Final Girls by Riley Sager
Riley Sager's covers caught my eye. I'm being completely truthful. I saw that red cover, with the top of a head in the background, and slashes for "i's," and I thought, "This looks a bit creepy." Of course, I always have a knack for the understatement when dealing with the full onslaught of story appreciation. 😉
I wasn't swayed by the front cover housing a quote from Stephen King, "'The first great thriller of 2017 is here.'" Although, I appreciate his dedication to writing and evident popularity as an author. No, I picked that creepy-covered book up and opened to the book blurb at the front.
Turns out, Riley Sager is a pseudonym. In fact, this dude is a former journalist, editor, and graphic designer, but now writes full-time with his latest book already out in July 2019. Which, basically, means that I have to find it and read it too. His books have been translated into 25 languages, and he's considered a New York Times Bestselling Author (I suppose this means his readers will get to know his face and that pseudonym won't really work for him in the long run -- J.K. Rowling aka Robert Galbraith is one example). He's a native to Pennsylvania but currently lives in Princeton, New Jersey.
"First there were three."
"Then there were two."
"Can there only ever be one Final Girl?"
Ominous, right? The inside dust jacket had those three, simple sentences stamped at the top to immediately draw the reader's eye. Hook. Line. Sinker. I'm partial to mysteries and psychological thrillers. I love a good whodunit (You know I'm talking about Agatha Christie and Georgette Heyer). However, it's been a little while since I've picked up anything new and thought, "I MUST read this!"
Not since Robert Galbraith's latest tease, Lethal White, have I felt the desire to read a "new" (aka new to me) mystery. I was hesitant to dive into an unknown author, but I love a good challenge (especially since I'm once again attempting to read 100/100 books this year).
So, I thought, "Why not?"
I checked out this book, Final Girls, and another of Sager's that sat upon the shelf, The Last Lie I Told, and I decided to live life on the edge and try something new. With this decision, I took a few minutes to look up the author. You know, in case I didn't hate either of these books and wanted to find more. Plus, I'm nibby and wanted to find out who this author was and where I can follow them. On social media, people.
You can follow him too (on social media!) via Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Goodreads, and Amazon.
Numeric Breakdown:
1: didn't like it
2: it was okay
3. liked it
4. really liked it
5. it was amazing
1. Writing Style: 5/5
It makes me happy to report Final Girls has a great first person narrative for the chapters set in the present. Chapters set in the past take on a third person narrative. Each has their own special twist, and it feels like a comfortable transition. I always enjoy books that go between two character's perspective or the past and present.
This book does an excellent job of submerging you within the context of each chapter and its main character and what is happening in each portion of the story. The author is brilliant at building suspense, insinuating guilt and innocence, alluding to unspoken emotions, and awkward character relationships. Each dynamic of the story-telling process is clear, and I appreciate each level the author includes in telling Quincy's story.
2. Overall Content: 5/5
I read this book in a day. I was sucked in within the first chapter. It held the beginning of Quincy's story rooted in the past. Be prepared for possible *SPOILERS* as we continue.
Quincy's life isn't ordinary. She went through something that not many people can claim or would want to claim. During college, she and five friends rented a cabin in the woods, Pine Cottage to be exact. They were there to celebrate Quincy's best friend's birthday. Janelle was in charge of the festivities, and when they came across a young guy, Joe, whose car had broken down, Janelle offers him the chance to join their party.
By the end of the night, Quincy is the only one who makes it out alive.
Unable to remember most of the evening, Quincy recalls only one thing: She's running through the forest trying to escape Joe. He was following behind her. Bursting out of the trees, she's met by a police officer, and he saved her life.
Starting over, Quincy returns to her family and attempts to put the whole night behind her. She's suspected by the police, but they have no concrete proof that she's the one who killed all of her friends. Although they try to get her to remember or admit more, Quincy's brain refuses to cooperate. Her greatest fear is not that she won't remember one day, but what she will remember when the time comes.
However, despite her rising popular food blog and an engagement to her longtime lawyer boyfriend, Quincy still feels unsettled and uses her baking and Xanax to make it when the anxiety rises. Her one constant is the police officer, Coop, who saved her life that night and shot Joe when he emerged from the woods behind Quincy.
