The characters were round, but I'm not sure they were really dynamic. Finn was really cute: literate, romantic, funny, and very determined. Not a super huge fan of the plot, though.

When neither of the only two people who know what happened can actually say — one being dead and the other having retrograde amnesia — how do you know who to believe? You don't. All you have is a lot of gossip, colored by the opinions and prejudices of the gossipers. And when said gossipers are teenage girls and/or unknown Internet commenters, everything just gets messy.

This novel does a really great job keeping the above consistent throughout, realistic without being patronizing or contemptuous. All kinds of perspectives were shown — from "I didn't know her well but I know they were best friends" to "yeah, she totally did it because she was jealous" — and in multiple forms of media, and the variety illustrated the cacophany of conflicting tales of what really happened.

I also thought the ending was really well executed.

Spoiler

Even though we never find out the truth, just as Jill may never know for sure whether or not she killed her best friend on purpose, there was a satisfying sense of closure and acceptance.

Not badly written, but the main character was a selfish spoiled brat. It was an interesting plot, and the supporting characters were lovable and dynamic, but that's hard to overcome.

The writing flowed and bubbled; I LOVED the dry sarcasm! (That was not sarcastic, in case it doesn't come across in text.) Xander was totally dreamy, too. My only issue - it's a pretty significant one, though - was the

Spoiler

jk lol she's rich so there's no issue here

twist.

Flat characters, boring plot, unexceptional writing; POVs seemed randomly/whimsically selected rather than deliberate. The only noteworthy part - the tulips - was unfortunately downplayed, and the suspense didn't really work for me.

Spread a little thin, imo, between sexy times and backstory and main plotline. But I enjoyed the essay excerpts, though on my first read I was left a little confused as to whether

Spoiler

Jeremiah was actually her son or not

.

UPDATE: This book held up pretty well upon re-reading a few years later, when I was in the middle of my own college admissions journey! At this point I felt like I was better able to appreciate it, with a more mature understanding of the characters and themes.

Maybe 3.5, 3.75 stars.

Honestly, I just would’ve liked to see more of Eugenides and Attolia (the queen, though the country is a particularly nice setting) so that was mildly disappointing. But the story itself is interesting and well-told, fitting neatly and consistently into the series canon with its likable protagonist and his exciting adventure.

1.5 stars.

Reads like an overconfident middle schooler wrote it, seriously. Right from the beginning. No real suspense or red herrings; seemingly random POV switches. Lots of cliches and predictable "twists."

2.5 stars.

Started off okay, but then it started dragging and becoming cheesy and cliche. A bit melodramatic; though it fits, it doesn't work for me as a reader. Sure, it's sad and all, but yeah, it was an excuse. Also - that was a terrible choice in the last scene.