Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Release Date: July 16th, 2024
Pages: 368
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Publisher’s Synopsis:
“Becoming the star is easier when the rest of your band is dead…
All drummer Vienna Taylor ever wanted was to make music. If that came with fame, she’d take it—as long as her best friend, guitarist Madison Pierce, was sharing the spotlight and singing lead. And with their new all-female pop rock band gaining traction, soon everyone would hear their songs…
Except, on the way to an event, the Bittersweet’s van careened off an icy mountain road during a blizzard—leaving one member dead and another severely injured.
In order to survive the frigid night, the rest took shelter in a nearby abandoned cabin. But Vienna’s dreams devolved into a terrifying nightmare as, one by one, her fellow band members met a gruesome end…and Madison simply vanished in the night.
What really happened to the Bittersweet? Did Vienna’s closest friend finally decide to take center stage on her own terms?
She doesn’t want to believe it.
But guilty people run.”
My Review:
This was not at all the story I was expecting from the synopsis. Maybe I would have enjoyed it more had I not gone in with different expectations.
Not so spoiler alert, the majority of it doesn’t take place at the cabin. It’s not really a survival thriller like I thought it was going to be.
There’s a lot of backstory about Vienna and Madison growing up and forming the band. Then there’s a lot of present day after the accident, with few flashbacks to the actual accident.
The story becomes more about toxic friendships, the price of fame and fortune gone wrong, what people are willing to do to both obtain and maintain it.
I found myself wanting to skim by the end. It was all just a little underwhelming to me.
Overall, it was just okay for me.
⚠️SPOILERS:
I have one particular gripe about it that is somewhat spoilery. I like unreliable narrators when they’re done right, but in this case it pissed me off. It wasn’t a known thing from the beginning, and instead I felt duped by the author when halfway through it was like… just kidding, this character isn’t at all like I told you they were, for the first 200 pages I was lying to you. And when that understanding and connection I’d been building with the character got ripped away, I was left not knowing how to feel anymore.
Disclaimers:
Huge thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for gifting me an early copy of this amazing story! I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Have you read this book? Planning to add it to your TBR?
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
I love a good book discussion. 🙂
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