Now, one of the only three women who have escaped these types of situations and lived to tell about it is dead. Lisa had her own tale of sorority horror, when a man broke in and killed all of her sisters and almost murdered her as well. She went forward and talked about her story. Lisa had an alive personality, reached out to the others, and worked hard to ensure her story could help others. Then, the next Quincy hears is that Lisa has taken her own life, and she doesn't believe it's possible. That wasn't Lisa; someone who survived only to die by her own hand.
Through flashbacks, we learn more about Quincy's night in the woods. The fear she feels associated with her killer leads her to never say his name, even though he's dead. As the whole story unfurls, you begin to suspect her as well as Joe of having committed the crimes. Each revelation is shocking and spooky, and the reader begins to piece together that night. All of your theories will be wrong. Until the last second, when you finally realize what's been going on this whole time.
Beyond Lisa, you're introduced to Sam. The second survivor of her own horrific attack, and you learn her story throughout the book as well. She's come to bond with Quincy and to mourn Lisa, but there's more happening here than meets the eye.
As Sam and Quincy talk and bond, you'll notice that Sam isn't a positive influence. She uses Quincy's anger along with her own to get what she wants. To Quincy, she says that it's best if they stick together. That they need to work with one another to eliminate those who would prey on the weak.
However, that's not all Sam wants.
Quincy gets pulled more and more into Sam's world, the murder of Lisa, and what really happened the night all of her friends were brutally stabbed to death.
3. Hooks/Attention-kept: 5/5
The author uses a brilliant repertoire of adventure, ambiguity, plot coherence, and protagonist's climax through tension. Dialogue and the inner narrative create a build-up within the plot as well as the almost anecdotal chapters, set in the past, which give more information of Quincy's story. Eventually, the denouement of the murders is resolved successfully, and somewhat, surprisingly. This story keeps your attention with the present and past giving you new clues, suspicions, and epiphanies.
4. Overall enjoyment of the story based on the genre: 5/5
As you might know by now, I love mysteries and psychological thrillers. Having the chance to read this book was pure enjoyment. I really loved the way the author interweaved the protagonist's story from the present into the past, and I think that might be my favorite part. Its romantic style gives the story a realistic surrealism tone.
5. Overall enjoyment of the story based on the content: 4/5
Although this story was a pleasure to read, and the storyline held enough adventure, speculation, and on-edge moments to keep you hooked, there were some intimate scenes that didn't really strike me as a pertinent, comfortable, or relevant addition to the story. I know books tend to utilize this strategy as part of the overall plot, but it didn't feel natural and was unnecessary to the core telling of the tale. It didn't add to the story either, and since the main theme was a suspenseful mystery and psychological thriller, it felt forced and flat. As my one main criticism, I deducted a point from the enjoyment of the story based on content for this reason, but I didn't feel it was a fatal enough flaw to detract from the overall scenario and protagonist's revelations.
6. Overall Story Rating: 5/5
I'm excited to share that this is indeed a 5/5 read. It's the perfect expectation of a thriller, and it delivers the suspense and mental stimulation any reader needs to stay hooked until the last page. Even though I caught onto who the bad guy was a few chapters before it was revealed and had my suspicions confirmed during that climactic chapter, it still was enough of a surprise to me that I loved it. I didn't see it coming at first, and the end was a worthy twist. I highly recommend this read to anyone who likes thrills and tense disclosures from the antagonist.
Numeric Breakdown:
1: didn't like it
2: it was okay
3. liked it
4. really liked it
5. it was amazing
1. Writing Style: 5/5
It makes me happy to report Final Girls has a great first person narrative for the chapters set in the present. Chapters set in the past take on a third person narrative. Each has their own special twist, and it feels like a comfortable transition. I always enjoy books that go between two character's perspective or the past and present.
This book does an excellent job of submerging you within the context of each chapter and its main character and what is happening in each portion of the story. The author is brilliant at building suspense, insinuating guilt and innocence, alluding to unspoken emotions, and awkward character relationships. Each dynamic of the story-telling process is clear, and I appreciate each level the author includes in telling Quincy's story.
2. Overall Content: 5/5
I read this book in a day. I was sucked in within the first chapter. It held the beginning of Quincy's story rooted in the past. Be prepared for possible *SPOILERS* as we continue.
Quincy's life isn't ordinary. She went through something that not many people can claim or would want to claim. During college, she and five friends rented a cabin in the woods, Pine Cottage to be exact. They were there to celebrate Quincy's best friend's birthday. Janelle was in charge of the festivities, and when they came across a young guy, Joe, whose car had broken down, Janelle offers him the chance to join their party.
