This is Our Story Paperback – October 17, 2017

This book started off strong, lost steam in the middle, and landed flat on its face at the end. The only thing that kept me reading to the end was my curiosity; I wanted to know who the killer was. The things that bothered me might seem insignificant, but they prevented me from becoming fully absorbed.I never felt like I had a clear picture of Kate, and I don't just mean what she looks like. I know what she likes to do for fun... but I don't really know who she is. That made it very hard for me to connect with her. It was frustrating because I know Elston had it in her to write a fully fleshed-out character; I have a very clear picture of each of the River Point Boys.I really didn't like the way Elston wrote the adult characters. It turns me off when parents are written in a way that makes it obvious the author didn't want them to be part of the story but couldn't think of a plausible reason to completely leave them out. That, to me, is lazy. Kate's mom is present throughout but never really *there*. She's always taking a smoke break, stuck working late, and tossing her car keys at Kate so Kate can drive around and get caught spying on people. Mr. Stone, on the other hand, was very much a part of the story. And he was interesting and likeable until he did something that was out of character and clearly just meant to service the plot. Another turnoff.Then there's the ending. The killer wasn't who I thought it was... but the reveal wasn't that exciting. But perhaps that's mostly because I just didn't care at that point and wanted to be done with the book so I could start a new one.One thing I really liked about this book: dual perspective. Most of the story is told from Kate's point of view, but there are short sections told from the killer's perspective. It really added interest to the story and kept me reading even when I was feeling bored by Kate.This book was an entertaining quick read, but I'm not rushing to recommend it to anyone.

It took me only two days to finish this book, working a full time job, and still coming home to make dinner and spend time with my loved ones.. That’s how good it was. This cover of this novel is what captivated me at first (let’s be honest, we all judge a book by it’s cover) well this one is gorgeous. I’m so glad i made the purchase, this novel captivated me from the very first page until the very last page.The story begins with a narration of what takes place out in the woods, on a Sunday morning while five friends go out shooting in the woods, which is normal of them to do. Only this time, only four came back, Grant Perkins what shot by one of his own friends, was it intentional or was it an accident?The novel takes us through many different theories and possible scenarios, and we get to know the friends..Through the narration of Kate who works for the DA’s office, the same one who happens to have Grants case, so Kate happens to have a direct insight on the happenings of this case.We also learn that Kate is close to one of the boys, but she soon discovers truths that change everything.She learns how essential she is to this case, little does she know what a big part she will play in finding the answers that everyone is desperate to have.There were plot twists that had me in shock, and I loved that!Only one of the boys knows the truth, but why keep it hidden, because it was an accident and he is scared that he will face murder charges regardless, or because it was absolutely intentional and he does;t want to go down where there’s three other boys that this can be pinned on?In this novel we learn hard truths, and I can assure you that this novel will keep you wanting justice, answers and to know what really happened on that Sunday morning, when the town was shook with a death and became divided. It’s a worthwhile read, with a gorgeous cover! Read it, check it out from the library, download it on your reader.. whatever the method, get your hands on this book! ❤️Ellie RG

What I Thought...• I could not put down This Is Our Story. It had me from the get go and wouldn't let go of it's hold on me.• I love the way the story was told. There were chapter's from Kate's POV and also interludes from the killer's POV, only we don't know who it is.• Nothing is as it seems. There are five boys in the group, one of them is killed and the other four agree to this pact to "protect" themselves. It's absolutely crazy, but I could totally see this being a real story.• Kate was pretty awesome. I loved her job in the courthouse and that she was fiercer than I thought she would be.• There were quite a few plots twists. Some I saw coming, some I didn't. It was really hard to know what was true and what was a lie.• Belle Terre is a small town and I loved the mix of small town politics combined with rich people politics. It added another delicious element to the story.• I was pleasantly surprised that there was a little romance in Belle Terre. I picked up This Is Our Story because of how intriguing the mystery was, and given that half the characters are suspects to a murder I just assumed no romance.• Kate's BFF Reagan was the kind of best friend everyone should have in high school. She calls it like it is, but is also supportive.Overall you should read This Is Our Story. Now. Seriously. The mystery has so many twists and turns - you won't regret it.

***SPOILER ALERT: This is a hard book to review. I loved the premise and it honestly had me guessing until the end. Kept going back and forth and changing my mind about who the killer was. Honestly, I would have liked the author to be more "daring" by actually going out of the box and making someone we would never expect as the killer, now THAT would have been wild.The writing is wonderful. I like how this author writes a story - great pacing and not too much boring stuff in between. The voices sounded true to the characters.Speaking of characters, I would have liked ALL of the characters to be more developed. We spend nearly the entire book focused on the crime (which is fine, of course) but I would have liked more detail on everyone - especially the boys. It really feels as though everything was about Kate and I would have liked more background.As for the middle part of the story - yeahhhhhhh - let's all suspend our disbelief on that one. I am sorry, but why the love story? it felt seriously out of place and not particularly credible and then, when the "adults' find out ----- there is no fall out? NOPE, not buying it. - This was the weak part of the book.Otherwise, the story was engaging and very interesting.

In linea generale il libro mi è piaciuto, l'autrice è riuscita a tenermi con il naso attaccato alle pagine per due giorni, finché non l'ho finito. La trama è promettente e il libro inizia, senza troppi preamboli, già nel pieno dell'azione, anche se forse rallenta un po' troppo durante i capitoli centrali.Un aspetto che mi è piaciuto moltissimo è stato l'alternarsi del punto di vista della protagonista, che racconta la grande maggioranza della storia, e di uno dei quattro ragazzi accusati dell'omicidio di grant (solitamente solo una o due pagine alla fine di ogni capitolo); fino alla fine, però, non sappiamo chi sia a parlare e questo mantiene la tensione alta e spinge il lettore a provare a capire chi sia a parlare, collegando gli indizi man mano che procede la lettura.Una cosa che, invece, non mi ha fatta impazzire è stata la poca caratterizzazione dei personaggi, al di fuori della protagonista, in particolare dei "River Point Four"; a volte mi è sembrato che l'autrice gli facesse fare determinate cose solo per continuare a far brancolare nel buio il lettore, senza poi spiegarne il motivo o facendolo superficialmente.A parte questo, rimane comunque una lettura piacevole e che mi ha presa molto.

Questa è la storia d'amicizia tra quattro ragazzi che celano un terribile segreto.