tbrplaylist's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Minor: Abortion, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Death, Gaslighting, Panic attacks/disorders, Religious bigotry, Domestic abuse, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Murder, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Physical abuse
amanda_reads13's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This one just didn't live up to my expectations. The plot seemed extremely interesting, but it just didn't come together for me. There was too much going on in this book. The romance, plus supernatural beliefs, cults, murder, coverups, drug running, investigations... It was a lot. The cult angle could have been so interesting, it just fell flat and felt very surface level. Why not delve more into that? Why bring up this supernatural element too? I think overall it was pretty predictable and didn't pull me in.
Spoiler
It was pretty easy to figure out that these men were in on the drug running. The whole cult aspect seemed to be an afterthought. I mean, they weren't really in a cult, they were just a group of abusive, greedy misogynistic, and superstitious men who were running drugs out of the local hospital. It also wasn't very surprising that Ruth killed his dad or that Everett was the killer. I mean they both have some serious issues from their fucked up childhood.The back and forth between Ruth and Everett was very frustrating. Her obsession with Twilight was really weird, like she couldn't distinguish reality from a book. They weren't very well developed characters and I just didn't really care about what happened to them.
Tropes: friends to lovers, cult, small town
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Murder, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Blood, Death of parent, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Misogyny
markedwithanm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Blood, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Drug use, Sexual violence, Animal death, Grief, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Death, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Rape, and Religious bigotry