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A review by shellballenger
They All Had A Reason: A rumor. A secret. A lie. A murder. by Michele Leathers
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
0.5
Type of read: Commuter Read
What made me pick it up: I believe I saw 'They All Had a Reason' on one of the wishlists of a fellow book club member. I'm also using it as my book for the TN R.E.A.D.s January prompt of 'read a book you received as a gift' since one of my wonderful book club friends sent this one to me!
Overall rating: Let's get something out of the way first, 'They All Had A Reason' reads extremely YA. And I'm not talking high school level YA; I'm talking middle school YA. I feel like 5th-grade me would have <i> absolutely </i> gotten this from the Scholastic Book Fair and purposely carried it around on the outside of my trapper keeper because it helped me look angsty and mysterious.
I read this book as a tangible paperback, and my brain was screaming. Unless it's poetry or lyrical verse, I prefer a very traditionally published tangible book. I'm not talking about sprayed edges or paper choice; those are both things I can fully support to make your book different...I'm talking font, font size, and margin. There was something off about the printing of 'They All Had A Reason' that just gave me a headache and made it hard to stay focused and read comfortably for any extended period of time. Honestly, I'm going to blame the tiny margins and the fact that everything looked like it was smooshed on the page and bleeding through the other side.
On to the actual content of the book....oof. No bueno. No part of this book makes sense. The actions the characters take, the choices they make, and the progression of relationships. I just don't get it. These are supposedly sophomores to seniors in high school, and they're acting like grade schoolers. I feel like this book has potential, but it needs an editor, some assistance with the storyline, and overall, just a zhuzh to even get it remotely close to a successful book.
What made me pick it up: I believe I saw 'They All Had a Reason' on one of the wishlists of a fellow book club member. I'm also using it as my book for the TN R.E.A.D.s January prompt of 'read a book you received as a gift' since one of my wonderful book club friends sent this one to me!
Overall rating: Let's get something out of the way first, 'They All Had A Reason' reads extremely YA. And I'm not talking high school level YA; I'm talking middle school YA. I feel like 5th-grade me would have <i> absolutely </i> gotten this from the Scholastic Book Fair and purposely carried it around on the outside of my trapper keeper because it helped me look angsty and mysterious.
I read this book as a tangible paperback, and my brain was screaming. Unless it's poetry or lyrical verse, I prefer a very traditionally published tangible book. I'm not talking about sprayed edges or paper choice; those are both things I can fully support to make your book different...I'm talking font, font size, and margin. There was something off about the printing of 'They All Had A Reason' that just gave me a headache and made it hard to stay focused and read comfortably for any extended period of time. Honestly, I'm going to blame the tiny margins and the fact that everything looked like it was smooshed on the page and bleeding through the other side.
On to the actual content of the book....oof. No bueno. No part of this book makes sense. The actions the characters take, the choices they make, and the progression of relationships. I just don't get it. These are supposedly sophomores to seniors in high school, and they're acting like grade schoolers. I feel like this book has potential, but it needs an editor, some assistance with the storyline, and overall, just a zhuzh to even get it remotely close to a successful book.