiled at Davida and rolled her eyes heavenward, a GIF of bliss.” Does the author believe teens think this way??
⁃ HITTING YOUR BOYFRIEND SO HE’LL BELIEVE YOU WHEN YOU’RE LYING SAYING YOU WANT TO BREAK UP?!? EXCUSE ME??????
I think this book had the effect of bad reality tv because while it was total, problematic trash, I got to a point where I could not put it down just to see how stupid it was gonna get. Do not recommend✌🏻
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 7, 2021
I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I'm not going to lie. When I saw that I got approved to read Tell Me When You Feel Something I was honestly really excited. The synopsis just made this sound wicked, dark, and delicious. I wanted it to be a mystery that kept me on my toes and second guessing everything, everyone and every damn decision.
Unfortunately, that just didn't happen for me. Which is really disappointing because the way this started off just made it seem like it was going to be extremely entertaining, engaging, and keep me on the edge of my seat. It just didn't happen and this book just became boring to me so freaking quickly.
In it, you will meet Viv, Tim, and Davida. They weren't always the best friends but when they actually met one another and hung out - well, they certainly became quick friends with the potential to become best friends. Now Viv just annoyed and frustrated me throughout the book. Tim wasn't any better because it just seemed like he would always pick a way to make Davida uncomfortable.
Other than those two, Davida was one okay character but pretty quick to jump to assume the worst out of her so-called friends. Tension was definitely running high between everyone and I just wanted to know who was behind it all.
I guess the one good thing about this book was the mystery. Also the ending wasn't that bad because it did drop a little bomb or two. Which, in a way, if I wasn't bored I probably would have seen the clues that eventually lead up to the big reveal.
In the end, it was an okay book but I'm mostly disappointed that I didn't love it since I was really excited to dive into it.
I'm not going to lie. When I saw that I got approved to read Tell Me When You Feel Something I was honestly really excited. The synopsis just made this sound wicked, dark, and delicious. I wanted it to be a mystery that kept me on my toes and second guessing everything, everyone and every damn decision.
Unfortunately, that just didn't happen for me. Which is really disappointing because the way this started off just made it seem like it was going to be extremely entertaining, engaging, and keep me on the edge of my seat. It just didn't happen and this book just became boring to me so freaking quickly.
In it, you will meet Viv, Tim, and Davida. They weren't always the best friends but when they actually met one another and hung out - well, they certainly became quick friends with the potential to become best friends. Now Viv just annoyed and frustrated me throughout the book. Tim wasn't any better because it just seemed like he would always pick a way to make Davida uncomfortable.
Other than those two, Davida was one okay character but pretty quick to jump to assume the worst out of her so-called friends. Tension was definitely running high between everyone and I just wanted to know who was behind it all.
I guess the one good thing about this book was the mystery. Also the ending wasn't that bad because it did drop a little bomb or two. Which, in a way, if I wasn't bored I probably would have seen the clues that eventually lead up to the big reveal.
In the end, it was an okay book but I'm mostly disappointed that I didn't love it since I was really excited to dive into it.
June 4, 2021
*thanks to net galley for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review*
2.5/5 ⭐⭐💫
So being honest, im being generous with this book it started really promising, but I slowly lost interest and instead of a pleasent read this became something I had to finish.
2.5/5 ⭐⭐💫
So being honest, im being generous with this book it started really promising, but I slowly lost interest and instead of a pleasent read this became something I had to finish.
