Other Possible Prompts: 5. Chapters have titles, 29. Over 500 pages long

Bleh. I’m on a string of bad books, I guess. Say You’re Sorry was just a true crime junkie writing a romance with an uncomfortable amount of graphic detail, in both senses of the word.

One night on the way to a diner with a friend, Daisy Dawson is attacked by a random man on the street. After fighting off her attacker, she is left holding a bizarre locket that unearths an FBI investigation into a religious cult, catapulting family friend Gideon Reynolds into Daisy’s life. Together, Gideon and Daisy follow a trail of their personal grief left in the wake of a serial killer, and the hidden group Gideon himself escaped at age thirteen.

Sparks and gunshots fly, etc.

I just really wasn’t digging this novel and the strange directions of it. I love horror, and I like a good thriller, too, but this is downright gruesome. This is the kind of shit we talk about when we talk about the effect of grotesque, women-hating crime novels that do more harm than good. I didn’t think the story, and the backstory, were good enough reason to compromise morals that made this story so disturbing. This is one of those novels that nearly qualifies as a rape fantasy, the complete glorification of violence against women. I don’t think they’re implying that what the serial killer does is okay, but they literally give him a backstory to try to explain away his behaviors. It’s kind of unacceptable, vomit-inducing, and terribly surprising coming from a woman. As my friends stated, as I stumbled looking for the name of the genre: it’s “The White Knight Douche Genre”. Pretty accurate description!

And additionally, I couldn’t stand the “romance” between Daisy and Gideon. For some reason I think this might be part of her genre…mystery with a touch of romance, like she’s trying to corner the market on some stereotypical (and nonexistent) female reader. The sex scenes are graphic and unnecessary, totally disjointed and out of place in this story.

And gosh, I really hated Daisy, too. It could be partly the narrator’s fault; he was male and his “husky female” voice for Daisy was disturbing at best and downright creepy at worst. Not to mention the fact that they kept bringing up her deep, husky radio voice. Very odd. I just found Daisy as a character to be ~not your average girl~ fodder, with no actual charm.

Really, the only good characters were the supporting ones. Daisy’s friends and family were wonderful and warm. They were actual human beings instead of…whatever her and Gideon were.

I did not care for this book; there was a lot of cringing involved, and when I look back and think critically I cringe even more. I do not recommend!

Have a fabulous rest of your week friends, and cross your fingers that my reading choices improve.