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4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1 out of 5
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5 star
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4 star
17%
3 star
9%
2 star
12%
1 star
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Lindsay Robbins
2.0 out of 5 stars just like WWL did
Reviewed in the United States on May 11, 2017
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I don't understand why this book has such high reviews on Facebook unless It's all hippy dippy smarter-than-you people reading it, or there's just something I didn't get. This book started off slow, but very interesting. It kept being compared to "We Were Liars", so I figured it would be slow with a shocking ending that makes it all worth it, just like WWL did. I also thought that it would go a specific direction because it was constantly compared to WWL. It almost did at one point, but then the plot twist didn't get much of a reaction out if the characters and the ending kind of fizzled. it left me feeling very confused and wondering what the point of the entire thing was. Once the twist started and the wow factor kicked in, it was like the author changed her mind amd didn't want it to be "that big of a deal", so the characters were like "eh". I don't get it. Not only was the book slow throughout (with very little plot to drive it), but the ending was not worth it. I also don't find Wink and Midnight's relationship very believable considering they basically started dating immediately after he moved in next door to her (literally a couple hours later). It worked for the plot, but made it more unbelievable to the reader.
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My So-Called Book Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Wink Poppy Midnight is a book I adored!
Reviewed in the United States on April 13, 2016
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Wink Poppy Midnight is yet another book I initially wanted solely based on its cover. Can you really blame me though? What is up with all these gorgeous covers lately? My bookshelves love it but my wallet certainly doesn’t 😉 In the case of this book I was doubly excited because I’ve read April Genevieve Tucholke’s books and I’m a huge fan of her writing style. When I finally got my hands on a copy of this book the first thing I noticed was that the cover was even more beautiful in person. I must have spent a good 10 minutes just staring at it, trying to pick out all the intricate details. The second thing I noticed was how short the book was & I don’t mean just because it only had 247 pages. This book is written in a format of very short chapters, some only being one paragraph long. Add in wide margins on all sides and it kinda makes you wonder how long this book would have been had the margins been narrowed down to what’s typical. Not that this was a problem for me in any way because I enjoy short books just as much. I guess I just wasn’t expecting it, especially since Tucholke’s other books weren’t like this.

Wink Poppy Midnight is, at its core, a mystery. We know from the synopsis that there is at least one unreliable narrator and that something bad happened. Really, this is all you need to know before you start reading. To know more would only robe you of the enjoyment in discovering each word on each page for yourself. Due to the shortness of this book, the plot is laid out pretty quickly and you can almost immediately see where the tension will lie between certain characters. I love books that put you right in the thick of the story without a lot of buildup but if it’s not done right then you can end up feeling lost in the middle of a story you don’t quite understand. That’s not the case here though, Tucholke expertly inserts you into the lives of these three characters and you’ll feel, within pages, as if you’ve known them forever.

Unreliable narrators have become quite popular in all types of fiction lately and let’s face it, you either love it or you hate it. I personally love this type of storytelling but I typically don’t like to know it’s there ahead of time. It bothers me a bit to read reviews of a book and the reviewer is talking about the unreliable narrators in the story. Even though it’s technically not a spoiler, if the synopsis mentions nothing about it then it probably shouldn’t be put in a review. And yes, I’m totally guilty of doing this myself a time or two 😉 So if I know there’s an unreliable narrator then I’m looking for the signs and clues the moment I start reading. This means I usually spot it long before the author probably wanted me too. If I knew nothing about the books unreliable narrator then I wouldn’t have been looking for it and in the end I would have been blown away once it was revealed. With all that being said, I wondered how this line of thinking would play into reading this book. I thought it was pretty unique that this book announces the fact that there’s an unreliable narrator. It’s basically taunting you to pick it up and see if you can figure it out, that’s pretty bold.

