Kaylee > Recent Status Updates

Waldo is out here like, “I’m going to seduce this man by microdosing my trauma dumps through multiple assignments.”
In all seriousness I do like that McCurdy juxtaposes Waldo’s obsession with explanations for why she’s feeling so intensely for her teacher. She’s never had a reliable father figure; raised by a mother who centers men & appearance; lonely & longing for connection. She wants to feel seen.

Opening with a cringey, awkward & painfully accurate depiction of many girls’/women’s sexual experiences is definitely attention grabbing.
My younger self feels so seen by this MC’s inner monologues. Trying to conform to be deemed lovable; to not ask for too much; to water down your personality to flatter & bolster someone else who would never do the same for you. It’s something I struggled with then & now.

Wow, so every Gravesdown involved in that car wreck had it coming, got it. :: “Cell Block Tango” begins to play :: You know it’s fiction when the evil rich folks actually face the consequences of their actions.
Crane just asked Annie if she’s okay & now “Smooth Criminal” is playing in my head.
Annie, you’re not stupid enough to drink anything offered to you by Saxon, right?

By this point in the first novel, I’d had a theory on who the killer(s) would be, but here I’m a little stumped. So much focus has been put on Archie that I feel it would be anticlimactic for it to turn out to be him. The rest of the potential suspects feel very underdeveloped & I can’t get a good read on them. I don’t feel like the diary entries are giving enough clues either.
Or maybe I’m less focused.

I’m still iffy on the police letting Annie stay in a house with the crime scene - one that doesn’t seem to be roped off anymore? Did the cops search the rest of the house for possible entry points for the intruder?
I do like the creepy atmosphere of Annie having to go close the solarium door during a storm.
Even someone as smart as Frances can get swept up in a whirlwind romance.

Another day, another murder. While the two are likely connected due to the recent revelations in Frances’s diary, the latest victim was also a snooty, busy body & may have pissed off the wrong person.
I figured Frances & Archie had a fling, but did not foresee what Annie found in Peony’s house.

The conversation with Saxon was interesting. If his theory is correct, who was the 4th passenger?
Still don’t trust his creepy old ass though.
Are he & Elva having marital problems? Is there more to the thump Annie heard from upstairs? Elva wouldn’t be shy about showing herself.
We’re getting more backstory on crotchety old Samantha. I wonder where she got the bruise?
No need to reiterate recap details.

Interesting to see Ford’s info surrounding the fatal car crash & the events leading up to it. Doesn’t explain everything though.
Samantha & Chief Marks can hold hands & skip merrily off a cliff together. Also very interesting that he has history in Castle Knoll.
Why did we skip over reviewing the security footage? Has Annie still not done that & just handed access over to the cops like they can be trusted?

So, once again, Annie IS allowed to stay at the house with an active crime scene - just don’t cross the police line, pretty please! At least this is an obvious homicide so the scene was actually processed properly.
There’s more to the death of Ford’s family than we thought.
I hate the new police chief.
Of course Annie is being set up! But by who & how are they gaining entry to the house?

Finally we’re getting to the contemporary mystery.
How did the killer get in the house? How did Peony? When did the murder actually occur & was the weapon the most obvious? Will the police be dumb & allow Annie to stay in an active crime scene yet again?
I’m glad to have some Jenny in this one - she balances Annie out pretty well & I like her character.
Screw these antagonistic, unprofessional cops.

Chapter 9 has some Gravesdown tea!
Ellen had a damn good reason for vandalizing that Bentley & I salute her for doing what she could to protect her fellow ladies.
I have a few theories about who paid her bail.
It’s cool to meet Archie’s brother.
It also cleared up confusion I had about the collapsed “old pub” from ch. 1 - I was unsure if it was separate from the Dead Witch where Annie frequents. It is.

I’m having a harder time discerning between Annie & Fran’s voices this time. maybe it’s because both timelines are discussing the same incident, maybe I have less of a bond with Fran in this one.
I have my theories about Winter 1967 & the ruby in the road.
Glad Archie’s getting more development.
Why did I think Samantha was younger?
The new police chief is a dick. Giving Sheriff Lamb from Veronica Mars.

I can’t wait to get past these clunky recaps - they’re even worse in the excerpts from Fran’s diary. No one writes in their journal like that.
I’m glad we’re looking into the suspicious car wreck that killed Ford’s family.
Was Archie in love with Fran? Everyone else seemed to be.
Slightly random info dump on Archie’s past.
Interesting find in the water wheel. Probably shouldn’t touch it.

Another group read with MIL & hubby.
I wonder what the Bentley’s owner did to invoke Ellen’s wrath. Also, her new name is highly predictable.
Poor Annie, the lonely heiress. She’s whining about the Foyles leaving their jobs in the estate - you have the funds to hire more staff. They still live next door, you can visit them.
The recaps of book 1 are clunky. Annie’s loneliness could have been shown vs told.

Everyone in this book is dumb. 🤦‍♀️
If you:
- look at adult websites on the company computer
- make adult content with an obvious screen name while wearing company products after signing a morality clause
- make minimal to no effort to cover up your stalking behavior, from neighbors to covering your literal tracks,
You’re going to have a bad time.
Morality clauses are no joke.

