Reviews with content warning for Child abuse - The Quarry Girls

The Quarry Girls is about "the sprint from girl to woman", about how the second girls hit puberty they are in danger, about objectification, about r*pe culture, about patriarchy. It's also inspired by the serial killings that happened in Lourey's hometown in the 70s.

Very heavy subjects in this book. TWs for (a lot of) SA, r*pe (offscreen), p*dophilia, kidnapping, violence towards women and children, police.

That being said, this book is a page-turner. I probably would've finished it in a day if life permitted. The characters are so well written, every one of them having so much depth to them. The atmosphere building is impeccable. The suspense made it hard to set the book down. Despite the heavy subjects, scenes and TWs, Lourey somehow manages to never take those scenes too far.

My few issues with the book:
1. The descriptions however of some of the girls went too far at times imo. Even through Heather's POV, the descriptions of the other girls, especially of her 12yo sister Junie, seemed overly sexualized and made me uncomfortable.

2. The vibe change between the resolution and conclusion of the book was so drastic, it almost felt rushed. (ending spoilers)

Don't get me wrong, it was a beautiful and thankfully good ending, but going from an entire book of "you can't trust anyone, not the cops, not even your own family" to "let's trust the non-local cop" then "we're now certain everything is good and we're safe" felt almost ironic. The resolution went so fast, like Constance and Gloria making up after years of not talking then moving in together all within a few paragraphs. It felt very "Hollywood movie that needs to have a perfect happy ending or else it won't get approved" (if that makes sense). I don't know, it was at both a relief to see these girls feel safe for the first time yet disappointing because it felt unrealistic considering the rest of the story.

Conclusion: good book, don't trust cis men, know your self-defense, and fucking raise your sons right.

Content Warnings

rtrouwborst's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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purplenoodlepie's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.5

Unpopular opinion - this wasn't good as I thought it would. I found Heather annoying and trying. Parts of the book were unnecessary and dull. The rehashing of the abuse got tired quickly. It was easy to work out who the bad guys where - not a mystery at all. Disappointing. CHECK TRIGGER WARNINGS BEFORE READING!

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emmalizzz's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This was such a fun listen to kick off warmer weather! It’s faced paced and once it starts it does not slow down. I love the dual POV and it leads to a really exciting scene towards the end of the book! The plot twist is a tad predictable, but didn’t make it any less enjoyable. The main character, Heather, and her friends remind me of my friends and I growing up in a small town, and while they can all be dumb and frustrating sometimes, they’re easy to love. The creep factor was definitely upped with the addition of the mining tunnels connecting all of the houses and there are some really disturbing visuals, which of course is what I’m here for. Overall an easy, quick, enticing story that gives you all of the spooky summer small town feels!

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jenlindeman's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional inspiring

4.5

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shyleek's review against another edition

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sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

The Quarry Girls is labeled a Thriller but simply made me feel immensely sad. I didn't want to put it down and thoroughly enjoyed the read but it touched on a lot of deep stuff.

As you piece together what has happened to the girls who have gone missing you realize the town too many secrets for these children to be bearing alone.

A lot of potential triggers in this one but worth the read if those won't bother you.

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smkelly1997's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? N/A
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Tragic. Beautiful. Beautifully tragic. There is no other way to describe this book. Heather has you rooting for her from day one as you watch her world change around her. She’s strong, brave, and terrified but willing to stand up for those she loves.

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maddie_d_316's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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