2025 Reading Challenge discussion

Thanks, Kristin! :D

I’ll join y’all! Just got it from my library app.

Yay, Ruthie! :D

Thought I had signed up for this but no matter, I’m here now lol.

I read this this morning. The pages SPEED BY and it helps that it’s only 260 pages. Plus I have to return it to the library tomorrow!

Looking forward to the rest of you starting it!

I'm working on 3 books at the moment (all library loans), so I'm trying to get at least 1 of them finished before I start this one. Hopefully soon! XD

I'm hoping to fit it in and just hope it's not TOO scary!

I’m listening to the audiobook and OMG it’s so hard to pause it. It’s been keeping me on the edge of my seat. I think I’ll finish it tomorrow.
I saw the Netflix movie and it was good but enjoying the further detail and scenes not seen in the book.

Ruthie wrote: "I’m listening to the audiobook and OMG it’s so hard to pause it. It’s been keeping me on the edge of my seat. I think I’ll finish it tomorrow.
I saw the Netflix movie and it was good but enjoying ..."

I bet the audiobook is suspenseful!
Actually reading it is like that too....the flow was very nice. When I finished a chapter, I automatically just kept going.

PattyMacDotComma wrote: "I'm hoping to fit it in and just hope it's not TOO scary!"

It’s not scary.
It’s more suspenseful than anything but only because you WANT to know what’s going to happen next.

Ruthie & Allie, these comments are making me excited to start. :D

Yes the audiobook is suspenseful! The narrator does a good job and if I could have, I would have listened to the whole thing today.

Ruthie wrote: "Yes the audiobook is suspenseful! The narrator does a good job and if I could have, I would have listened to the whole thing today."

Just out of curiosity, is it a male or female narrator?

Eirelyn wrote: "Ruthie & Allie, these comments are making me excited to start. :D"

Yay!
Buddy read success! Lol.

I think once you do, you’ll probably speed thru the whole thing like I did!

Yes it’s a female narrator but she does a good job on the male voices too!

I finished it! I thought it was really good. Some parts hit me extra hard because I’m a mom of young children.

I LOVE THIS BOOK! I am on chapter 15, most of that read today. It is bold and unique. Are we signed up for the sequel? July release, I think.

I have just completed all the books I was reading, so I will borrow the e-book of this one either tonight or tomorrow. :D

Allie wrote: "PattyMacDotComma wrote: "I'm hoping to fit it in and just hope it's not TOO scary!"

It’s not scary.
It’s more suspenseful than anything but only because you WANT to know what’s going to happen next."

Ok, sounds good, Allie!

Just started the book and finished the first chapter. :D I have so many questions and am excited to see where this goes!

I might be able to answer questions! I LOVE this book!

I agree I think it’s really good. I gave it 5 stars.

Haha, I figure (hope!) they'll be answered along the way as I read further. :D

I'm about 10% in now and loving the alternating chapters of past and present day. I feel like the backstory is really developing Malorie's character especially, and I'm really starting to feel for her.

I just read the part about (view spoiler)[Tom's 8-year-old daughter killing herself. (hide spoiler)] How awful! That really tugged at my heart strings. :(

I don’t know how to read comments where it says “spoilers removed” I tried to click on it but nothing happens. Should I try on a computer?

Good point, it does work on computer, and WOW, finished it today!

Ruthie wrote: "I don’t know how to read comments where it says “spoilers removed” I tried to click on it but nothing happens. Should I try on a computer?"

Yeah, the app sucks!

Oh, I've never used the app. I just use the browser to visit GR on my phone, and I can open the spoilers that way. :D

Hi everyone! I just started this book today and saw this buddy read for it so I thought I would join in!

Welcome! I loved it; just sampled the movie, I was SO disappointed and quit.

Welcome, Jackie! :D

Okay, was hasty on the movie. Giving another shot!

I just finished chapter 17. Tom & Jules (view spoiler)[just left the house to look for dogs to train (hide spoiler)]. Interesting idea and I'm curious to see where it leads, (view spoiler)[if nothing happens to them first! (hide spoiler)]

I'm really enjoying it so far. It's an interesting concept, and I keep thinking about how difficult (& scary) some of those tasks would be without (view spoiler)[sight! (hide spoiler)] (<--not really a spoiler if you've actually started the book or read the summary, but...just in case, for anyone who goes into a book blind, so to speak XD).