February 20, 2023
*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review*
Tell me when you feel something tells the story of a trio of teens, Davida, Tim, and Viv, over the course of about 2 months in the lead up and aftermath of a party. Firstly I do think this book should have come with a trigger warning for SA. While I personally was not affected, many people are and I truly didn’t expect that aspect to play a part in this book when I first decided to pick it up. Meanwhile, I did enjoy the short chapters and the alternating perspective of the characters, and while the time jumps were a bit confusing at times I did think the story worked with that kind of writing style. I also very much enjoyed the SP/ medical school aspect. I thought it was a very interesting concept that I haven’t seen done before. Other than that this book felt very meh to me. It took me about 40% of the book to fully understand what was going on and I’m not sure if it was the formatting of the book but at times it was very confusing to read. While I did read this book in 2 sittings, I didn’t really enjoy the reading experience. I kept reading mostly to finish it and see how it all was gonna wrap up. I saw the ‘plot twist’ from about 50% into the book and while I was somewhat satisfied with an aspect of the ending the other part seemed a bit too cliche and easily wrapped up. I would have like a slightly different spin on how it wrapped up. It was a decent read and a decent mystery but nothing revolutionary
Tell me when you feel something tells the story of a trio of teens, Davida, Tim, and Viv, over the course of about 2 months in the lead up and aftermath of a party. Firstly I do think this book should have come with a trigger warning for SA. While I personally was not affected, many people are and I truly didn’t expect that aspect to play a part in this book when I first decided to pick it up. Meanwhile, I did enjoy the short chapters and the alternating perspective of the characters, and while the time jumps were a bit confusing at times I did think the story worked with that kind of writing style. I also very much enjoyed the SP/ medical school aspect. I thought it was a very interesting concept that I haven’t seen done before. Other than that this book felt very meh to me. It took me about 40% of the book to fully understand what was going on and I’m not sure if it was the formatting of the book but at times it was very confusing to read. While I did read this book in 2 sittings, I didn’t really enjoy the reading experience. I kept reading mostly to finish it and see how it all was gonna wrap up. I saw the ‘plot twist’ from about 50% into the book and while I was somewhat satisfied with an aspect of the ending the other part seemed a bit too cliche and easily wrapped up. I would have like a slightly different spin on how it wrapped up. It was a decent read and a decent mystery but nothing revolutionary
February 25, 2021
really wish I loved this one more than I did. the ending was incredibly lacking, and I wasn't able to connect to the characters in any way.
I do believe that there are some readers that may enjoy this, but it just seemed quite similar to books I've previously read, and therefore couldn't fully appreciate it.
I do believe that there are some readers that may enjoy this, but it just seemed quite similar to books I've previously read, and therefore couldn't fully appreciate it.
July 7, 2021
3.5
March 29, 2021
CW: Drug and Alcohol use, Pedophilia, Sexual Assault
First I would like to thank Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Okay, so this was an interesting book.. We follow the story of, "What really happened to Viv?" You are introduced to the main characters, Viv and Davida’s life of Stimulated Patients at a medical school. Life is going well for these high school girls, until multiple videos show what happened at a party where Viv took a party drug pill, and now lays in a coma. While I usually enjoy the bouncing from multiple point of views, I found this book to be lacking in that "spark" to keep me interested. The different writing styles were a great touch to the book, bouncing from third person point of view with first person narrative and police interviews.
I took me FOREVER to read this book. Which was a shame because I usually get through books fairly quick, especially one with a synopsis so intriguing. But, again, this book just lacked that spark for me. I felt that Grant put so little into too many characters without focusing on a few great ones to center the book around. While the concept of the story was nice and original, the end lacked greatly in suspense and surprise. I am always disappointed when I am able to figure out the beginning just a few chapters in.
The lack of content warning, and story development were what caused my three star rating. This book HIGHLY deserved and NEEDED a trigger warning.
First I would like to thank Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Okay, so this was an interesting book.. We follow the story of, "What really happened to Viv?" You are introduced to the main characters, Viv and Davida’s life of Stimulated Patients at a medical school. Life is going well for these high school girls, until multiple videos show what happened at a party where Viv took a party drug pill, and now lays in a coma. While I usually enjoy the bouncing from multiple point of views, I found this book to be lacking in that "spark" to keep me interested. The different writing styles were a great touch to the book, bouncing from third person point of view with first person narrative and police interviews.
I took me FOREVER to read this book. Which was a shame because I usually get through books fairly quick, especially one with a synopsis so intriguing. But, again, this book just lacked that spark for me. I felt that Grant put so little into too many characters without focusing on a few great ones to center the book around. While the concept of the story was nice and original, the end lacked greatly in suspense and surprise. I am always disappointed when I am able to figure out the beginning just a few chapters in.
The lack of content warning, and story development were what caused my three star rating. This book HIGHLY deserved and NEEDED a trigger warning.
February 20, 2021
I was provided with an eARC of Tell Me When You Feel Something in exchange for an honest review.
