I very rarely give only 1 star in my reviews. However, this book was so disappointingly bad that I feel it barely deserved even that low rating. This was the third Jodi Picoult book I've read, and I'm starting to seriously believe that she might be grossly overrated.

The premise of the book seemed interesting at first glance. But aside from that initial spark of potential, there was truly nothing substantial there. It's quite an "accomplishment" to write a 700+ page novel with a premise that can be simply spelled out in just a couple of sentences. Most of the book felt like nothing but filler, and half the time, I found myself constantly wishing for her to just get to the point already. Only at the very end did I realize that she didn't get to the point because there actually wasn't one.

The characterization in this book was simply pathetic. Picoult seemed to over-romanticize Chris and Emily's relationship to an absurd degree, as if she herself was a teenager experiencing love for the very first time. Emily is portrayed as this great girl with so many wonderful things going for her - great parents, a loving soulmate of a boyfriend. And yet, she never reaches out to anyone with her troubles. It was completely unbelievable that she would decide to kill herself for such a flimsy reason. Yes, she was pregnant, but her boyfriend loved her and was willing to marry her. Her parents approved of the relationship and would have had no problem with it. It all just seems downright silly. I'm willing to accept that teenagers' thinking might be a bit more skewed, but then why is she portrayed as an otherwise well-adjusted teenager aside from this one episode of abuse?

Chris is characterized as the ultimate boyfriend, but the way he coerces her to have sex with him is just so jerky. It's almost akin to rape. While everybody seemed to hate Emily's character, I actually think Chris was even worse.

None of the characters in this book acted in any logical manner, and everything felt so far-fetched and unrealistic. The ultimate message of the book seems to be that if you really love someone, you'll be willing to kill them so they can commit suicide?

And there was just such a waste of useless information in between. I mean, this is definitely no "Shawshank Redemption". What was the point of all that drivel about Chris' time in prison? It went on for way too long and was definitely not worth it. I was so extremely disappointed with this book that I think I might actually have to go back to the last Picoult book I read ("19 Minutes") and lower my rating for that one as well!

OMG, this book truly drove me CRAZY!!! However, I also loved it...lol.

Let's see...where should I begin?

I was frustrated with all the characters for various reasons.

Melanie, for instance, burned Emily's diary, which might have been beneficial for the trial. Additionally, perhaps she should have informed the police about the watch. Moreover, her lack of communication with her husband Michael and the act of burning Emily's photos were also concerning.

Michael, on the other hand, turned to Gus, and I didn't like the direction I thought that was headed. Thankfully, it didn't turn out as I feared.

Gus also turned to Michael, as mentioned above. Furthermore, we didn't hear much about her daughter Kate, and it seemed like she had alienated her.

James was upset for not visiting Chris or sharing his emotions.

Emily, in my opinion, was very selfish. I felt like she was teasing Chris and leading him to believe that she loved him in the same way he loved her. In reality, she loved him like a brother but continued to engage in more with him. She essentially ruined his life and was extremely selfish for asking him to help her commit suicide without telling him she was pregnant.!!!???? (I did not like Emily at all.)

Chris, about two-thirds through the book, was when I started to feel sorry for him. His emotions, life, and everything were being manipulated and toyed with by Emily.

I don't fully understand how he could have gone along with helping her commit suicide without telling someone, whether it was her parents or his. I wonder if things would have turned out differently if he had told someone, or if she would have gone ahead and done it alone.

When I first started reading, I thought it was about a suicide pact, but in reality, it was a completely different pact altogether.

I think Emily pressed Chris' finger and shot herself. She had the strength to do it because he was there with her. I don't believe he would have done it otherwise. Neither of them could have done it by themselves.

This is another Picoult book that has left me in a whirlwind, and I will need a couple of days before picking up another book. It was definitely a page-turner.

I love you," he whispered, and that was the moment he knew what he was going to do. When you loved someone, you put their needs before your own. No matter how inconceivable those needs were; no matter how messed up; no matter how much it made you feel like you were ripping yourself into pieces. — 508 people liked it.

