Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I cannot recommend this on any level. I knew the subject was dark - clearly, the title and the notes explain this. What I didn't expect was for the entire book to be a mess - shifting between different tenses, different narrators, different times on a whim. And that the characters themselves be so devoid of any agency, any balls, any wits whatsoever, except to self-deprecate about their looks, smarts and position in life and accept their fate. I'm looking at you, Laurel - possibly the most dirty dishwater colored weak tea flavored protagonist of all times. I wanted to shake her. And all this before we even get to the incongruences of the plot... - Why didn't the police interview all the people in the houses nearby? If they had done they would have interviewed the weird Noelle. There is no mention of this. - Why does Ellie never shout, or never try to escape? If she can see a tree then there must be a window - jesus, people manage to escape from prison. You'd think even a badly thought out attempt which gets thwarted at the last minute would have jump started the flatline monotony of the narrative a little. Instead all we get is she 'thinks about jumping on her and grabbing the keys" but decides not to. Sure, ok. Why don't the parents go door to door? Why doesn't Hanna TELL the damn parents that her sister thought Noelle was creepy AT THE TIME? instead of coming out with it 20 years later 'somewhat gleefully' or whatever it is the narrator says. Wouldn't it be the first thing you'd think of? Why does Floyd say his house was all converted into bedsits and he had to spend years restoring it, but then later twice there are mentions of how it hasn't been touched since the Victorian times? Why is Floyd 'transatlantic'? I mean what is the point of all the schools and the weird accent and the (way too long) back story? I thought it was going to lead to something but apparently not Why does everybody else seem to think it's completely normal that this 15 year old girl goes missing but then we find out she had a baby and the new little girl takes her place? How is Laurel going to explain this to people? What did the police say? Why the hell couldn't we find out who the damn father was? Ok I have to stop or I will give myself an aneurysm. I think you get my drift!;)