“Are you sure? … Once we start, I don’t know if I’ll be able to stop.” Well, sir, you’d better be able to or you shouldn’t be getting intimate with anyone. CONSENT CAN BE REVOKED AT ANY TIME!! If you continue after your partner says “stop” you are committing assault.
Chloe’s lingerie just vanishes after she’s instructed to turn around. Did she spin her clothes off? Is she a Sim?

In the last 9 pages the word “dominant” was used at least 6 times, 4 of which being used in the phrase “dominant energy.” I know Chloe is excited to discover this side of Jack but does she not know any synonyms?
I feel this aspect of him could have been portrayed better - through action & dialogue rather than Chloe’s insistence he’s got dominant energy.
This video is going to bite her in the ass.

Well one secret is out of the bag … not the most important one, but baby steps, I guess?
Thankfully these idiots are using protection.

“What if he’s early? What if he’s late?”
What if he turns out to be a serial killer? You invited a stranger to your home!
When she finally starts asking herself more serious questions like if someone else shows up or he brings people with him, she calls herself paranoid. Girl!!
If this chick whines about “vanilla” one more time …
This isn’t safe or sane, & consent is a bit iffy.

I know my anxious ass over analyzes messages from people but I don’t think I’ve ever stressed out over the use of ellipses or missed capitalization. Also Jack skips from his freak out to picking up flowers & food on his way to Chloe’s - so apparently they fleshed out the plans he was panicking over.
Jack compares his own situation to George Bailey’s. 🙄
More anxiety about telling Chloe he stalks her.

DON’T GIVE YOUR ADDRESS TO RANDOM MEN ON THE INTERNET!!!
For someone who “has lived in NY all her life” & watches true crime on a regular basis, you’d think Chloe would have more sense than she does. Inviting him to meet you at a club was dumb enough, but giving him your address & agreeing to be put in a very vulnerable position alone with him?
Girl, please think with your brain not your ladybits. Thanks.

Girl, even your stalker is thinking you need to use the buddy system while out on the town! Safety in numbers! Poor Sloane was nearly bored to death by a cryptobro!
“You’re a consenting adult. As long as you felt safe & respected, there’s nothing wrong with exploring your desires.” (p. 180) Okay, Sloane gives decent advice sometimes.
I do need both Chloe & Jack to stop whining about how torn they are.

I’m glad Chloe told Sloane about Tyler & Sloane will back her if she feels she should escalate the issue to their boss. I just wish Chloe saw the threat he poses.
Ladies, please look out for each other when at a club - don’t let your friends disappear with random masked men - that’s a good way for them to get murdered.
Exchanging bodily fluids with strangers at clubs is a great way to get STIs.

Why is Chloe going into the office to pick up more jewelry when Tyler dropped a bunch off at her house the night before?
Chloe’s starting to catch on that some of Jack’s stories / ruses don’t line up.
Stop calling Jack vanilla & yourself soooo dark! Many dudes are gentlemen in the streets & freaks in the sheets - they don’t advertise the latter … & you’re not that unique, Chloe!!!

*face palm* *head desk*
So Chloe won’t tell Sloane about the creepy behavior of their coworker, but will tell her about her extracurricular camgirl activities & the website they can be found on?! When she was just stressing about a partial face reveal in a video a few chapters ago?! This girl is dumb!
I get that Sloane is a friend but she’s also a coworker (superior?) & this could seriously impact Chloe’s job.

Damn Tyler! Stop showing up unannounced & being all weird! Persistence IS NOT cute! He consistently makes Jack look good - Jack’s stalking is Hallmark flavored while Tyler’s is more Lifetime “Moment of Truth” flavored. Both are red flags. Chloe watches true crime & can’t detect the signs? Is that not the reason to consume that content?
She NEEDS to tell Sloane about Tyler! Sloane could help!

Anyone who has seen a Hallmark movie is already making the comparison of this scene with those films, you don’t need to make the reference 4 times.
I’m annoyed that Chloe thinks she can tell if someone is kinky or vanilla by looking at them. Thats private, Chloe. Most people don’t wear their kinks on their sleeves.
Chinese takeout & true crime docs is my idea of a Saturday night.

If Jack had just introduced himself to Chloe as the first responder to the accident that killed her parents, this whole stalking business could’ve been avoided.
Chloe doing risqué videos as her alter ego wasn’t exactly what I expected but her doing them for free is more surprising. We don’t even give free feet pics, never mind what she’s doing.
I feel like Tyler’s going to find these videos …

The goofy thing about Jack is that he & Chloe actually do have great chemistry & he never had to do all this stalking bs, he just needed to talk to her. Now he’s done all this creepy shit & if she finds out all chances with her go up in smoke.
Then again, she keeps droning on about wanting a man with edge - maybe she will be into his creepy antics & I will have to throw the book across the room.

Tyler was actually making Jack look better but now Jack has upped his creep factor. Manipulating Chloe’s neighbor to let him in her house. Cameras. “The line between protector & predator has never felt so blurry.”
It’s not blurry. You’re a predator that has deluded himself into thinking he’s a protector.
Editing issue - Chloe lying on her bed - pj pants on. Chloe gets up - no pants. Where’d they go?