I've thought about this book a great deal since I finished it, and the idea above lies at the heart of the conflict, especially when considered in context. At first glance, it appears so selfless, but I believe it is nothing more than sentimental drivel. When someone you love is on a self-destructive path, you should not martyr yourself to their destruction. No matter how noble it might seem to give in to their "messed up needs" due to some savior complex, instead, you should seek help. You should be willing to risk having the person you love not like you when you obtain the help they truly require rather than succumbing to your desire for their approval.

Other reviewers have been irked by Emily's selfishness for wanting to take her own life and for wanting Chris to go along with it. However, what I saw was a young high school girl who felt pressured into having sex to maintain her friendship with her best friend. She was not prepared for sex, did not desire it, and did not enjoy it, yet had no reason to拒绝 because no adult in her life had ever given her the permission to do so, especially not to Chris. Both Chris and Emily found themselves in a situation that they were not mature enough to handle because their parents assumed they were ready to deal with sex and all its consequences without providing them with the necessary foundation before entering a world of adult emotions and decisions.

I teach junior high, and I have frequently intercepted notes passed between girls regarding such personal matters. At the time I pick up the notes, I simply stash them in my pocket to be read later during the quiet of after school. Some of them are heartbreakingly poignant, such as "It hurt. I didn't like it."

"Yeah. You'll get used to it."

"But I don't like it."

"It's not so bad. It's just what you have to do."

I give the notes to the school counselor and hope for the best, but the following year I see a sad girl pregnant at 15, and a grinning boy boasting that she is not the only one.

Ultimately, to me, this book is about the lack of guidance and boundaries that we are providing to our children. Like Emily, they have academic and career expectations, but no compass to assist them in navigating the world, leaving it a terrifying and unknowable place.

***Not sure about spoilers here. I think I danced around things pretty well, but you may want reconsider your decision to read further in case I messed up.***

I am a bit disappointed. I was on the verge of loving this novel and its author. In fact, I truly desired to love them. However, the denouement really let me down.

In the two books I've read now, Jodi Picoult aims to deliver a big twist that will astonish us. But she reveals the big twist in a way that eliminates any element of surprise. This could be regarded as a drawback, a failure on her part. Nevertheless, she does an excellent job of building our suspense in anticipation of that moment. Guessing the moment ahead of time almost becomes part of the fun. We know something significant is going to happen, like a shark taking a girl's leg off. The excitement lies in the anticipation of when and how.

"The Pact: A Love Story" sets up a suicide pact between a pair of young lovers. Only one of them takes a bullet, and the other ends up on trial for murder. From the beginning, we know that Emily's suicide is more complicated than Chris admits. The "truth" that we are bound to hear is relatively easy to guess, yet the telling is captivating. Picoult prepares us for the big reveal by taking us through a decade of her main characters' lives. She makes us care for them and forces us to empathize with them, regardless of their actions. Picoult trusts that we will recognize their complex moral lives, the good and the bad within them, as something we all share, whether we choose to believe it or not.

All of this makes the revelation at the heart of "The Pact" highly satisfying. By the time we discover what truly happened on the night of the suicide, it becomes impossible to judge those involved because we understand too well what led them to their actions. But here lies the problem.

We are close to these people because we have read their thoughts. We know things about each of them that they choose to hide from the people in their lives, truths that are never disclosed to anyone in the story. We have seen their lives through their eyes, so we understand their pain, their motivations, and their choices as if we were them. But then Picoult allows her jury to make a decision that can only be made by someone reading her book, not by a juror witnessing the most bizarre of all trials.

What Picoult asks us to believe is one step too far. The result of the trial simply cannot be, and I felt deceived by the ending. I wanted something more in line with reality, I suppose, and I would have adored Picoult for delivering that. Instead, she gave me a Hollywood ending attached to a fine piece of thought-provoking work. And I find myself still withholding the love my mother so badly wanted me to feel for Picoult.

I like her, but at some point, she's going to have to give me what I need for me to love her.

This was an incredibly devastatingly beautiful story. It was such a hard book to put down that it would keep you completely engrossed. It would make you experience a wide range of emotions, from joy to sadness, from hope to despair.

