Let me introduce you to the book that started the very list I never thought I'd make - a DNF or Did Not Finish reading list.
In the past, I have started books but ended up not finishing it yet because I just wasn't in the right head space for it. I knew I would always go back and try to read them one day, but this is different. I just knew I wouldn't make myself go through this pain again.
I am very tolerant with books across different POVs, plots and writing styles. Even if it seems hopeless, I would push myself to finishing it just because I was hoping for something better. So, for me to say that a book is unbearable to finish, that means so much actually.
I am sorry for the long intro, I just couldn't believe how much I don't like this book. I really couldn't believe it because this is so hyped and highly rated that there was a point that I gaslit myself into thinking that there might be something wrong with me. But no, it was just really bad.
The Summary
"A beautiful and distinguished family.
A private island.
A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.
A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.
A revolution. An accident. A secret.
Lies upon lies.
True love.
The truth."
-Excerpt from official book overview
What I Think...
If I read just the overview, I could have had a clue of how this book would be like and could have avoided it based on that overview alone. However, I just bought it (it was on sale though, thank God) and bit into the hype. I might stick out like a sore thumb here for having an unpopular opinion since this is so well loved so I am very sorry for these thoughts.
"WELCOME TO THE beautiful Sinclair family. No one is a criminal. No one is an addict. No one is a failure. The Sinclairs are athletic, tall, and handsome."
These were the first few sentences in the book and it really made me go...
And so I read it again and I honestly went...
To give credit where credit is due, this was the first time I had those exact reactions in the very first page of a book. It was like trying to make an impactful introduction to this family and orient the readers' mindset to a stark contrast that was about to happen, but it just failed.
So, I read on thinking that maybe we're just off to a bad start.
I kept looking for a reason to convince myself to give this a chance like I would with any other book but the next few chapters were just as horrible. The sentences and scenarios were very fragmented and all over the place. I have a feeling that it was trying to be poetic or cool at the very least but it did not make any sense at all. I was not even interested to find out what they were lying about - perhaps just another shallow rich people secret? I will never know. Or maybe I would if I Google it.
"We had been in the attic before. Also, we had never been in the attic before."
I also don't feel like I did not get along with the book because of my disconnect withe the younger POV because I read The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas and I actually very much appreciated it.
Therefore it's not the childish point of view, but the childish writing overall. Even in her supposedly older self, the narrator still sounded like a child who cannot get her story straight. This is what it felt like throughout all the parts that I forced myself to read. It felt like listening to a four year old with very limited vocabulary trying to explain the history of the world.
"We purchased new furniture. Hired a decorator. Placed an order for Tiffany silverware."
Again, I am very sorry if you're a big fan of this book but I just couldn't find a single cell in my being that is pleased with it. I am sure even my younger elementary student self still wouldn't like this book at all. If you like this, please let me know why in the comments below.
I don't have a physical copy of this book to throw away, but the digital one will be removed from my device and this will be left to rot in my DNF.
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