Did that boldness pay off? Yes, for me it did. I think it worked due to the three, very distinct narrators. We’re told that one is a villain, one is a hero, one is a liar and it’s clear right from the start who the villain and hero are. Naturally you’d think the villain is the liar, right? Then does that mean she’s lying when she’s thinking and saying all those villainous things? Is she really not a villain at all? Idk, wouldn’t that be a little too obvious? Why would the author write such an obvious villain only to have her turn out not to be the villain because she’s really the liar? If it’s the first thing most readers would think then wouldn’t it be a pretty boring “twist” if it turned out to be true? So, if it’s not the villain who’s the liar does that mean it’s the hero? If our hero is the liar does that mean he’s not really the hero? Wouldn’t that make him the villain? Maybe it’s the third narrator who’s the liar, the one who tells stories. Are stories and lies the same thing? Could there be something else she’s lying about? If so, doesn’t that make her the villain? Are you totally confused yet? Good, you’ve just experienced what it’s like to read this book. The whole point seems to be in second guessing every word you read because the clues are there; you just have to figure out which narrator’s clues are true and which narrator’s clues are lies. This book will seriously mess with your head and leave it spinning with endless possibilities!

I loved that there was this sort of magical/mystical/fantasy feel to the entire book. It was almost like our characters were stuck inside some twisted, grownup fairytale and I loved it. Tucholke writes this story brilliantly and I found each character to be rather fascinating in their own right. And as different as these characters were, I discovered that I related to certain aspects of their personalities; that’s rare to find in one book. I also loved that the chapters would end and the POV would switch before a scene was over thus giving you an entirely different perspective to what was going on. This might sound confusing but it really worked for this story.

I think the only thing I wasn’t entirely happy with was the length of the ending, after we’ve discovered the “who’s who” of the story. I loved the ending itself but it felt like it could have been fleshed out more, like it needed another 20 pages or so. This would have given us more depth to the scope of the story and its characters. But this is just a minor thing and a personal issue of mine; I do prefer longer novels because of this! Overall, I adored Wink Poppy Midnight and would definitely recommend it for readers who enjoy novels where you’re never really sure what is going on, who you should trust, or who the bad guys really are. If you like those scenarios then you will definitely love this book!
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Jessica S.
VINE VOICE
4.0 out of 5 stars Bizarrely Entertaining & Intriguing!
Reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2016
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April Genevieve Tucholke is a writer with a very unique style to her books. They are very lyrical kinds of reads. It’s not as classy as poetry or classics, but there’s definitely a distinct style to it as you read. Wink Poppy Midnight was yet another unique and beautifully told tale, but like her previous books, there’s a foggy air of mystery and no clear-cut answers.

There are three main characters in this story, Wink, Poppy, and Midnight. One’s a hero, a villain, and a liar. Who’s who is up to you to figure out. Wink is your carefree spirit kind of girl. She’s very different and is almost innocent like with her behavior and knowledge of things. She enjoys reading fairy tales and is constantly reading them to her siblings. Poppy is your sort of stuck up popular girl with a definite mean streak. And Midnight is the boy caught between the two. He was in love with Poppy but she shunned him for the most part, even after they were together. She was cruel and mean to him, unless she wanted something from him.

It’s hard to say what goes on in this book because one, spoilers, and two…it’s really hard to say! LOL! Midnight starts hanging out with Wink more and that makes Poppy jealous and soon she’s angling to play a cruel prank on Wink and she wants Midnight’s help.

I struggle to write this review, because I struggle to understand what I read. When dealing with a liar—and we know someone’s lying here—you are never sure who to trust in a story. Can we trust their accounts of what’s going on? Can we trust anyone’s? It’s all a big mystery and puzzle. And in the end, you still aren’t entirely sure what the big picture is.

And yet, I didn’t hate the book. I wasn’t 100% in love with it, because I like answers. I like to have a clear cut idea of what all just happened and while I feel like we get some of that, I just don’t have the big picture down. It’s like a puzzle with key pieces missing. You can almost see what the final result is, but the missing pieces are making it rather difficult.

Still, I did really like this one! There’s mystery and secrets and some creepy things happening too towards the end. And still, that not knowing part actually adds to the mystery because you aren’t entirely sure if it was real or not. It’s almost like an M. Night Shyamalan movie. Most particularly Lady in the Water, because it had the strange air of mystery and fantasy to it and how everyone has a part to play. Though I haven’t seen that movie in years, and I found it a tad confusing towards the end, much like I did with this book! But oddly enough, I’m almost okay with not knowing. Maybe it’s all about the interpretation. Our own imaginings just might be the ending of the story.

Wink Poppy Midnight is an intriguing and mysterious read but is not for the faint of heart. It will confound and confuse you at times and there may not be an answer to what you want to know most. So be prepared for that, otherwise, enjoy a truly beautifully told tale and the characters with deeper meanings and motives within!

