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A review by liferhi_inspired
Forest of Whispers by Holly Knightley
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
1.0
I just finished what I hope to be my WORST READ of 2025. If I could give this negative stars, I would.
I really wanted to DNF this book within the first 30pgs, but pushed through based on the reviews for this book. At this point, I feel like they all must have been bought. š
Outside of the pacing issues (too slow at the beginning and too fast at the end), the unlikeable characters, the omniscient 3rd person POV, and the cover/blub that does at all reflect the story, you have all of the problematic content within the story.
Here are a few of the major icks, keep in mind that itās a YA book meant to be read by teenagers:
š« The 16yr FMC literally drools over the āhotā pastor for the first 75pgs.
š« The love interest her own age says nothing when his friend calls her fat. And at one point had ālocker room talkā where he said āfat girls are easyā. Of course, this was all swept under the rug and easily forgiven.
š« After dumping the BF, she goes on a date with a 24yr neighbor; he tells her to hide it from her Grandma since she wouldnāt approve
š« This 24yr old neighbor spies on her through an attic window and watches her undress several times, including once with her being intimate with her boyfriend
š« It glosses over the on-page abusive behavior her boyfriend receives from his dad
š« Thereās a lack of diversity in this book. Her boyfriendās last name is Lopez, but itās later explained that his dad changed his name to Lopez and that heās actually of French decent. The only (assumed) person of color is a kid with the last name Chen and is presumed to be k!//ed off by the serial unaliver of the story.
I really wanted to DNF this book within the first 30pgs, but pushed through based on the reviews for this book. At this point, I feel like they all must have been bought. š
Outside of the pacing issues (too slow at the beginning and too fast at the end), the unlikeable characters, the omniscient 3rd person POV, and the cover/blub that does at all reflect the story, you have all of the problematic content within the story.
Here are a few of the major icks, keep in mind that itās a YA book meant to be read by teenagers:
š« The 16yr FMC literally drools over the āhotā pastor for the first 75pgs.
š« The love interest her own age says nothing when his friend calls her fat. And at one point had ālocker room talkā where he said āfat girls are easyā. Of course, this was all swept under the rug and easily forgiven.
š« After dumping the BF, she goes on a date with a 24yr neighbor; he tells her to hide it from her Grandma since she wouldnāt approve
š« This 24yr old neighbor spies on her through an attic window and watches her undress several times, including once with her being intimate with her boyfriend
š« It glosses over the on-page abusive behavior her boyfriend receives from his dad
š« Thereās a lack of diversity in this book. Her boyfriendās last name is Lopez, but itās later explained that his dad changed his name to Lopez and that heās actually of French decent. The only (assumed) person of color is a kid with the last name Chen and is presumed to be k!//ed off by the serial unaliver of the story.
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, and Gore
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Miscarriage, Cannibalism, and Murder