I’m glad I got to reading this and enjoyed several aspects of the story however, there were some concerning bits about character development and connecting to it.

I found my pace in reading slowing down as I was so fed up of things not getting to a point where I could chew over my thoughts.

There are sensitive issues in this book and I thought that was done well.

I read this authors previous book and gave it 3 stars. I’ll try one more time.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
The synopsis of this book sounded intriguing to me so I requested a copy to read.
Unfortunately, I have tried reading this book on 2 separate occasions and during this 2nd attempt, I have
decided to stop reading this book
and state that this book just wasn't for me.

The concept is interesting along with the back & forth structure of the storytelling. There’’s some depth to the characters of Corey and Kyra but I do feel their sexuality should or could have been explored further. The other characters are also not given enough attention to be very believable. The mental illness storyline is important to explore but I feel it becomes weakened by the supernatural element of the story. I do think it will appeal to teenagers though.

This story sucked me in from the outset. It is a creepy and twisty tale, that is beautifully written. The atmosphere is claustrophobic with the isolated setting. I'll be thinking about this one for a long time. 5 stars from me!

Gorgeous and powerful, this is the ultimate anti-inspiration-porn book. I loved it and feel its message will benefit so many readers. It reads like a thriller and is highly atmospheric.

I enjoyed the book, I don't read much YA so it was a nice change of pace. I do love mysteries so that was enough to grab my attention and keep it.

This book was super confusing, weaving threads of YA fiction dealing with mental illness, horror, and mystery into a giant ball of tangled yarn. WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD Ok, so Kyra had bipolar disorder and was treated as persona non grata by her backwoods Alaska town (except for her best friend Corey). During her manic episodes, she painted like mad but apparently hated it? And sometimes her paintings predicted the future, I think? So once Corey moves away, the town discovers Kyra's "psychic painting" and turns her into some type of oracle, but then also kills her/lets her die? And then when Corey comes back for her funeral, the entire town (except for two teen guys and the hot springs caretaker dude) have formed some type of weird Kyra death cult and are willing to burn Corey alive because she's asking questions? And what's with the weird whispers, shadows, trees moving, etc.? OK - see all those question marks above? Those are legit questions/uncertainties, because the book never explained anything beyond what I just wrote.

Whoo. Um. I don't really know what to say here. I've seen other reviewers praise the portrayal of mental illness, bipolar disorder in particular, that is depicted in this novel. I'm going to have to disagree with that praise. I suffer from bipolar disorder myself, and while I certainly agree that mental illness should be freely explored in more media, it's not handled well here. Kyra is like a live wire, and of course she's ostracized by her town. Then comes the death, that may or may not be, suicide. It's all very cliched, with almost no nuance. I really wanted to love this book, but it just missed the mark for me.
2.5 stars

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

Similar to "This is where it is" I am not sure If this book is complete genius, or not good at all? It's that conflicting. Extreme trigger warnings for bi polar disorder, suicide and death. Written well, and I can definitely see other people enjoying it, but just not for me.

I had mixed feelongs about this story. It wasn't for me , but I definately think it could be a hit with a different type of reader!

I’m not really sure where to begin in writing a review for this. I was intrigued by the premise of a young woman learning of her best friend’s suicide and her quest to determine why she took her own life. I felt like the plot went off in a really strange, almost surreal, supernatural direction that completely turned me off. The characters actions, particularly those of Kyra’s parents, were implausible and honestly downright unthinkable. As a parent, this really bothered me. The ending of the book was strange, choppy and so completely, over-the-top dramatic and angst-filled that I was honestly glad when it finished. I’m sure that this author’s writing style will appeal to some, but this one just wasn’t for me.

This was tough for me because I struggled to feel the tension build. That could be because tension was thrust onto the reader very early and then stayed at the same level of intensity (not sure that word fits, but I'll use it). It could be the numerous flashbacks that jumped randomly and forced me to stop caring when it was in time.

I had trouble feeling connected to the characters because they weren't given a lot of flesh. Other than the two main characters most of the other "adults" were the same simplistic people. Corey and Kyra were developed but unfortunately unlikable. Especially Corey. At some point, if a character is angry, and rightfully so, they need to have a redeeming quality or moment to balance the grit. I never saw that and had a lot of trouble finishing this book. The Alaskan setting was different and a big draw but ended up feeling like a 90s sitcom community and not real.

I have come to the conclusion that Nijkamp is just not for me. I was so interested in the premise of this book, but it ultimately fell flat for me. While the beginning was promising, around the half-way point, I wanted to DNF the book. The only reason I pushed through was because it was an arc that I wanted to review. The ending was decent, and it did raise my rating. This isn't a bad book by any means. It includes some good representation for bipolar disorder, suicide, death, and grief. (I can't say whether the rep is accurate). However, for me it was just an 'okay' book and honestly, I can't really say what I 'liked' and 'disliked.' It was all just very... average.

Unfortunately, for my older books requested I was unable to review probably. They were never read, not because they weren't great, but because I ended up sick. I am just now getting back into the swing of thinks. Thank you, Netgalley.

Deep and dark and unforgettable. I sat on this for too long before reading, so don't make my mistake!

I received this book a long time ago and a while after the publishing date. Therefore I will not be giving feedback as not only would it no longer be relevant, but also I didn't get round to reading it. My thanks to the published for the opportunity, as always this is much appreciated.

A bit of a mystery. A bit of a horror story. An odd place and some odd people.
An honest and touching portrayal of bipolar disorder. Kyra, though dead, was the character I was drawn to. The rest of the characters were not captivating for me.

This was a book that left me feeling very...meh. It tried to tackle some pretty heavy/deep issues such as suicide and grief, but it was very clumsily handled.

I tried reading this book but sadly I didn't make it very far while reading this book. I think that the different point of views made it a bit difficult to understand . I usually love this author's books and I hoped that this one would work out for me.

In Before I Let Go, I found that Marieke Kijkamp conveys her characters emotions in such a way that makes me as a reader feel like I'm going through what the characters are going through. She has such an amazing talent for immersing the reader in the character's experiences.