Overall Rating 4/5 stars
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Top reviews from other countries

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desperate houswife
4.0 out of 5 stars April Tucholke a mighty fine author!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 28, 2018
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Not one of her best books, but still overall a good read. The main thing that made me drop a point was the story been told from multiple person perspectives. She has continually written strong female characters and I like this a lot
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kate
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 31, 2016
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Love it!!
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Cliente Amazon
3.0 out of 5 stars Um conto de fadas moderno
Reviewed in Brazil on June 30, 2018
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Foi essa capa linda de Wink Poppy Midnight que me deu vontade de ler o livro. E foi essa mesma capa que estragou completamente a leitura para mim, porque o subtítulo “Herói, Vilão, Mentiroso” já te faz saber quem é quem na história e sabemos que o grande plot é uma mentira.
Wink é a menina excluída que parece viver em um mundo particular e fantasioso, esquisita e misteriosa, com seus cachos ruivos rebeldes, suas sardas e suas roupas estranhas.
Poppy é a rainha da escola, com seu cabelo loiro perfeito, sua beleza estonteante e sua grande habilidade para a manipulação e crueldade.
Midnight é o menino doce e inseguro que se vê obrigado a lidar com as consequências de um trote sombrio.
A sinopse do livro nos pergunta: Mas o que realmente aconteceu? Alguém sabe a verdade. Alguém está mentindo. Mas quem? - e já sabemos quem com menos de 10% da leitura concluída.
Realmente é uma pena, porque a escrita da autora tem um jeito de conto de fadas muito envolvente e os personagens são muito bem construídos. Não é um livro ruim, mas é um livro que dá pra saber como vai acabar então todo o suspense criado (algo muito importante em um thriller) simplesmente some.
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Pageturner 20
4.0 out of 5 stars Psychotic
Reviewed in Germany on May 16, 2016
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This book was pretty hyped up before it came out, so obviously, it made my TBR - like it made most TBR’s. I think I got about 3 pages in and my first reaction was that Poppy was an evil psychopath. However, as I read on, this seemed to be the least of this books worries…

Midnight. Not entirely sure why these two are pretty much fighting over him. He seems to be a fairly boring sort of guy - or maybe he just isn’t my type. There is nothing that wows me about him. He also seems to have absolutely no spine! First he goes along with what Poppy wants because he is convinced he is in love with her - and then he goes along with Wink, because he doesn’t like Poppy anymore! Even though he thinks what he is doing is wrong… he still does it!

Poppy is someone who I would normally run away from and hide underneath a rock. She comes across as a complete psychopathic bully. She is used to getting her way and that’s it - if she doesn’t get her way… well, I need a bigger rock to hide underneath!! What I liked about Poppy, though, is that she changed throughout the book. She knew what was making her unhappy and she changed it by the end of the book. She made a kind of progress where other people in this book hadn’t.

Wink’s character blurred the lines between fantasy and reality. She pretty much lived through connections with stories, and she seemed to be a story herself! Her style of narrating was very whimsical and I struggled to tell the difference between what was real from her point of view and what was fictional. She did, however, by the end of the book, turn out to be the craziest of all! With the twist that came at the end, I was questioning everything about this book. She turned out to be a crazy liar - probably someone Midnight should not have been hanging around with!

After the twist came out and Wink revealed what she did, I was confused as to why Midnight decided to still hang around with her until he did what he did! Why would you hang out with someone who revealed what she did and who turned out to be a crazy woman?!? Seriously, Midnight - you need to get your sh*t together!

What enjoyed about this book was the general darkness throughout. These teens were seriously messed up and it made for a pretty interesting story. What I didn’t like about it was the fact that it seemed a little bit slow and all of the twists seem to come at the same time. I think this could have easily been spread out over the entire book. I do, also, want to know what happened to Roman Luck - did he leave and start a new life all over again, or was he forced out of house… or was it something more sinister?

Overall, I enjoyed this book, despite the sometimes slow nature of it. It is definitely a book that I would recommend, though! I gave this book 4/5 stars.
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Mih
4.0 out of 5 stars Diferente
Reviewed in Brazil on January 8, 2018
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A leitura flui rapidamente, a capa é muito bonita e a entrega foi rápida.

Não consegui me decidir se gostei do desfecho ou não...mas só consegui largar o livro quando terminei a leitura...
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