1.5 because I'm sure it could've been worse. There were good ideas here and the setting was great. Very atmospheric.

Everything else though... meh.

All the characters read the same: depressed, have a 'dark secret' (I use this term lightly), and they all have a bone to pick. I'm not much of a mystery reader but it was pretty obvious who died and who did it based solely on the fact that

the victim is the most charming then it's cemented that they'll die as soon as the second secret that involves them comes out -- all the others were unnecessary imo. The killer is the one who never draws attention to their woes/murder motives

. I think it was too obvious trying to make literally everyone a red herring.

Book pacing sucked, too. I feel like the time jumps were forced in order to present the idea that there is an actual mystery, at some point in the book, so you don't end up rage quitting while listening to overgrown teenagers whine about their dark pasts for 200+ pages.

Ending was lackluster, everyone just went on their merry way and that was that. Pretty sure it was supposed to be some kind of female comeuppance story since

just about every woman in this book was wronged by the 'victim'

but it was so ridiculous in how everything 'tied together' in the last like 20% that I want to laugh. What are the chances? Slim.

Also:

DID THEY FIND PETE AT THE END AFTER HE WENT MISSING? Feel like that might be important.

The island idea was cool though.