Final Girls by Riley Sager
Publisher: Dutton
Publication Date: July 11, 2017
Date Read: June 23, 2017
Length: 352 pages
Source: First to Read
★★☆☆☆
Ten years ago, college student Quincy Carpenter went on vacation with five friends and came back alone, the only survivor of a horror movie–scale massacre. In an instant, she became a member of a club no one wants to belong to—a group of similar survivors known in the press as the Final Girls. Lisa, who lost nine sorority sisters to a college dropout’s knife; Sam, who went up against the Sack Man during her shift at the Nightlight Inn; and now Quincy, who ran bleeding through the woods to escape Pine Cottage and the man she refers to only as Him. The three girls are all attempting to put their nightmares behind them, and, with that, one another. Despite the media’s attempts, they never meet.
Now, Quincy is doing well—maybe even great, thanks to her Xanax prescription. She has a caring almost-fiancé, Jeff; a popular baking blog; a beautiful apartment; and a therapeutic presence in Coop, the police officer who saved her life all those years ago. Her memory won’t even allow her to recall the events of that night; the past is in the past.
That is, until Lisa, the first Final Girl, is found dead in her bathtub, wrists slit, and Sam, the second, appears on Quincy’s doorstep. Blowing through Quincy’s life like a whirlwind, Sam seems intent on making Quincy relive the past, with increasingly dire consequences, all of which makes Quincy question why Sam is really seeking her out. And when new details about Lisa’s death come to light, Quincy’s life becomes a race against time as she tries to unravel Sam’s truths from her lies, evade the police and hungry reporters, and, most crucially, remember what really happened at Pine Cottage, before what was started ten years ago is finished.
Meh. I am so incredibly disappointed by the fact that I didn’t really care for this book. Based on the description, I was so sure that I would fall in love with this book. I do think that my opinion will be in the minority with this book. Based on all of the reviews that I have seen so far, most people are really enjoying this book and I predict that it will be very popular.
I didn’t hate this book but I didn’t really like it either. This was one of those books that I really didn’t connect with any of the characters and by the time the big twists started happening, I just didn’t care what happened. The book was a bit different than I expected. Since the description mentions a horror movie-scale massacre, I expected the book to be pretty gruesome. I wanted gruesome because I am weird like that. There are a few more bloody scenes but not like I had thought it would be.
This book is told from Quincy’s point of view. Quincy is a Final Girl which means she was the only survivor from a nightmare that killed her friends. She is deeply affected by that night years later. I just never liked Quincy. Not at all. Since the whole book is told from her point of view, it was really hard to enjoy the story. Most of the book is really about what is going on in the present time period with Quincy and Sam, another Final Girl.
I am not going to be recommending this book but I do think that a lot of readers will like it a lot more than I did. There were a few twists that I wouldn’t have ever been able to guess and the premise was pretty interesting. This is the first book by Riley Sager that I have read and I would be open to trying his work again in the future.
I received an advance reader edition of this book from Dutton via First to Read.
About the AuthorFinal Girls is the first thriller from Riley Sager, a pseudonym for an author who has previously published under another name. Riley is a native of Pennsylvania, a writer, editor, and graphic designer who lives in Princeton, New Jersey.
That is disappointing to hear. I have this coming up and I hope I like it more. Great review!
I'm so sad to hear you didn't like this one more. I have an ARC on my TBR and now you have me worried. I mainly wanted to give it a go because I've heard Stephen King really liked it and I love him so the connection was made. Hope your next book is better!
The cover is boring too
Yeah, you'd think this would be a real spine-tingler.
No worries if it didn't work for you. When you don't like the main character, its pretty tough to enjoy the story at all. I'm picky about my heroines so I totally get it.
Next time, right?
Bummer that this didn't work for you, especially since it's in my review pile. LOL I was also looking forward to something slasher-y. Here's hoping I like it anyway.
Great review! 🙂
Eh, I don't think this will be one for me either. I actually saw this book and considered it, but decided to bow out. I am glad I did. Even though the plot sounds reasonably good, I am a character driven reader, and not caring about them would be an issue for me too :/
I am sorry it did not work for you, I can imagine how frustrated you must have been on completion of the story.
Oh wow. This definitely seems like a Carole book, so I'm sorry that you didn't enjoy it! It sucks when you can't get into the story. 🙁 I hope your next read is much better, Carole!
Have a great week. =)
Alyssa @ The Eater of Books!
Oh, sorry to hear that. This sounds so disappointing. I can see why. I hope your next reads are waay better, hon. 🙂
Man that stinks so much when you get there and are like meh don't care. Bummer.
Booo! This sounds so great! I don't mind the lack of gruesomeness but I need some connection to the book or it's just going to be meh for me. I think there was another book you kind of felt similar about (Gone Without a Trace) which I liked a little better but was also on the meh side for me. That was a review book this isn't so I'm going to be skipping it. I don't need to waste my time on a meh book.
It's so sad when you're excited about a book and then it doesn't really do anything for you 🙁 I agree that the story sounds compelling, but I would have had trouble, too, if I didn't connect with the MC and her narration.
Lexxie @ (un)Conventional Bookviews
I've seen it around a lot, and I do feel like the premise sounds spectacular. But I also know that it's really hard to like a book when you don't like the MC! Too bad you didn't like it though. Total disappointment.
I was so excited to read this and then I just wanted to be done with it at a point.
I'm sorry you didn't like it as the premise sounds really good. Great review though, hopefully the next book will be more to your liking :).
I was so disappointed by this book but others do love it.