📘 Red Leaves
by Paullina Simons
Genre Fiction ◦ Mystery
Format & Source Print ◦ For review (TLC Tours)
Publication William Morrow ◦ 2017 (reprint)
Dates Read April 6 – 15, 2017
Rating ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
📝 My Review
Red Leaves is an interesting and odd book. At some points, I was completely hooked and at others, I was left scratching my head and going “huh?”
The story centers on Kristina Kim, a basketball player at Dartmouth College. From the get go, she is a confusing character… hard to like, hard to understand. You meet her group of friends who all have the oddest relationships I’ve seen. So and so is dating this one, but loves this one and so on. Lots of love / hate relationships going on.
As the book description reveals, Kristina is found dead in the snow one night. From there, the story is then taken over by a young detective, Spencer O’Malley, who had a brief flirtation with Kristina.
I was both intrigued and puzzled. The characters, their behaviors, and their dialogue were all painfully unrealistic. For the most part, they were one-dimensional, unlikable, and presenting with just weird behavior. As an example, Kristina was known around campus for getting drunk and walking naked on a bridge. Inexplicably. I just found some of the story to not make much sense and some of the situations to just not add up.
On the other hand, I enjoyed the sense of mystery and intrigue. I pretty much had no idea what was going on, and therefore, I was racing trough the pages to try and uncover Kristina’s secrets and past.
This was definitely a unique reading experience. Something felt a bit off about the story and the people in it, but I was also invested in it at the same time. It’s one of those puzzling books that just make you go, “hmmm.” I can’t say I loved it, but I also didn’t hate it. I’d say it was worth a read, but not a favorite.
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