Tell Me When You Feel Something is a mystery told in a variety of perspectives and formats (police interviews, legal documents, multiple perspectives) that unfortunately, all read as slow, boring, and indistinguishable to me. Maybe reading this in print would make it easier to keep the POVs separate, but all the characters read as pretty much the same to me and the things that did differentiate them really annoyed me. Mysteries don't have to focus on likeable characters but when you spend this much time on character details instead of unfolding the actual mystery, I feel like at least someone needs to be likable.
Tell Me When You Feel Something is a mystery told in a variety of perspectives and formats (police interviews, legal documents, multiple perspectives) that unfortunately, all read as slow, boring, and indistinguishable to me. Maybe reading this in print would make it easier to keep the POVs separate, but all the characters read as pretty much the same to me and the things that did differentiate them really annoyed me. Mysteries don't have to focus on likeable characters but when you spend this much time on character details instead of unfolding the actual mystery, I feel like at least someone needs to be likable.
June 28, 2021
Want to see more bookish things from me? Check out my Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfer...
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review*
Vivienne and Davida are simulated patients for the local medical school. They are given scripts and fake ailments to allow for the med students to practice caring for them. When a video of Viv taking a pill one night at a party, and landing in a coma begins to circulate, people begin to speculate that it was an overdose. But Davida knows Viv would never do that, and decides to find out what happened to her friend.
I thought I was really going to enjoy this, the concept was intriguing and it seemed right up my alley. Unfortunately, I just found it to be very average and predictable. I liked the short chapters and the alternating POVs, as well as the interwoven transcripts for the police interviews. I also enjoyed how we are given chapters in multiple timelines, days before and after the party. It was an interesting way to try to piece the mystery together. The twist ending wasn't much of a twist, and I think that was my biggest disappointment for this. I also think that this book should have trigger warnings for sexual assault as well as grooming, as it does go into pretty detailed descriptions...
Overall, it was alright, but way too predictable for my liking.
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review*
Vivienne and Davida are simulated patients for the local medical school. They are given scripts and fake ailments to allow for the med students to practice caring for them. When a video of Viv taking a pill one night at a party, and landing in a coma begins to circulate, people begin to speculate that it was an overdose. But Davida knows Viv would never do that, and decides to find out what happened to her friend.
I thought I was really going to enjoy this, the concept was intriguing and it seemed right up my alley. Unfortunately, I just found it to be very average and predictable. I liked the short chapters and the alternating POVs, as well as the interwoven transcripts for the police interviews. I also enjoyed how we are given chapters in multiple timelines, days before and after the party. It was an interesting way to try to piece the mystery together. The twist ending wasn't much of a twist, and I think that was my biggest disappointment for this. I also think that this book should have trigger warnings for sexual assault as well as grooming, as it does go into pretty detailed descriptions...
Overall, it was alright, but way too predictable for my liking.
June 4, 2021
A charismatic female student is in a coma. Drugs are rumoured to be involved, but everyone who knows Viv maintains she would never touch drugs. So, what happened?
We learn the shocking truth as we flit between the stories of Viv and her friends. Piece by piece we get to put the story together..and it’s not a pleasant one.
The common factor in the story is the fact that people have secrets they don’t want to share with others. Some of those secrets are more dangerous than others, but combined they create a toxic environment.
Initially it seemed we were being encouraged to see this as a love triangle gone wrong. The home situation of Viv made it all too easy to see how some of this was not seen earlier. There’s a few red herrings thrown in to suggest alternate stories...but I did suspect the truth from quite early on and it became a case of waiting to see how the strands would fit together.
This is certainly a story that will have appeal to many, but there are potentially triggering experiences that could have been better signalled. Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for granting me access to this prior to publication.
We learn the shocking truth as we flit between the stories of Viv and her friends. Piece by piece we get to put the story together..and it’s not a pleasant one.
The common factor in the story is the fact that people have secrets they don’t want to share with others. Some of those secrets are more dangerous than others, but combined they create a toxic environment.
Initially it seemed we were being encouraged to see this as a love triangle gone wrong. The home situation of Viv made it all too easy to see how some of this was not seen earlier. There’s a few red herrings thrown in to suggest alternate stories...but I did suspect the truth from quite early on and it became a case of waiting to see how the strands would fit together.
