3.3 stars
For the first half of the book I found things ok
I liked Mari’s dynamic with her brother Sammy, I didn’t really care for the insta attraction with Yusuf and really disliked Alec and his enabling Piper. The second half of the book got stronger, the jumps between scenes was much smoother and as we learn about Mari’s heavy reliance with weed to deal with her ptsd of bedbugs (which although I don’t have trauma to that extent, I can definitely say encountering bed bugs is scarring). I thought there would be something more with the whole sham religious guy selling seeds but a company making a plan to make the townspeople set fire to their own town so that the company can kick start mass gentrification is so much more realistic and sinister. I really hope Jon Jon got out and I think the ending just happened way too quickly. I really did like the progression of the relationship between Piper and Mari. Mari finding her annoying and just chatting a bag about Piper to whoever was so realistic of an older sibling who is not the best person but is tired but deep down does care. I loved their resolution at the end. I also loved how the family kind of came together towards the end of the book, from the scene where the town confronts them for being the only house with electricity onwards: Alec actually stands up for Mari for once, Piper holding onto Sammy, Sammy holding onto Mari, Raquelle defending Mari.
But again, it just ended so quickly. I feel like it ended like how slasher movies, which is when the main characters escape the final danger.
The Scott preacher guy having the final lines was something I could not endure though.
But I really liked this book and will be checking out more of the author’s works

3 stars
I loved Sadie’s character probably because I could relate to certain parts of her character and personality. Her drive to achieve her purpose was just iconic.
I usually like my thrillers to have more of a who-submit-vibe so knowing early on into the story that Sadie is after Keith, and that he was the murderer amongst other things kind of dampened my expectations for the book. I listened to the audiobook and the podcast intro and music was always so atmospheric and nice to listen to. I did think the reporter’s pov didn’t really add anything to the story and pretty quickly you know that each character Sadie interacts with will have to be left behind in order for West to catch up and interview them later. I did enjoy the journey of journeys Sadie seemed to be on though, meeting a bunch of different characters and finding new ways to find her next clue, even if it amid grim circumstances.
When the podcast just ends I was so annoyed but it made so much sense, most true crime podcasts end with something still unknown, but at that point I was thinking if I wanted unanswered questions I would have just listened to a podcast. A delusional part of me believe Sadie survived but either way she won because did what she set out to do.
In hindsight now it makes so much sense that we don’t get a full on conclusion and confrontation or a full explanation on what exactly happened to Maddy. Because the book is about Sadie (the title agrees) and needs to remain the focus of the story.
I wished we had flashback scenes of Maddy and Sadie together, to really build their dynamic, because I knew that Sadie was an amazing older sister and I believed it because of all the secondary accounts of how she mothered her sister but I didn’t feel it because there were not enough scenes between them, of them just hanging out, in between all the pivotal events of their lives. The epilogue was bleak but I’m not surprised. Women and girls being abused and used in life by people and their stories by Hollywood in death.

3.5 stars
Super fun and easy to read. I highly recommend reading this whilst listening to the playlist the author recommends at the end of the book.

I need more sleuthing gangs of misfits, I need more adult stories with Scooby Doo/Mystery Incorporated gangs and this book gave me that, with adult characters that varied in age! And they were insomniacs, truly I have never felt more represented.

I loved how each chapter stated the time, I know that’s such a simple thing but I just loved seeing it get to 7am and the characters were still up, because same.

The vibes were immaculate, each character had their own story and problems going on, they felt distinct from one another. I think the author can really write characters and you notice it especially when they interact with other characters, which emphasizes their different personalities. I noticed that too in if we were villains.

The mystery was very simple but it worked very well because the story was short. If it was longer it would have hindered the book. And if the mystery was more complicated then the atmospheric magic and slight found family vibes might have been in jeopardy.
I still do wish we had a little bit more time with the graveyard gang, especially since it ended so abruptly. I felt like we could have gotten at least one more chapter wrapping things up (Edie’s lump maybe) but looking back on it makes me enjoy the story even more.
I’m kind of greedy because I want another novella about this gang but idk. The found family vibes were just so nice and I feel like we got to 50% of their found family arc.
I also love when a character who really doesn’t like to like people ends up reluctantly liking them, which was the case with Hannah.
Overall, it had Scooby Doo vibes which I’ll always love, insomniac representation, I read this when I should have been sleeping, the characters felt distinct and it was too short for me to have any real qualms about it.
Is it crazy that I rated this higher than if we were villains, most definitely. But I suspect I will like the latter book more when I re-read it already knowing that the who dunnit element is going to be obvious.

First read: 23rd January 2023
Re-read: 27 September 2024

This is my bedtime fairytale truly.
In childhood there was the Grimm brothers and in adulthood there is Alix E. Harrow.
The writing is so simple but structured so beautifully that this time around reading it was relaxing and soothing. It’s a tale I recite to myself to fall asleep and then recite it in sleep too.
Of course the ending still got me. Especially because I thought it showed us a happily ever after the first time I read it but it doesn’t do so in the way I thought so it felt like reading it for the first time.
I think the way the story was told and the narrator for the audiobook is what truly got me. Because the plot outline is good but it’s amazing to me because of those two things.

The effects of ‘I would rather love a coward than mourn a legend’ are still felt in this household to this day.

Not as good as the other two books and the reason for exiling Jude being a trick really disoriented shocked me at first but then I actually grew to enjoy it by the end of the book. Since it is so in character for the fae to act like that.

It was fun, it was whimsy and it was full of scheming.