Title: Emily’s List
Authors: Sean Platt and David W. Wright
Series: n/a
Weak protagonist, slow pace, confusing at times
I would like to thank Sean Platt and David W. Wright, Sterling & Stone, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a free copy in exchange for an honest review. Per Jen Turrell of Sterling & Stone, this ebook is free across all retail platforms, at least at the time I’m writing this review, so if you’re interested, grab a copy!
I was under the impression this book would be a spooky haunted house mystery, and at times it was, but truly this is a young adult psychological thriller with a paranormal bent. 13 Reasons Why meets The Sixth Sense.
The novel’s truly about Cora and her mental illnesses—OCD, depression, anxiety, pretty much hates herself. Toss in crippling remorse, residual grief, a tense relationship with her mom, horrible bullies at school, battling the urge to self-harm, talking to herself on two levels, which got confusing at times (italics were overused) . . . and yeah, she really wasn’t much fun to be around. Platt and Wright did almost too good a job getting into her chemically imbalanced brain.
I’m all for protagonists having relatable flaws, but they also have to be likable and charismatic enough to draw readers in and carry a story. I didn’t dislike Cora, but I didn’t like her much, either. She was a mental and emotional hot mess, incredibly naive, easily led, and just couldn’t get out of her own way. Having similar mental illnesses myself, though nowhere near Cora’s severity, I had great sympathy for her—but to a point. I didn’t feel her character arc arrived at a much better place than where it began. She came clean to her mom, realized she needed to respect her pill regimen (how hard is it to use a weekly case and set an alarm?), made some friends, and did what she needed to do to wrap up the story, but . . . I don’t know, I just wasn’t satisfied with Cora’s arc. I didn’t feel she grew enough as a person.
It had a slow start as Cora transitioned and demonstrated her mentality to us, but once Alex was introduced it picked up a little—or maybe I just became more interested once there was a whiff of romance. Alex was fascinating, bursting with charisma. But did we get all the answers regarding him? Was he involved in drugs? Why did he act shady sometimes? Pardon if the book said and I just don’t remember. I’m not sure we got an explanation for his father’s sudden turn around in the resolution, either. Great to hear, but bafflingly abrupt.
Speaking of questions, was it ever addressed that Emily seemed to possess people, make them say and do things? Or was Cora hallucinating? It wasn’t very clear. Also, I don’t remember the forgotten Saturday being satisfyingly addressed. Other than some nasty texts to her old friend, did she ever figure out what she did that day? I think the blackout was caused by her sporadic pill-taking, but that didn’t settle the matter. Also there was some timeline confusion in there, because when she first woke up it was Sunday, but later it became Saturday again, and then the next day was Saturday, too, I think. I was so confused.
Last thing I wanted to mention was Lilith. I’m really not sure what to think about her. Storytelling-wise, she didn’t make a whole lot of sense. If you have a bazooka like Lilith lying next to you, why are you using Emily the handgun? Lilith struck me as a very convenient but unnecessary way of explaining Emily. Couldn’t figure out how to explain something? Point the finger at Lilith. Or possibly her purpose was to allow Emily to remain sympathetic—she’d been influenced by evil, after all. Which is a crock; her actions were her own. I felt bad for Emily but I didn’t like her. I didn’t care to see her note at the end, I’d rather Cora had just been done with her.
Overall, it was an interesting book with solid writing despite a few faults—weak protagonist, slow pace, confusing at times. Ultimately not to my taste, but I respect Platt and Wright’s effort to shine light on dark and disturbing topics.