I didn't have the feeling that it was like Romeo and Juliet as many readers and reviewers mentioned. Although I love Shakespeare, I'm not a huge fan of that particular plot. Instead, this story was like a love story without a true happily ever after. In this book, there was simply no way for a happily ever after to occur. However, trust me when I say that it is still acceptable to the reader.

Overall, it was a powerful read that would leave you asking yourself profound questions about life, death, love, and suffering long after you had finished the book. It's definitely not a book for the faint of heart. It requires a certain level of emotional strength and maturity to fully appreciate and understand the depth of the story. But if you're willing to take on that challenge, it will be a reading experience that you won't soon forget.

I'm never quite certain about how to categorize Picoults 'dilemma dramas'. However, they always have a powerful impact, and her writing and storytelling skills truly enhance what she does.

Today's dilemma of the day involves two young people who are in love and agree to a suicide pact. But here's the twist: one of them survives, and is now liable to be charged with murder! Don't you just find this fascinating?

To take it to another level, Picoult also alternates the chapters between 'Then' and 'Now'. It's yet another excellent dilemma drama, complete with all the trimmings, created by the master of her own genre! I give it 8 out of 12, Fur Stars.

This was a 2006 read.

The images provided, such as and , add an extra visual element to the review.

Overall, Picoult's work continues to captivate readers with its complex and thought-provoking dilemmas.

Wow, this was truly amazing!

Wow, wow, wow. I was completely engrossed and could hardly put the book down. My eyes are now red and raw from the intense reading. Picoult has done an excellent job in developing the characters and maintaining a perfect pace. The story is so captivating that it keeps you guessing throughout. You are constantly on the edge of your seat, wondering what will happen next. And when the verdict was finally read at the end, a shockwave shot through my body. It was a moment that I will never forget. The way Picoult builds up the tension and then delivers such a powerful conclusion is truly remarkable. This is definitely a book that I would highly recommend to anyone who loves a good mystery or a thought-provoking story.

This was quite an uncomfortable read.

I felt that the first half of this book was rather slow and uninteresting. There wasn't much going on, and it seemed to take me an eternity to get through it.

However, I believe that the second half of the book truly picked up the pace. I found myself more involved and actually quite enjoyed it.

That being said, I think the ending was rather poor and a bit absurd. I'm not sure what I was anticipating, but it wasn't that.

The writing was of good quality, and the plot was acceptable, but I don't think it needed to be nearly 500 pages long. It could definitely have been shorter.

Overall, this was just an average read for me. It certainly won't appeal to everyone as the subject matter can be quite triggering. Nevertheless, I do feel that the discussions surrounding mental health were beneficial. If I didn't know that this was published in 1998, I wouldn't have been able to guess. It felt as if it was published recently. People tend to think that mental health is a 'new thing', but it really isn't, and this book demonstrates that people were already discussing it even 20 years ago.

Trigger warnings: suicide, depression, rape, and sexual assault.

This is a tale that delves deep into the realms of obsession, loss, tragedy, and an array of seemingly countless forms of guilt.

It commences with a failed suicide pact between two teenagers. Emily Gold meets her untimely end, yet the exact motives behind her death remain shrouded in mystery. Who was it that pulled the trigger? Her boyfriend, Chris Harte, survives as he fainted before he could take his own life. He either cannot or is unwilling to provide any explanation.

The story then weaves back and forth in time, tracing the evolution of the long and intricate relationship between Emily and Chris. The two families initially settled beside each other, and they appeared to be the ideal neighbors and friends. Both families are upper-class New Englanders, with the husbands being doctors and the wives pregnant at the time. In a sense, the pairing of Chris and Emily occurred even before their births. They slept in the same bassinet, developed a secret language just for the two of them, and were always together, everywhere.

As adolescents, they are drawn into a passionate romance. It seems unthinkable that Chris could have killed Emily, but a preponderance of forensic evidence suggests that might indeed be the case. On his 18th birthday, Chris is arrested. Naturally, the perfect harmony between the families disintegrates instantly. Melanie Gold, unable to accept the idea that her perfect daughter could have been suicidal, directs all her anger at the "murderer" next door. Instead of standing by Chris, his father, James, disinherits his son, whom he now views as a liability to his prestigious career. Chris himself is burdened with a high-profile lawyer more interested in constructing a case than in hearing or uncovering the truth. Chris descends into despair.

