I blame the marketing behind the book for my disappointment here. Don’t use words like “wild” and “electrifying” on the cover when nothing happens. Words mean things!

I didn’t dnf only because I knew there was “twist.” It does get slightly more interesting at the halfway mark - and even a bit more interesting in the last very short chapter - but it’s a lot to wade through before that happens. And it’s not clear that the payoff is worth it at all. Sarah’s story was just such a chore to get through - even though it’s somewhat relatable it’s just not fun to read at all! She just bounces around from one minor misfortune to another and none of it is super interesting. I don’t even usually need to like characters - but these characters were not likable AND were boring.

I want to appreciate the craft here. The next couple chapters are interesting in theory - and the tense and point of view switching is also interesting in theory - but the execution did not work for me. The scaffolding of the high school drama just wasn’t enough.

So I didn’t really enjoy reading this but I have to admit that does lend itself to a lot of discussion and I will probably continue to think about this book. (Though probably in annoyance). I have so many questions and it seems like everyone else does too - it seems clear enough that Kingsley and Lord were the same person. But was Martin also Lord? Did Karen really shoot Martin? Was David also Lord? If not, what bad thing did David do that Karen alluded to? Who was Claire - was she Sarah and Kingsley’s Child? Karen and Martin’s child? Were Sarah and Karen the same person? What did Elli do? What happened with Manuel? Who knows!! It’s very unsatisfying.