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The Roanoke Girls

Amy Engel

Start date: September 2, 2017

Finish date: September 30, 2017

Discussion: Books of the Month

Why we're reading this: September 2017 Anything Goes Book of the Month
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What Members Thought

Mar 27, 2017 Amy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-in-2017, arc-copy, fiction, from-publisher, edelweis-netgalley_review

Wow! What a book! This is very dark and twisty sort of novel with very difficult themes. It’s not for everyone – trigger warnings all over the place. If you can get past the darkness, it really is an intriguing and interesting story. The entire novel revolves around a very dark family secret (don’t read reviews or they’ll spoil it for you) that is the heart of the novel. The characters and the storytelling are stellar here! There is an authenticity to the story that surprised me. And I think th ...more

7 likes · Like · see review

Feb 25, 2017 Eveline rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own-arc

“Roanoke Girls never last long around here. In the end, we either run or we die.”

*shivers*

This is such a disturbing story. I can pull a whole bunch of creepy quotes from it, easily. The Roanoke Girls is a sick and twisted family drama, so if you’re sensitive to really dark stories I suggest you check out some spoilery reviews before deciding to read.

“Everyone wants to be a Roanoke girl,
but you won’t when you know the truth.”

Actually, the big secret is revealed pretty early on, not so subtly b “Roanoke Girls never last long around here. In the end, we either run or we die.”

*shivers*

This is such a disturbing story. I can pull a whole bunch of creepy quotes from it, easily. The Roanoke Girls is a sick and twisted family drama, so if you’re sensitive to really dark stories I suggest you check out some spoilery reviews before deciding to read.

“Everyone wants to be a Roanoke girl,
but you won’t when you know the truth.”

Actually, the big secret is revealed pretty early on, not so subtly blurted out by the main character, Lane. But, of course, there’s still the matter of one of the Roanoke Girls’ disappearance (– and not entirely unimportant: HOW WAS EVERYONE OKAY WITH THIS?!).

The storytelling may take some getting used to. Most of the parts are from Lane’s point of view, alternating between ‘Then’ and ‘Now’, with every now and then a glimpse of the lives of the other Roanoke girls. As long as you check the chapter headings, which you’ll get used to very quick, you should be fine. Also, learning the names of all the Roanoke girls and where they fit into the family can be a bit challenging at first. Luckily, my copy had a family tree in the front, which I referenced quite a lot while reading. For everyone’s sake, I hope they will keep this vital source of information in the final print too.

What I really liked about this novel is that I didn’t like any of the characters, as contradicting as that might sound. It made it harder to figure out who to sympathize with and who was to blame (aside from the obvious villains of course), which always intrigues me. I would’ve liked to read more about Allegra’s inner turmoil, since I felt she was such an interesting and important character. It’s both fascinating and heart-breaking to see the influence of a dysfunctional family on someone’s character and the way the rest of their lives progress. It’s also one of the few things that can really anger me, which is why it’s not easy for me to forget The Roanoke Girls.

I received an advance reader copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. ...more

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Sep 22, 2017 Kelli rated it it was ok

The story was like a bad wreck that I couldn't walk away from. I easily figured out who killed some of the girls. The ending was also disappointing. ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Mar 19, 2017 Megan rated it liked it

Blech. This was a very well-written, engaging book (in that I didn't put it down from start to finish, read it in one afternoon), but I really wish that I had never heard of it. Reading this book is sort of like a late night when you go down an internet rabbit hole and follow it to its darkest conclusions and, even though you didn't stop yourself from going there and clearly chose to continue at every juncture, you feel taken advantage of and like you need a few dozen showers to wash away your n ...more

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Feb 27, 2017 Nicole rated it really liked it

Shelves: kindle, 200in2017, arc

Lane Roanoke only spent a year at her family home, but the events there still haunt her. While she's living in California, she receives a call from her Grandfather, beckoning her to return to the family home in rural Kansas. It's been years since she's been to Roanoke (the family home), but she knows it is serious when her cousin, Allegra, is missing. Lane drives back to the homesetead, and tries to piece together the events leading up to her cousin's disappearance and possible whereabouts. Howe Lane Roanoke only spent a year at her family home, but the events there still haunt her. While she's living in California, she receives a call from her Grandfather, beckoning her to return to the family home in rural Kansas. It's been years since she's been to Roanoke (the family home), but she knows it is serious when her cousin, Allegra, is missing. Lane drives back to the homesetead, and tries to piece together the events leading up to her cousin's disappearance and possible whereabouts. However, being at Roanoke has a nasty habit of bringing up past events that threaten her sanity and her health. Will Lane find the key to the mystery and solve it before she is drawn forever back into the home that she fled so many years ago, or is she destined to live out the rest of her days in the madness of Roanoke?

Roanoke girls never last long around here. In the end, we either run or we die.

I was so excited to read this book. And when the publisher gave me a copy of the electronic book in exchange for my honest review, I jumped at the chance. However, reading this was a pretty disturbing experience. I loved the language, but the subject matter, or rather relationship manner between a few of the characters was incestuous. While it felt like an adult, literary version of a VC Andrews novel, there were parts of the relationships that made me feel really badly. I know it is an unsettling subject, but I was having a huge sinus migraine for most of reading this. I feel like it was something that I needed to read, as that is one of the best parts of reading--we can read and encounter experiences that in the real world might hard us irreparably, but we can close the book or finish it and walk away. However, I think The Roanoke Girls might stay with me for a long time, if only because of the tremendously rich language and character development. Lane is an amazingly strong woman, despite what she thinks of herself.
Information about author, Amy Engel can be found at her website. While The Roanoke Girls is her first adult novel, she's written a YA dystopian series that looks pretty cool, too!

Who would read this: Adults who grew up reading VC Andrews, mystery fans, crime fans.
Time to Read: 6 hours (with a sinus migraine)
Rating: 4.5/5
Funny Story: I kept thinking this was a grown up vc andrews novel.
Final thoughts: While the subject matter is dARK, IT IS WORTH THE READ FOR THE LANGUAGE AND CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT. ...more

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