The Secret History in Pop Sugar's Annual Ultimate Reading Challenge

Oct 06, 2020 Filipa rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: english-books, 2020-reads, not-own, thriller-mystery-suspense, borrowed

The Secret History is a psychological thriller set in a college campus. This story starts with a murder and we spent the rest of the book unraveling the story behind this act, committed by a group of young college students.

Overall, the story is interesting and the writing is very good. This is an accomplished psychological thriller. It's clear that the author took her time building this narrative and her attention to every detail shows in the way she's written this book. There are no loose ends The Secret History is a psychological thriller set in a college campus. This story starts with a murder and we spent the rest of the book unraveling the story behind this act, committed by a group of young college students.

Overall, the story is interesting and the writing is very good. This is an accomplished psychological thriller. It's clear that the author took her time building this narrative and her attention to every detail shows in the way she's written this book. There are no loose ends with this story, every single detail is accounted for in this novel. One of the things I absolutely loved in this book was the ambience, the setting, the atmosphere. The author was super successful in creating a mysterious atmosphere, with the right kind of setting and with the creepy characters. This book is definitely perfect for this time of year. It's definitely an Autumn book for me.

The characters though were my least favourite part of this whole adventure. I have very mixed feelings about this group of college students. I understand that they were all trying to find themselves, to find their own identities but I think they expressed that desire of getting to know themselves in the wrong kind of way. I didn't appreciate (view spoiler)

They all come across as pretentious, as believing themselves superior to others, above the law and the rules that governe society. Henry - I believe - was led to believe in certain ideas that ultimately led to all the later disruption in all their lives. I think he transferred a lot of what he learned in his Classics degree to his daily life to an unhealthy degree.

I do not mean to be unfair and put all the blame on Henry's shoulders because I think the others should've been able to think for themselves and make their own decisions but ultimately, Henry was the one who started it all. It's hard for me to accept that they would all watch their lives degenerate while doing nothing to change it. In fact, from the second part of the book towards the end I had the distinct feeling that they were only observers of their own lives and were content just going through the motions.

I felt that the first part of the book was way more exciting than the second. The second part of this novel dragged a little bit too much for my tastes and I was sometimes frustrated with the characters. All in all, I felt this was a good read and I was not disappointed but I was not wowed. ...more

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Feb 04, 2020 Elaine rated it really liked it

Shelves: miscellaneous-fiction

I hated Crime and Punishment. I usually can't get into books with antiheroes at the center. College students getting drunk and high all the time repulse me. But for some reason, I couldn't get this one off my mind, even when I left it in the living room and went up to bed. I hated everyone by the end, really, but for some reason I found myself rooting for Richard and Francis to somehow end up together, and I wanted Charles to be alright. I hated Camilla and I have no idea why Richard is so obses ...more

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Mar 27, 2019 Sadie Ruin rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019

I don’t need to like the characters in a book, which is good for this book because I disliked all of them. I felt that from the blurb there should have been more Julian, I think Tart was trying to do the absent omnipresent similar to the Dracula’s character but it didn’t work that way for me.
The actual core group of friends behave in ways that seem so foreign I have a hard time believing them. I don’t think similar experiences to my own are required for believability, but they’re stretched a bi ...more

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Jan 02, 2014 Niccola Nelson rated it it was amazing

First book of the New Year and I'm betting it's the best of the year! I am obsessed with how enthralling and suspenseful this book was! It was like its own little Dead Poets Society with a splash of murder! Her writing style is so descriptive I can't get the characters out of my mind! ...more

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