This month, Kayla and I chose with Pull Me Under by Kelly Luce as our April 2017 Book. It was a book with a lot of promise, a really interesting start — it opens with a 12 year old girl stabbing a classmate with a letter opener!— and then… not so much. Grab yourself a cup of coffee, and settle in, as we discuss our thoughts on our April book selection.
BLOGGER BOOK CLUB | APRIL 2017 | PULL ME UNDER
What was your overall impression of the book?
Kayla — I honestly felt neutral with it. Nothing really stood out to me throughout. I’m such a big fan of thrillers, that sometimes anything else seems to fall short for me. I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t love it.
Dara — I thought it had a lot more potential, but was still a pleasant read. I really liked the writing, and the beginning of the plot, but it sort of fell short for me. With that said, I had a hard time putting it down. I loved the little details, and the main character, but I think it could have been taken in a very different direction.
Did you decide right away if you liked or disliked the book?
KW — The beginning really intrigued me, but I felt it going another way would have been more exciting. I read the book fairly quickly, because it was interesting, but I don’t know – it just didn’t really do anything for me.
DB — I’m sort of obsessed with Japan and Japanese culture, so I really liked reading the food descriptions, and the old tales, temples, etc. So I knew right away I’d enjoy it. Plus, it started off with an 12 yr old stabbing a boy with a letter opener, strong opening!
Did you feel strongly about any of the characters?
DB — I really didn’t like Danny and felt like her whole narrative was forced to fit in. It made almost no sense how weird and secretive she was, yet included Rio on her journey. And I kind of hated that Rio went to visit the parents of the boy she murdered. How awful.
KW — Yes. Danny was the worst. I figured out from the moment Rio/Chizuru went to the funeral that Danny had been involved with Rio’s father somehow. I don’t understand why she said the letter said what it did – that took it past her being secretive – that was being mean and hateful. Rio needed some kind of closure from her father (even though she hated closure), but Danny was the worst. I think Rio could have decided to do that hike on her own and met what’s his face – he was super sweet and I liked him.
Did anything surprise you, or was the plot predictable?
DB — I wouldn’t say it was predictable, but I wasn’t blown away, or surprised with any twists either.
KW — I think the only thing that surprised me in the entire book was that she got arrested – that was random.
DB — That was a weird moment in the book, I wasn’t quite sure what the author was trying to show us or explain to us through Rio’s 4 day stay in a holding cell. It was a bit of a distraction, but I guess it brought her husband and daughter to Japan…
How about the ending?
KW — I felt like the writing at the ending felt rushed.
DB — Totally agree.
What did you rate it on Goodreads?
KW — 3 stars
DB — I gave it 4 stars, but only because I I really love Japan… probably the worst way to judge a book — based on location — but that’s what hooked me in, and kept me going.
KW —I judge books in weird ways, too, so no worries! Speaking of Japan, I think it’s pretty odd that the author wasn’t Japanese or wasn’t raised in Japan. She came from California – so that was honestly a little off-putting for me.
NEXT MONTH
Join us on May 30th, as Kayla and I discuss our May book. We’re still torn between a few options! The Blogger Book Club will take place the very last Tuesday of each month. If you have any suggestions for un upcoming month — please let us know!
Catch up on January, February, and March books here.
And don’t forget to link up with us! Happy Reading, fellow bookworms! And lastly, we want to know your honest thoughts about Pull Me Under…