Thu Tran

I decided to buy this book after reading a ton of glowing reviews. To be honest, the beginning and the premise were super engaging — it really pulls you into a bizarre, twisted crime that also has a mysterious edge to it. But halfway through the book, I seriously wanted to give up. It just dragged on and on, and felt nothing like the Stephen King style I’m used to. In the latter half, I found myself skipping whole chapters because it got way too long-winded. And the ending? Super disappointing. Howie and Alec’s deaths were so anticlimactic — probably the most pointless character deaths I’ve ever read. These two deserved a much better send-off based on how they were introduced. If they had to die, at least let it be epic! As for Ralph, I felt like he never really showed enough remorse — even though his actions led to most of the misunderstanding and pain. Honestly, the ending left me really unsatisfied. If I had to sum up the book, it’s the textbook definition of “great start, terrible finish.”