Wink, Poppy, Midnight – April Genevieve Tucholke

Wink, Poppy, Midnight – April Genevieve TucholkeTitle: Wink, Poppy, Midnight by April Genevieve Tucholke
Publishing Info: March 22, 2016 by Simon & Schuster
Source: ALAMW16
Genres: Young Adult, Mystery/Thriller
Find it on the web: Buy from Amazon // GoodreadsDate Completed: March 8, 2016

Every story needs a hero.
Every story needs a villain.
Every story needs a secret.
Wink is the odd, mysterious neighbor girl, wild red hair and freckles. Poppy is the blond bully and the beautiful, manipulative high school queen bee. Midnight is the sweet, uncertain boy caught between them. Wink. Poppy. Midnight. Two girls. One boy. Three voices that burst onto the page in short, sharp, bewitching chapters, and spiral swiftly and inexorably toward something terrible or tricky or tremendous.
What really happened?
Someone knows.
Someone is lying.

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When a book is blurbed as a novel that has a Raven Cycle feel, that’s certainly a lot to live up to. I was definitely interested in WINK, POPPY, MIDNIGHT with its possible unreliable narrator and great atmosphere and the Raven Cycle comparison both sealed the deal to read it and also made me extra wary of what I might find between the pages. I tried not to set myself up for any expectations and while I think I did a good job of that, I found that WINK, POPPY, MIDNIGHT still fell short of what I had hoped.

Let’s start with the good things: WINK, POPPY, MIDNIGHT has an amazing atmosphere. It’s one of those books that really sucks you in from the start and as a reader, you get totally entangled in the world and the characters. I was listening to the audiobook (thanks, Listening Library & Penguin Random House Audio!) and I even finished the audio in a single day. I don’t know if I’ve ever done that before with a full-length novel and not a novella. Granted, this was a shorter audio too but still — I found myself really curious about where the book was going and since the blurb essentially told me there was an unreliable narrator, which character that was exactly. The setting really sweeps you away and I spend most of the book unsure if it was supposed to be little bit of a mystery or if there was a touch of magical realism throughout.

Aside from my insatiable curiosity, there wasn’t really too much else keeping me connected to this book. I’ve heard that April Genevieve Tucholke’s books are either not for you or they are. I’m all for an interesting and unique writing style but I just don’t think I jived with the technique and styles in WINK, POPPY, MIDNIGHT. There was that sense — especially with Wink and the way she went through life — that the book was leading up to something magical or paranormal and really, it was just Wink’s personality and nothing magical ever happened. My issue wasn’t that it was absent but that I was led to believe there was something else going on when there wasn’t. Once I found out that there was nothing magical driving any part of the plot or characters, I became even more frustrated with Wink and how fanciful she was about her family and her daily life. She lived as if she was a part of the fairy tales she grew up reading and I just really wanted her to get a grip on reality. I know that’s an issue that I have with characters though and I really tend to struggle with people who are just off in a dreamland.

I also had a hard time with how the book unfolded. The first half of the book had a lot of character development and set-up which is great but then smack in the middle of the book, a turning point happens. The feel changed from a character-driven book to a plot-driven book with this one event and it really threw me off. I really had to adjust to how I was interpreting the book and how the characters were involved with one another. When the resolution to everything finally rolled around, I was also a bit disappointed with each character and where they ended up. I think I had an issue with everyone seeming so selfish and I really had a hard time with the characters. Although I was incredibly interested and curious, I felt like the book never really took me anywhere. Or rather, it was less conventional and rather than following a twist, the book seemed to take me down a totally different path and ending up in a spot I didn’t even see as an option. I felt like I was being led to plot point A, waiting for a twist to lead me to plot point X, Y, or Z, and ending up at plot point Blue. They just weren’t quite in the same realm. While that’s interesting, I felt like I was constantly trying to find a purpose for the story and fit it into something and I just couldn’t.

I can see why the comparison was made to The Raven Cycle but really in so many ways, this book was not that. Thankfully I wasn’t really expecting it to be so my disappointment doesn’t really stem from that but this is one of the many reasons why I hate general book comparisons! WINK, POPPY, MIDNIGHT didn’t really work for me stylistically but I can easily see why the people who loved it did! I think readers will either like this one or be really disappointed by it but it’s all to do with what styles of writing you enjoy. For me, this one was a bit too much.