This is certainly a story that will have appeal to many, but there are potentially triggering experiences that could have been better signalled. Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for granting me access to this prior to publication.
March 3, 2021
The book uses multiple POVs (including the one of the victim) and multiple time periods that jump back and forth to create the total picture for the reader to discover the truth. Sounds intriguing, but the execution is a total chaos. The book also tried to deal with too many problems, and none of them were discussed in depth. Some (or most?) of the characters really have temper issues, it's okay to read one chapter of them arguing but exploding through the whole book? That just makes the whole explosions boring. They were probably all firecrackers but in my eyes they are just sparklers. Fun to play but not to watch/read.
In summary: a group of teenagers that have issues mess up their lives and the time of the reader.
In summary: a group of teenagers that have issues mess up their lives and the time of the reader.
March 8, 2021
Were do I begin. This book was absolutely amazing! I could not stop reading it. I thought at first the style of the way it was written was going to be a bit bothersome but it actually was very creative and helped the story become more alive.
I love how this story does not get overly dramatic and presents its self in a real life situation. I felt for all the characters involved because of the way it was written. You get to feel for everyone and see different points of view through their eyes.
The story unfolds so nicely and comes together at the end with a couple twists in the plot then a surprise. I really enjoyed this book and plan to check out more by this author. I am so glad I got the chance to read this. So thank you for allowing me access to read this book and to review it. I thoroughly enjoyed it!
I love how this story does not get overly dramatic and presents its self in a real life situation. I felt for all the characters involved because of the way it was written. You get to feel for everyone and see different points of view through their eyes.
The story unfolds so nicely and comes together at the end with a couple twists in the plot then a surprise. I really enjoyed this book and plan to check out more by this author. I am so glad I got the chance to read this. So thank you for allowing me access to read this book and to review it. I thoroughly enjoyed it!
October 16, 2021
The story was enough to keep me reading continuously, mostly because the main character was fleshed out really well; feelings of inadequacy and the need to keep pretending everything was perfect in her life. Having way too many friends, being popular, and yet having no one to confide her problems to, as everyone already saw her as having the perfect life. It's about the little secrets that we keep, in order to save other people. This was the highlight of the book for me, more than the story itself. I was fascinated with the idea of simulated patients, but felt that it was only placed into the story for the set-up. I wish it had more to do with the story, rather than just being a background. The story/crime itself really needed to have been more thrilling. 3.5 rounded down because of this.
Read
November 19, 2023DNF.
February 28, 2021
*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. This book is set to be published on June 15th, 2021.
TWS: substance abuse, sexual assault
If you're a fan of One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus, this book is for you.
After taking a pill at a party, Viv is in a coma. Viv's friend (of about a month), Davida, goes to the police investigating the so-called overdose insisting that Viv doesn't drink, do drugs, or engage in any reckless behavior at all. Other witnesses, however, say otherwise.
The story is told through 3 POVs: Viv, Davida, and Tim (Viv's friend & Davida's boyfriend). Police interview transcripts are also written in throughout the book to bring in various other viewpoints and opinions about our comatose MC (main character) and what actually might have happened to her.
We are taken through all of the events from the month or so leading up to the party, most of them involving our MCs and their part-time jobs as SPs (simulated patients) at a medical school. You slowly start to learn that Viv's life isn't what her friends and boyfriend thought it was, there is a lot going on under the surface that is unpacked throughout the book.
The plot and pacing of this book is spectacular. The story is entirely original and unique from other mystery novels that are currently out there (I did NOT guess the ending, which is something that unfortunately happens to me a lot when I read mysteries). The answers you are seeking as a reader unfold at a pace that keeps you interested and at the edge of your seat.
The main characters are interesting and each of their POVs are written in a unique voice that helps make the book feel more feel and made me feel more connected to the characters. You can tell that the author put a lot of effort into creating a unique writing style for each POV that matched the character's personality and quirks (Tim is my favorite).
Overall, I gave this a 4/5 stars. I am excited for this book to be printed in June. I definitely intend on purchasing it and re-reading it in its final format. If you are a fan of mysteries with lots of twists and turns (think Karen M. McManus books), "Tell Me When You Feel Something" is for you.
