What a weird fever dream. I could not tell you what really happened in this but I loved every moment. The writing was captivating and the story kept me guessing the whole time and left me with so many questions.

The ending did seem to speed by a bit quicker than I could follow but I think it added to the fever dream quality of it.

If you like black mirror, A24, and (kind of) Get Out, you’re going to LOVE this

The only reason this wasn’t a 5 was because of how loose the horror elements are. The looming presence seems to jump around a lot and leaves us with more questions than (any?) answers. While this typically works, I wish I had one thread to grab onto just so I can understand what was going on. But maybe that’s the point…

This book drew amazing parallels and I found it to be really interesting and informative. However, it was so dense and slightly academic in tone where it made it somewhat of a chore to read

This book was very triggering and emotionally exhausting but the overall premise was interesting. Maybe not my thing? But I wanted more of an exploration than explicit trauma

If this sounds like the book for you (and you’re also into books that are way too long and don’t care about specific incorrect details) then you’ll probably like it. Though, I can’t say the same for me. 

The book was fine enough, especially if you have a lot of time on your hands and choose to read the audiobook instead. However, there were so many details (about geography and institutions specifically!!!) that I could not get past that I found laughable. While these come down to editing errors… you’d think an author would do a bit more research prior? Specifically, the geography that they describe the Catskills being as well as the house that all the friends stayed at (especially on regard to where NYC is is not at all correct). Additionally, unless I misread/misheard, the author describes the one friend as working (initially) as *University of Pennsylvania* and then later continuously refer to it later as Penn State which is…. Absolutely NOT the same institution. Maybe it’s standing out to me more bc I live in PA but it’s laughable to mix up UPenn and Penn State (the first being an Ivy League school and the other being an overreaching party school with too-committed football fans).

In terms of the story, it was fine. Way too long and could have been easily shortened. I also found the love story of the MC and her ex to be boring and did not care about their plot point at all. So he lost his dream job bc of the MC’s father… who also destroyed the MC’s career….? Seems like something you can work through if you’re as obsessed and in love as you were ten years ago. Also, I found the antagonist’s purpose to be absolutely ridiculous and not at all believable. 
I also wish we would have found out more about the maps themselves !! Where did they come from? Was this the case for all maps with a hidden throw off and if not, why? I need there to be a sequel just for the sake of the author answering questions and fixing plot holes. This book is fine but good if you have a lot of time to waste and don’t care about specifics. 

I genuinely do not understand the point of the book? If it’s a reflection on adolescence and coming of age, it’s … a boring one? Maybe that’s the point? The plot was thin and didn’t keep me entertained at any point. The only reason I finished it was bc it was short and quick to read