By the end of the night, Quincy is the only one who makes it out alive.
Unable to remember most of the evening, Quincy recalls only one thing: She's running through the forest trying to escape Joe. He was following behind her. Bursting out of the trees, she's met by a police officer, and he saved her life.
Starting over, Quincy returns to her family and attempts to put the whole night behind her. She's suspected by the police, but they have no concrete proof that she's the one who killed all of her friends. Although they try to get her to remember or admit more, Quincy's brain refuses to cooperate. Her greatest fear is not that she won't remember one day, but what she will remember when the time comes.
However, despite her rising popular food blog and an engagement to her longtime lawyer boyfriend, Quincy still feels unsettled and uses her baking and Xanax to make it when the anxiety rises. Her one constant is the police officer, Coop, who saved her life that night and shot Joe when he emerged from the woods behind Quincy.
Now, one of the only three women who have escaped these types of situations and lived to tell about it is dead. Lisa had her own tale of sorority horror, when a man broke in and killed all of her sisters and almost murdered her as well. She went forward and talked about her story. Lisa had an alive personality, reached out to the others, and worked hard to ensure her story could help others. Then, the next Quincy hears is that Lisa has taken her own life, and she doesn't believe it's possible. That wasn't Lisa; someone who survived only to die by her own hand.
Through flashbacks, we learn more about Quincy's night in the woods. The fear she feels associated with her killer leads her to never say his name, even though he's dead. As the whole story unfurls, you begin to suspect her as well as Joe of having committed the crimes. Each revelation is shocking and spooky, and the reader begins to piece together that night. All of your theories will be wrong. Until the last second, when you finally realize what's been going on this whole time.
Beyond Lisa, you're introduced to Sam. The second survivor of her own horrific attack, and you learn her story throughout the book as well. She's come to bond with Quincy and to mourn Lisa, but there's more happening here than meets the eye.
As Sam and Quincy talk and bond, you'll notice that Sam isn't a positive influence. She uses Quincy's anger along with her own to get what she wants. To Quincy, she says that it's best if they stick together. That they need to work with one another to eliminate those who would prey on the weak.
However, that's not all Sam wants.
Quincy gets pulled more and more into Sam's world, the murder of Lisa, and what really happened the night all of her friends were brutally stabbed to death.
3. Hooks/Attention-kept: 5/5
The author uses a brilliant repertoire of adventure, ambiguity, plot coherence, and protagonist's climax through tension. Dialogue and the inner narrative create a build-up within the plot as well as the almost anecdotal chapters, set in the past, which give more information of Quincy's story. Eventually, the denouement of the murders is resolved successfully, and somewhat, surprisingly. This story keeps your attention with the present and past giving you new clues, suspicions, and epiphanies.
4. Overall enjoyment of the story based on the genre: 5/5
As you might know by now, I love mysteries and psychological thrillers. Having the chance to read this book was pure enjoyment. I really loved the way the author interweaved the protagonist's story from the present into the past, and I think that might be my favorite part. Its romantic style gives the story a realistic surrealism tone.
5. Overall enjoyment of the story based on the content: 4/5
Although this story was a pleasure to read, and the storyline held enough adventure, speculation, and on-edge moments to keep you hooked, there were some intimate scenes that didn't really strike me as a pertinent, comfortable, or relevant addition to the story. I know books tend to utilize this strategy as part of the overall plot, but it didn't feel natural and was unnecessary to the core telling of the tale. It didn't add to the story either, and since the main theme was a suspenseful mystery and psychological thriller, it felt forced and flat. As my one main criticism, I deducted a point from the enjoyment of the story based on content for this reason, but I didn't feel it was a fatal enough flaw to detract from the overall scenario and protagonist's revelations.
6. Overall Story Rating: 5/5
I'm excited to share that this is indeed a 5/5 read. It's the perfect expectation of a thriller, and it delivers the suspense and mental stimulation any reader needs to stay hooked until the last page. Even though I caught onto who the bad guy was a few chapters before it was revealed and had my suspicions confirmed during that climactic chapter, it still was enough of a surprise to me that I loved it. I didn't see it coming at first, and the end was a worthy twist. I highly recommend this read to anyone who likes thrills and tense disclosures from the antagonist.
Thanks for joining me, and as always, Happy Reading!
~Rebecca Reddell
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