The story is very fast-moving, and I really feel for these characters. I am kind of reading with anticipation of (view spoiler)[a heavy heart because it seems like Malorie will lose all of the people she was hunkered down with at the house, so I'm just waiting, bracing my poor little empathetic heart for those moments. (hide spoiler)]

Oh no, Shareen, that is unfortunate! I have been looking forward to checking it out after I finish the book. I still will but may go into it with the bar lowered now, haha. Hopefully it gets better as it moves along...???

I really liked the movie...but I did see it before reading the book.

But I seem to recall it being pretty true to the original material 🤔

Yes, once I saw that they had not deviated so severely on the names and personalities, I rose to it. The book was just THAT good to me. I also recognized local footage, so I HAD TO be kinder, haha. I will give it THIS: the opening, that overview shot, with what we hear in the background, was pretty darn cool to me.

Ok I’ll have to get on my computer so I can read all the comments fully.

I too saw the movie first on Netflix and I think when I saw it I didn’t know it was a book. And actually I’ve put off reading it because I thought “I’ve watched the movie why do I need to read it” I can’t believe I’ve waited this long because it’s so well written and a 5 star read for me. I actually want to go back and watch the movie again now that I’ve read.

Ruthie, I'm kind of the same way. Since getting back to reading in November, I take about a week or so to read a book, and if I've already seen the movie, I don't want to spend that much time reading a story where I already know all the important things that are going to happen. So if I think I want to watch a movie and know it's also a book, I try to hold off on the movie...no matter how much it hurts! XD Which is what I've been doing with this one (and several others I want to read first).

I plan to see the movie through. That book just seriously raised the Bar, so well done!

I just finished minutes ago. Here are my immediate thoughts:

(view spoiler)[Oh, my heart. :( I'm glad for the way it ended -- with Malorie & the kids arriving at their destination and it actually seeming to be someplace that should be good for them. But that scene at the house where she & Olympia were giving birth while all of her housemates perished was heartbreaking! My poor little heart could barely take it. Tom...and the dogs... :'( How awful.

I knew Gary was bad news right from the start. And stupid Don, hiding him in the cellar after he'd been voted out of the house. He got everyone (including himself) killed! Don & Gary should have just left together and everything would've been okay. But nooo, the author has to break my heart by killing all of them off.

But huge kudos to Malorie for surviving, not only on her own, but while also protecting two children. That whole trip down the river would have been terrifying! And the moment where she had to remove her blindfold to find the 2nd fork in the river was suspenseful even in its brevity.

I'm glad for how it ended. I was afraid it wouldn't have a good, happy (happier?) ending. Not that everything was perfect by any means, but she had achieved her goal of making it down the river safely and was in what seemed to be a far better location. So, by the parameters of the book, that seemed like a pretty happy ending.

But I still miss Tom.

And the dogs. (hide spoiler)]

I totally agree Eirelyn! Oh man I have two young daughters so reading about how she had to train the kiddos and all the anxiety she felt about whether or not they would listen to her and whether or not she was a good mom was very hard-hitting for me. I can't imagine going through something like this with young kids.

Right?! TOTALLY felt her, and COMMENDED her. I have four kids, three of them born one after another, 22+ years ago. We were self-sustaining alone on a ranch, and they have commented on how this was eerily similar! And the river that is featured in the movie is near there. SURRREEEAAALLL

Oh wow, Shareen. I bet that added some extra relatability for you!

AND, the current virus atmosphere added to the drama. Funny, one of our truck windows is completely covered in a garbage bag, it got stuck open. It was so funny, the timing.

Yeah, I definitely agree about current events really adding to the drama of the story. Lol that is very strange timing, indeed. Don't look outside!

Very fun timing, and disorienting!

Wow Shareen! You're super mom!

Ruthie wrote: "Wow Shareen! You're super mom!"
Nah, but thank you. More like Super WEIRD. But hey, we got the truck window fixed today. $20! I got the volume discount: with three YA (pun intended) drivers, we kind of have the Auto Body Shop on Retainer.

I just finished the book yesterday, and I had watched the movie back when it was first released. I kind of regret not reading the book first because I feel that would have heightened my enjoyment level of the book a lot. Although, I do agree that the current atmosphere from the Coronavirus made it oddly the perfect time to read it haha. I’m definitely looking forward to the sequel.

Amen on Timing AND Sequel!

So Goodreads says the sequel is expected to be published this year but no specific month listed! We will have to do a buddy read once the sequel comes out!