MP! Review: Kimberly McCreight’s ‘The Outliers’ will “get inside your head”, but did it get inside ours?

‘The Outliers’ is Kimberly McCreight’s thrilling and twisty YA debut. Following Wiley as she sets out to save her best friend, she quickly wades into something much deeper.

But what did we really think of it? 

One thing is for sure, you can blitz through the first 300 pages of this book without even realising it. The pace is FAST. We described it somewhere as like watching dominoes fall; it’s unstoppable, and almost chaotic. But it’s also strangely satisfying to see it all fall down.

Wiley is an interesting character, but perhaps some might find it hard to connect with her due to her very questionable decision making abilities. But guys, really, it’s already a crazy situation, what would you do? 

We think it might be unfair to latch on to her original self-confessed flaws too much too. She says she’s an agoraphobic, she says she’s a lot of things. But what she really is is caught up in her own mind and her own responses to the world. 

This makes much more sense once you reach the end of the book. But no spoilers!

If you’ve picked up this book and wondered “what the frack is ‘The Outliers’?” Welp, you’ll have to wait until page 320 to get a real feel for what they are. Soz. There’s plenty to keep you interested until then though.

What this book gives you is so many twists and turns (and u-turns) that you’ll almost feel dizzy. You think you’ve got it sussed and then McCreight essentially slaps you in the face for being so silly. Of course you haven’t got it sussed.

Even at the end. Breathe a quick sigh of relief because everything is going to be ok… And then another text message drops and everything explodes again. 

So, can we has book two now?

For fans of twisty, slightly speculative stories, like ‘The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer’ by Michelle Hodkin, or ‘Far From You’ by Tess Sharpe. ‘The Outliers’ is ambitious, and we’re looking forward to seeing where the story can go from here.

Have you read it yet? Tweet us @maximumpopbooks

Wanna get stuck into ‘The Outliers’, but don’t have a copy? Click here to get yours. 

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