Fast, creepy read. Unusual ending. ( )

Very quick read and I absolutely loved it. Definitely not what I was expecting. Plenty of twists and perfect blend of the paranormal and mental illness. ( )

When She Was Good...
This book has a fascinating take on the traumas of grief and even generational trauma. I kept envisioning Jane and Ruth as versions of Rory and Lorelai Gilmore if they were allowed space to truly process their childhood hurts and fears. The mother-daughter relationship is centered in togetherness and friendship, but when it becomes a true Mother-Daughter dynamic, that's when the real dangers start.

The visuals in this book were also really good: depictions of hallucinations, lapses in judgment, visceral horror. These were sparse but well-done areas that Leno excelled in.

When She Was Bad...
I think I'm overall bored and tired of high school in books. New kids meeting classmates is so boring to me, and the scenes of Jane working in the café were also tiring. Her interest in mystery novels seemed trite and not as important when the twist that she needed to lead her to the truth was so minimal; did we really need pages and pages of how much she loved Agatha Christie?

She Was Horrid
Overall, I'd suggest this to anyone who likes YA horror and slice-of-life themes. What's good about this book is very good, and what's lacking can be overlooked. If anything, that cover art is super cool. ( )

3.5 Stars

I feel like I loved this book, but then 2 minutes later I feel like I didn’t?? I’m having a weird time trying to figure it out.

I think the reasoning for that is that the story and atmosphere are freaking awesome, but I wanted the side characters to mean more to the story and they just didn’t. The ending is very abrupt, and I’m a fan of an open/gotcha ending, but I wanted this one to have MORE leading up to that. It would’ve been cool if the mother, friends, and co-worker were somehow more connected to the things happening at the end— but it ended up that they were all MIA and kind of pointless to where the story went. But bonus points to ZERO romance!!

I definitely have feelings of “damnnnn girl” and I like that— I just wish this story was a tad more fleshed out. It sort of feels like it could’ve been a short story or one of those campfire tales instead of a full-fledged book. ( )

CW: Pica (Xylophagia), panic attacks, child neglect, self-harm mentioned, off page suicide attempt and off page actual suicide, dealing with grief, off page description of death of a father, description of death of loved one from being buried alive, bullying, murder & attempted murder, death of a pet mentioned

Well that was a deeply unsettling novel.

I keep starting sentences and then deleting them.

It was a very atmospheric novel that crept into my bones and nudged my fear button nicely. I can't think of who I would recommend this book to because it is quite disturbing. That's all I've got sorry. Absolutely NZ upper high school only. ( )