TWS: substance abuse, sexual assault
If you're a fan of One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus, this book is for you.
After taking a pill at a party, Viv is in a coma. Viv's friend (of about a month), Davida, goes to the police investigating the so-called overdose insisting that Viv doesn't drink, do drugs, or engage in any reckless behavior at all. Other witnesses, however, say otherwise.
The story is told through 3 POVs: Viv, Davida, and Tim (Viv's friend & Davida's boyfriend). Police interview transcripts are also written in throughout the book to bring in various other viewpoints and opinions about our comatose MC (main character) and what actually might have happened to her.
We are taken through all of the events from the month or so leading up to the party, most of them involving our MCs and their part-time jobs as SPs (simulated patients) at a medical school. You slowly start to learn that Viv's life isn't what her friends and boyfriend thought it was, there is a lot going on under the surface that is unpacked throughout the book.
The plot and pacing of this book is spectacular. The story is entirely original and unique from other mystery novels that are currently out there (I did NOT guess the ending, which is something that unfortunately happens to me a lot when I read mysteries). The answers you are seeking as a reader unfold at a pace that keeps you interested and at the edge of your seat.
The main characters are interesting and each of their POVs are written in a unique voice that helps make the book feel more feel and made me feel more connected to the characters. You can tell that the author put a lot of effort into creating a unique writing style for each POV that matched the character's personality and quirks (Tim is my favorite).
Overall, I gave this a 4/5 stars. I am excited for this book to be printed in June. I definitely intend on purchasing it and re-reading it in its final format. If you are a fan of mysteries with lots of twists and turns (think Karen M. McManus books), "Tell Me When You Feel Something" is for you.
February 26, 2021
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book!
Trigger warnings: sexual assault, drugs, alcohol
Tell Me When You Feel Something was super interesting. I didn't suspect the guilty person until the last 20% of the book and even then I was still kind of wrong. The jumping around between different points of views, times and detective interviews took me a while to understand. I usually have issues with books that have points of views before and after the big plot point as I don't really pay much attention to time stamps (more on me than the author). Just having to jump between the different points of views was confusing. The reader is supposed to understand the character of Davida when you don't really get to read much of her points at all. The book is mainly about Viv, which is fine, I didn't like her character much at first but she grew on me as you read more, but I feel as if there should have been more development behind Davida. It almost feels like a rushed book and especially a rushed ending when there could have been so much more development in order to make the book more understanding to the readers. I also think Tim's point of views were unnecessary and just annoying thankfully they were short. Like, yes, we understand, you're weird and different and in love, yay.
Overall, I really did enjoy this book. It was a quick read and very interesting once you read enough to understand what is going on. Definitely a great book if you're looking for something kind of similar to One of Us Is Lying!
Trigger warnings: sexual assault, drugs, alcohol
Tell Me When You Feel Something was super interesting. I didn't suspect the guilty person until the last 20% of the book and even then I was still kind of wrong. The jumping around between different points of views, times and detective interviews took me a while to understand. I usually have issues with books that have points of views before and after the big plot point as I don't really pay much attention to time stamps (more on me than the author). Just having to jump between the different points of views was confusing. The reader is supposed to understand the character of Davida when you don't really get to read much of her points at all. The book is mainly about Viv, which is fine, I didn't like her character much at first but she grew on me as you read more, but I feel as if there should have been more development behind Davida. It almost feels like a rushed book and especially a rushed ending when there could have been so much more development in order to make the book more understanding to the readers. I also think Tim's point of views were unnecessary and just annoying thankfully they were short. Like, yes, we understand, you're weird and different and in love, yay.
Overall, I really did enjoy this book. It was a quick read and very interesting once you read enough to understand what is going on. Definitely a great book if you're looking for something kind of similar to One of Us Is Lying!
March 11, 2021
*I received an eARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
Had some really mixed feelings for the first half of this book but it won me through the second half!
First of all, the concept is very interesting and I thought it was quite original! The setting of the local med-school and the idea of simulated patients was very intriguing and it built a good atmosphere.
The plot was also intriguing, it moved fast and it kept me turning the pages to find out what would happen next. I was guessing some plot twists a little before they happened but not in a way that annoyed me, since I feel like the story had a lot to give when it came to the effect of what was happening to the psyche of the characters.