The trial alternates between rapid-fire testimony and flashbacks to the actual suicide. These are particularly poignant, and what Chris finally reveals when he takes the stand comes as a significant surprise. Overall, it's a touching story, interwoven with elements of mystery and a sensitive exploration of a tragic subject.

I can envision this book being chosen by a book club filled with a bunch of bored moms who have recently made the decision to start reading. However, when the monthly book discussion comes around, it turns into a social hour where the main goal is to get as wasted on wine as possible because no one has actually bothered to read the book.

It's like a Romeo and Juliet love affair, but with a twist. Instead of both of them dying, one survives and then has to face the chaos and mess left behind. Generally speaking, I find most books centered around courtroom dramas to be rather dull, much like a merlot that has lost its charm. And this book was no exception. It reminded me of a Lifetime movie that is filled with unnecessary sex scenes that占据了25% of the plot, while the other 75% is just filler until the credits roll.

Picoult is one of the most well-known authors, yet this particular book was truly terrible. Maybe I just happened to start with the wrong book, but my initial impression is going to be very difficult to change. It's highly unlikely that I'll pick up another book of hers after this disaster, but you never know what life might bring into my reading journey.

An update...

So, I have been thinking about this book for quite some time now. Finally, I was able to figure out what the problem was with the plot. There were certain parts and ideas that were left unfinished. It's really strange to leave a part of the story hanging like that, especially when it's a significant portion of the book.

I was really uncomfortable with the way the parts about sexual abuse were left as they were. It was as if Picoult wrote a part about it, but then that part didn't make it into the final book. She was giving a pre-story and an idea, but leaving it undeveloped. The mother found the diary, but she didn't discover what the big secret was. The story never came up during the trial...

Jodi Picoult's writing style is quite distinctive. The majority of the books I have are written in the first-person narrative, told by several people. I like to read those from time to time, but after a while, it becomes a bit boring for me. I was really pleased to find that this book was a third-person narrative. That's definitely a point in her favor!

However, another distinctive aspect of her writing (or maybe it's just my experience) is that I start the book with a lot of interest and ease, and I become really glued to it in the middle.

The endings... Those endings...

Perhaps, it's the third or fourth book from her that starts with 5 or 4 stars but drops to 3 because the climax of the books doesn't match the strength of her introductions. I'm not talking about my expectations or hopes for how the book would end. The problem is the way it is written...

I must acknowledge her for conducting thorough research, though. Picoult is maybe the second-best researcher after Ian McEwan. Especially, her lawyers and court scenes are not bad at all.

Now, about this book. I didn't read the description, so this was a blind date. Would I read it if I knew what it would be about? Maybe not. What bothered me was that certain parts of the book lacked the necessary depth and thoroughness. I know they would make the story more emotional.

Regarding the characters, I was indifferent to them. They didn't seem flat at all, but they also didn't feel alive. They felt artificial and invented/forced in that sense. I didn't want to judge, but I didn't see enough reasons for their actions.

Overall, it was a good book for a quick read. This wasn't the best from Picoult that I've read. So far, Leaving Time is her best for me, as she went strong with the end and had one of the best twisting points I've ever seen.

This was an incredibly thought-provoking and emotionally challenging experience.

I devoured this book with great enthusiasm, and upon its completion, I found myself compelled to sit alone for a few minutes.

This simple act of solitude hadn't occurred to me in such a long time.

The words within the pages had touched something deep within my soul,引发了 a flurry of emotions and thoughts.

It made me reflect on my own life, my choices, and the people and experiences that have shaped me.

I was left with a sense of wonder and a newfound appreciation for the power of literature to move and inspire.

This book will undoubtedly stay with me for a long time, serving as a reminder of the importance of taking the time to reflect and connect with our inner selves.

I am grateful for having had the opportunity to read it and look forward to exploring more works that have the potential to have such a profound impact on my life.