Cover Image: When the Light Went Out

When the Light Went Out

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

I’m not sure how I feel about this one still. I liked it while I was reading it but I found it very forgettable. I did really like the characters and the story line.

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I really wanted to like this book. The synopsis held so much promise, but the book failed to deliver as much as I hoped for from it. I enjoyed it well enough, but with a few tweaks it could have been an even more enjoyable read.

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Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of When the Light Went Out by Bridget Morrissey.

DNF, unfortunately, I just can't do it. The characters were way too young when the plot tragedy occurred as my initial main beef. But the ugly relationship between the diseased friend and the protagonist was my second total hangup. I can't keep going.

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Thank you for approving me for this title! However, I unfortunately was unable to download/read this book prior to it being archived on Netgalley. I hope to read and review this book on my own soon, and hope to read other books from this author and publisher. Thanks again!

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Okay, here's the thing. I VERY VIVIDLY remember reading this book The day I got approved. But for some reason I didn't mark it on goodreads. I remember enjoying jt. I remember thr scavenger hunt and them having to go into like a drain/tunnel. I feel like I should reread it. But either way if I remember stuff from it then it kust have been good.

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This was a book that I unfortunately could not get into and didn't really enjoy it. I went into it thinking it was more of a thriller, but I didn't love the premise once I started reading it. The cover is enticing, but the book didn't do it for me.

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This book had an interesting premise, but it could have been done a bit better in my opinion. While overall it was a good story, I wasn't a fan of all aspects of the story. The stories felt slightly derivative and I would have liked to see them fleshed out further, especially because they felt like a really important of the story, even more so than characters usually are. There was also a lot of explanation and it was mainly telling instead of showing, which was a bit tiring by the end of the book. Overall, I did enjoy this, even if there were some parts of the book that didn't work for me.

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A short and sharp read full of twists. I will definitely read more from the author! I love the cover too.

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TRIGGER/CONTENT WARNING: suicidal ideation, gun violence, bullying, self-harm

I first read this book last year, close to its publication date. I went into it expecting a spooky scavenger hunt, but that's not the real story this book told. For whatever reason, I never got around to posting my initial review. That actually worked out well. I read it again a few days ago, when I had just meant to skim through and get clear the details. So, my reread of When The Light Went Out resulted in a different point of view. I lost someone to gun violence recently. Someone who had once meant the world to me, though I wasn't valued that way to them. Through that lense, I understand that this book is an exploration of grief, of madness, of that feeling that builds in the chest of teens, the one where they are feeling so much it seems they might explode. I still think that the book was missing a few vital pieces that would have fully fleshed it out, as well as being misrepresented by the description. This is not a mystery scavenger hunt book. It's an archeological excavation of grief, with it's many forms and myriad symptoms.
3 stars

*I received a review copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion
Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire and Netgalley.*

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Somehow I didn't leave a review right after reading this, and this book definitely deserves some credit!

I really enjoyed this book. I felt like I was on an adventure with all of the kids. The character development was excellent - I felt like I knew them by the end of the book.

The plotline was great and the story went places I wasn't expecting.

In the days of more predictable that not books, boring storylines with shallow characters, this book was SUCH a welcome surprise! Definitely recommend.

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The premise of the book is good and I enjoyed the storyline but the characters didn't keep my attention enough, I lost interest in the middle and their wasn't enough development to keep me caring.

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What a book! I'll be talking about this one for awhile Thank you netgalley for the free arc in exchange for an honest review!

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I didn’t want to stop reading this one and finished in a couple sittings today, which is a plus. I think I expected something a bit different and this was more... meh? I don’t know how to describe it. I knew it was a contemporary instead of a mystery but I can’t really explain my disappointment without spoilers. I love scavenger hunt-style books and this was only half that? It was intriguing throughout at least.

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This book unfortunately wasn't for me. It's about a scavenger hunt that is left by a girl who dies as a result of a fatal shooting. The premise is such an interesting one; however, I found myself being bored with what was happening throughout the story.

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Mysterious from start to end. Doesn't let the readers relax. My brain was working overtime trying to think everything. The pendulum of thoughts was in a constant motion betweem "how is this possible?" and "off course! thats how it is!"

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I felt this would be a bit more thriller-esque, but it wasn't. It was more of a contemporary, and a pretty sad one, with a deep look at tragedy and how it impacts the people close to us. Despite the marketing being a little off, I did like this one, and the cover was really enticing to me - I'd have grabbed this from a shelf even not having read the synopsis!

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The plot of this book is a very interesting one that covers important issues like mental illness. Unfortunately, the characters weren't very likeable and that took away something for me. It was still a very quick read that I recommend giving a try if it sounds interesting to you.

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This book is classified as a young adult mystery novel. If you are going to read this book, I'd suggest realizing before you start, know that this is not a thriller. I felt like it should've just been classified as a contemporary young adult fiction. It's more about dealing with grief and the horrible tragedy that a group of friends had to endure.

There was a lot going on in this book. Something for me was my inability to like the characters all that much. I feel like there were some parts where I enjoyed seeing what was going on in their mind. However, a lot of the time, I didn't really enjoy them. I think that Olivia's obsession with Marley was uncomfortable and unhealthy.

I think that this story had a lot of meaning behind it, especially after I read the acknowledgements. There was a lot happening where people had to deal with grief in a group and dealing with it alone. The writing was just okay, but I definitely got the message the author was trying to portray.

Overall, this book wasn't great, but it wasn't bad either. I'd still recommend this book to those who like young adult novels, especially those dealing with grief at a young age.

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The story line takes a group of neighborhood children who are traumatized when one child shoots another in an accidental shooting. The 15 yr old who has been shot continues to influence the thoughts and actions of the remaining children. The story leaps to 5 years after when the children band together to finish the adventure they started the day of the shooting. The aftermath will surprise you.

I believe the genre listing is not totally correct. The story is somewhat complicated to follow in sections. It requires the reader to take a few leaps in the story line that are not the norm in a YA book. A good book overall.

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I really enjoyed the writing. I was taken in right from the beginning. It's kind of a deep book and not so much a mystery. It has strong friendships, grief, hope, pain, memories, fun, forgiveness, strength, love. It's just a solid book with believable characters who are all just trying their best.

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