The characters themselves were quite unlikeable, like most teen characters in YA thrillers tend to be but I guess it was about sympathizing for them without having to like them.
I also had to take that one star away because a lot of comments the characters were making went from ''cringey'' to problematic. I feel like they made occasional comments about things like eating disorders, mental illness, relationships, that lacked sensitivity and that would upset me at times.
Big trigger warning for sexual assault as well, even though I feel like the aftermath of it was handled quite well. I think that could upset quite a few readers, but, all in all, it was a very enjoyable fast-paced thriller!
Had some really mixed feelings for the first half of this book but it won me through the second half!
First of all, the concept is very interesting and I thought it was quite original! The setting of the local med-school and the idea of simulated patients was very intriguing and it built a good atmosphere.
The plot was also intriguing, it moved fast and it kept me turning the pages to find out what would happen next. I was guessing some plot twists a little before they happened but not in a way that annoyed me, since I feel like the story had a lot to give when it came to the effect of what was happening to the psyche of the characters.
The characters themselves were quite unlikeable, like most teen characters in YA thrillers tend to be but I guess it was about sympathizing for them without having to like them.
I also had to take that one star away because a lot of comments the characters were making went from ''cringey'' to problematic. I feel like they made occasional comments about things like eating disorders, mental illness, relationships, that lacked sensitivity and that would upset me at times.
Big trigger warning for sexual assault as well, even though I feel like the aftermath of it was handled quite well. I think that could upset quite a few readers, but, all in all, it was a very enjoyable fast-paced thriller!
February 22, 2021
The blurb captured my attention right away and I am so happy I was able to read this book. Being a YA novel, I knew some of the general tropes to expect but this story was able to hold my interest the entire time.
I really enjoyed the multiple points of view as well as the different timelines. I didn’t find this confusing and I appreciated entering each character’s mind. I thought this was a refreshing way to tell the story and uphold the mystery. The beginning did start slow but it began to pick up speed and didn’t stop until the climax. The climax may have been a bit too fast, I would have liked to see more, but it was satisfying nonetheless. I also would have liked some storylines wrap up better, maybe add in a few more details.
There are some triggers (binge drinking, sexual assault, pedophilia) so readers should be wary of those.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of the book to review. This review is my own opinion.
I really enjoyed the multiple points of view as well as the different timelines. I didn’t find this confusing and I appreciated entering each character’s mind. I thought this was a refreshing way to tell the story and uphold the mystery. The beginning did start slow but it began to pick up speed and didn’t stop until the climax. The climax may have been a bit too fast, I would have liked to see more, but it was satisfying nonetheless. I also would have liked some storylines wrap up better, maybe add in a few more details.
There are some triggers (binge drinking, sexual assault, pedophilia) so readers should be wary of those.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of the book to review. This review is my own opinion.
February 20, 2021
Fave Line: “ Life‘s too short for messing with the ‘maybes.”
Genre: YA Mystery
Synopsis:
After taking pills at a party, Vivienne lays in a coma. Her friends and boyfriend are adamant that she doesn’t drink or do drugs but some thing caused her to act uncharacteristically that night.
The story lead you through the moments before the party and after. It takes you through the tumultuous relationship her parents have and also her job as an SP (Simulated Patient) at a medical.
Rating:
4/5 ⭐️s
I read this book in less than 24 hours because I had to know what happened. I really liked that it was told from three points of view and from before & after the party. It is a heavy book due to the alcohol abuse, mental health trauma, and sexual assault. I’ll be interested to see it in print form.
Genre: YA Mystery
Synopsis:
After taking pills at a party, Vivienne lays in a coma. Her friends and boyfriend are adamant that she doesn’t drink or do drugs but some thing caused her to act uncharacteristically that night.
The story lead you through the moments before the party and after. It takes you through the tumultuous relationship her parents have and also her job as an SP (Simulated Patient) at a medical.
Rating:
4/5 ⭐️s
I read this book in less than 24 hours because I had to know what happened. I really liked that it was told from three points of view and from before & after the party. It is a heavy book due to the alcohol abuse, mental health trauma, and sexual assault. I’ll be interested to see it in print form.
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