AUDIOBOOK IMPRESSIONS

I received this audiobook from Listening Library for review (thank you!) and despite my hesitance about the book, I really couldn’t stop listening! It was also helpful that the audio was so short because it made me want to keep going until I had finished the whole book! The narrators were Michael Crouch, Alicyn Packard and Caitlin Davies, none of which I had ever listened to before and I really enjoyed each narrator’s voice for their selected character. I actually think I liked Poppy’s voice the most because there was so much extra inflection for her character to really bring her personality to life. The narrators actually kept me hooked to the story which was great! I wonder if I had read this in print if I would have been as involved.
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“The View from Goodreads” is a featured section in my reviews that I decided to incorporate! I tend to update my Goodreads status a LOT when I read — reactions, feelings, notes — so I thought it would be fun to share the sort of “reading process”! All status updates are spoiler-free (no specific plot points will be revealed) but will contain reactions to certain pages and/or characters!

wink poppy midnight gr updates

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Wink // Character Obsessions: Fairy tales, family, stories. 
I just didn’t like Wink at any point in the book. She was just strange and I felt like her character totally had her head in the clouds. It was annoying and frustrating, especially since it drove a large part of the book and seemed to mess with other people for no reason other than her own delusions.
Poppy // Character Obsessions: Herself, popularity, control. 
Poppy was a real Amy Dunne, huh? Except I was actually hoping for less redemption and more insanity. She was almost the character I rooted for the most, somehow? I actually was hoping things would be more insane since I didn’t like the other two characters. Might as well get messy!
Midnight // Character Obsessions: Poppy, Wink. 
Midnight felt like such a shallow character. He was easily manipulated by Poppy, then swayed by Wink, and he never really knew who he was, often playing off of how his brother would react and not really thinking for himself. It was really frustrating and I had a really hard time with him.

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Kept Me Hooked On: Unconventional stories. This book was definitely out of the ordinary which is great! I always love seeing boundaries expanded. It just didn’t work for me.
Left Me Wanting More: Reality. Considering this really wasn’t magical realism or paranormal, I just needed a bit more reality to ground the book.

Addiction Rating
Get a second opinion

Usually I would say pass but I know some people LOVED this book. It really depends on what reading styles you enjoy! If this sounds like your kind of book, you may end up loving it. If you’re wary, it may not be the book for you.

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(Click the cover to see my review!)

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Hi, I'm Brittany!
Hi, I'm Brittany!

I'm an avid reader, candle-maker, and audiobook lover! Here you'll find book reviews, fun blog posts, and my other loves of photography & craft beer!

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7 thoughts on “Wink, Poppy, Midnight – April Genevieve Tucholke

  1. Angela @ Angela's Library

    I’d be curious to see what you think of Tucholske’s other books in comparison to this one. I read BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA and its sequel, BETWEEN THE SPARK AND THE BURN. I didn’t really know what to make of them – they were riveting but also frustrating. They left me wanting to read more of Tucholske’s work but also kind of hesitant to do so – lots of mixed feelings!

    Reply
  2. Kristen@My Friends Are Fiction

    I felt very similar to you on this one. I really liked the start and the atmosphere was really well done. but, as the story progressed I lost interest a bit. The characters sort of deflated and the reveal was lack luster. I do love the feel of the book though. And that cover! So beautiful. Well worth the read.

    Reply
  3. JennRenee

    so I am really excited to read this book but I see so many mixed feelings. I do have a hard time when I can’t find a te point, purpose, or path. I have to see where its going. I have read a couple that were that way and I loved but usually if I don’t get it I don’t get it.

    I am a little weary its compared to raven boys because I remember having a hard time with that book. I had it on audio and kept getting distracted and bored. So I remember liking it some and I am going to give it another go in reading instead to see if I want to finish the series. I seriously remember so little about it. I hope this book isn’t the same. I am getting the audio so we shall see.

    sorry you didn’t get more out of it.

    Reply
  4. Jessica @ a GREAT read

    Nice review! Sorry to hear it didn’t work for you though. I just started reading April’s first books and enjoyed them, but at the same time had a few issues with them. Still looking forward to reading this one, but at least I feel a little prepared for really weird “weridness”! LOL! Nice review!

    Reply
  5. Lauren @ Bookmark Lit

    YEPPP EXACTLY. The book was creepy and atmospheric in a lot of ways, but just didn’t all click for me. I didn’t like the characters and had trouble even understanding where they were coming from. I can see how people love this book, but I don’t think this author is for me. I also don’t remember anything that happened, now that it’s been a few weeks since I finished. Whoops.

    Reply
  6. Mackenzie @ Keyboards & Coffee

    It’s hard when people compare books like that, especially if you LOVED the series that they’re comparing it to. It always makes me a little nervous to read the book.

    I love the cover and the blurb sounded really interesting, but I think I’d have the same issue that you have with the characters. I dislike when authors hint at magic/supernatural/whatever and then it turns out to not be the case. I find it unnecessary most of the time.

    Reply
  7. Cynthia @ Bingeing On Books

    I was really looking forward to this book, so I am disappointed to read that you didn’t like it. Your review was not the first one I saw that was negative. I think I may skip this one. I’m sorry it didn’t work for you. Great review though.

    Reply

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