Karen Tayleur

Representation: N/A
Trigger warnings: Near-death experiences, death of people in the past, fire mentioned
Score: Four points out of ten.
I own this book. This review can also be found on The StoryGraph.

So this is the last novel I got from the library giveaway. I saw this one ay my library before they gave it away because it was too old, no one read it, or both. I put it off for a while until this one is the only one I had left, so I picked it up and finally read it. When I finished it, I saw the low rating and lowered my expectations, but even then, I couldn't enjoy Love Notes From Vinegar House. It starts with the first character I see, Freya Jackson Kramer, or Freya for short, who moved to a new town (I forgot its name) and a house: Vinegar House. The only reason Freya wants to move to Vinegar House is to avoid embarrassing moments on social media, specifically Facebook (Yes. Really.) Here's where the flaws surface: The narrative is at least ten years out of date, since what teenager uses Facebook in 2024? Also, I couldn't connect or relate to the characters, and the only explanation Freya offers as to why her cousin, Rumer, is manipulative is that she is bossy sometimes. That's it. Freya stays at Vinegar House for most of the narrative, and she occasionally goes out to the beach, and I'd like to say that if Love Notes From Vinegar House was a gothic thriller, it would be spectacularly unsuccessful. It doesn't work as a thriller, because there's not enough action. I can't recommend this piece of literature to anyone.… (mais)

I always enjoy books with unreliable narrators and this, although not the best, was quite an enjoyable read. Throughout the book various versions of events are interwoven so it is difficult to decide which is the real story. The reader is confronted with Tully's interview with the police, her childhood recollections, snippets from her treasure box as well as her own story. Even though Tully is not a really likeable character, she has had a tough life and this has made her stubborn and rude, you do fin yourself sympathising with her by the end of the book.… (mais)

"Six" is quite a chilling little read and from the start the reader knows that this book is not going to end well. Six teenagers' lives become entwined after a shocking discovery during the summer holidays before their final year at school. However, they choose to ignore it for fear of ruining their hopes and dreams, and quickly they are drawn into the frantic world of Year 12 with its exams, parties, relationships, drivers licenses and decisions about the future. Yet their discovery continues to haunt them and leaves them feeling uncomfortable around each other until they find themselves all in the same car after a late night party.

The blurb at the back of the book indicates that the story is narrated by six voices, which isn't true. Sarah is the main protagonist with an occasional chapter focusing on the other five teenagers and in my opinion it doesn't quite work. The use of first and third person narrative, flashbacks, diary entries, SMS and vlog entries is clever but I would have preferred that each character had an equal share of the story. The excerpts from children's nursery rhymes at the beginning of every chapter are rather creepy and give the reader an indication of what to expect in the coming pages. The ending is great! In fact I read it three times just to make sure I understood it properly. A gripping read!… (mais)