Sign in with Facebook
Derek (I'M BACKKKK!)'s Reviews > Locust Lane
Locust Lane
by
by
I agree with many early reviewers that have called this a gripping, slow burn.
Locust Lane begins with the murder of a teen girl in the affluent town of Emerson. Three other teens were with her that night. Each from very different families who have their own reasons to disregard the truth and sweep this under the rug.
This is a gritty study of socioeconomic status, diving into how influence and power can manipulate the truth. It's frustratingly authentic and heartbreaking.
I haven't read anything by Stephen Amidon before and I was impressed with his atmospheric and engrossing writing. He balanced a large cast of characters well, providing ample backstory to get you invested in each of them. Each character's version of the truth was so believable, I didn't know what was up and what was down by the time this ended.
Let's talk about that ending (no spoilers). I'm fine with thought-provoking, open-ended, hell even cliffhanging endings if a sequel is obvious. But this was just abrupt and unsatisfying. I did receive an ARC so this may be corrected later. There was opportunity to deliver some kind of messaging that makes the whole slow burn worth it, but I feel like it fails here. The author set the stage with all these dark, raw themes and then doesn't actually deliver a message. Like, what was the point?
3.5 stars, rounding up.
Thanks to my GRs friend who shared their ARC with me. Publication date is set for January 17, 2023. Cheers!
Locust Lane begins with the murder of a teen girl in the affluent town of Emerson. Three other teens were with her that night. Each from very different families who have their own reasons to disregard the truth and sweep this under the rug.
This is a gritty study of socioeconomic status, diving into how influence and power can manipulate the truth. It's frustratingly authentic and heartbreaking.
I haven't read anything by Stephen Amidon before and I was impressed with his atmospheric and engrossing writing. He balanced a large cast of characters well, providing ample backstory to get you invested in each of them. Each character's version of the truth was so believable, I didn't know what was up and what was down by the time this ended.
Let's talk about that ending (no spoilers). I'm fine with thought-provoking, open-ended, hell even cliffhanging endings if a sequel is obvious. But this was just abrupt and unsatisfying. I did receive an ARC so this may be corrected later. There was opportunity to deliver some kind of messaging that makes the whole slow burn worth it, but I feel like it fails here. The author set the stage with all these dark, raw themes and then doesn't actually deliver a message. Like, what was the point?
3.5 stars, rounding up.
Thanks to my GRs friend who shared their ARC with me. Publication date is set for January 17, 2023. Cheers!
Sign into Goodreads to see if any of your friends have read
Locust Lane.
Sign In »
Reading Progress
October 22, 2022
– Shelved as:
to-read
October 22, 2022
– Shelved
November 4, 2022
–
Started Reading
November 7, 2022
–
Finished Reading
Comments Showing 1-21 of 21 (21 new)
date
newest »
newest »
message 1:
by
Holly
(new)
-
rated it 4 stars
Nov 08, 2022 06:30AM
Yes, that ending! I loved it though, made me think of all kinds of scenarios. Glad you did enjoy the writing though and Great review as always! 🙌
reply
|
flag
Excellent review Derek. It’s on my list… but now wondering if the read is worth it because of the “ending “ you mentioned!🤦🏻♀️
Glad you mostly enjoyed it! Great review! 💕
That's a great review and now I'm very intrigued!
Awesome review, Derek. Not delivering a satisfying ending is as bad as adding useless epilogues. I hope your next read gets it right! I'm glad you liked this otherwise!
Excellent review, I got the ARC of this one in the mail, I hope to get to it soon.
Holly wrote: "Yes, that ending! I loved it though, made me think of all kinds of scenarios. Glad you did enjoy the writing though and Great review as always! 🙌"You're right, it is definitely thought-provoking! I'm sure the results will be polarizing. Thanks again for the ARC!
Kaceey wrote: "Excellent review Derek. It’s on my list… but now wondering if the read is worth it because of the “ending “ you mentioned!🤦🏻♀️"I think it's worth it! The ending wasn't really bad per se, I just wanted more. I hope you enjoy it if you decide to read it. Thanks, Kaceey!
Jayme wrote: "Glad you mostly enjoyed it! Great review! 💕"Thanks so much, Jayme!
Tina wrote: "That's a great review and now I'm very intrigued!"Thanks so much, Tina! It was enjoyable
Derek I would have to rule out with an ending that was ‘unsatisfying’. Terrific honest review ✨
Kat wrote: "Awesome review, Derek. Not delivering a satisfying ending is as bad as adding useless epilogues. I hope your next read gets it right! I'm glad you liked this otherwise!"Hahah you're right about that! Back-to-back disappointing conclusions. Funny enough, my last two reads had the same covers - the overhead view of a car driving down a road lined with trees. Might be a sign 🤔🤔 Thanks, Kat!
Melissa (LifeFullyBooked) wrote: "Excellent review, I got the ARC of this one in the mail, I hope to get to it soon."I hope you enjoy it, Melissa! I'll be looking out for your review.
Margaret M - semi hiatus wrote: "Derek I would have to rule out with an ending that was ‘unsatisfying’. Terrific honest review ✨"It was disappointing in that regard, but not a total waste. Thanks so much, Margaret!
Great review Derek! I despise open endings so I know how you feel! Sorry it didn’t fully deliver for you!
JaymeO wrote: "Great review Derek! I despise open endings so I know how you feel! Sorry it didn’t fully deliver for you!"They are frustrating! Thanks so much, Jayme!
Great points about the ending of the book, Derek! Happy that the rest of the book was more enjoyable & worth the while & those early reviewers knew what they were talking about haha
I keep hearing great things about this one. I have this one in my queue and now I’m curious about the ending. I’m not the biggest fan of abrupt endings.
Chantel wrote: "Great points about the ending of the book, Derek! Happy that the rest of the book was more enjoyable & worth the while & those early reviewers knew what they were talking about haha"Thanks, Chantel! I shouldn't challenge an author's creative decision, but I do wish this one was written differently. Still a solid read though.
Nancy (Trying to catch up with reviews) wrote: "I keep hearing great things about this one. I have this one in my queue and now I’m curious about the ending. I’m not the biggest fan of abrupt endings."It may work for you! I'll be curious to see your thoughts. Thanks so much, Nancy!
I totally agree with your review. The ending= bad, almost seemed lazy. What the purpose of Patrick and his addiction?..
