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stephg95's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I remembered snippets of this from when the BBC drama came out but was surprised by how much I'd forgotten (although in fairness it was several years ago and I often can't remember what I had for breakfast by the time lunch comes around).
I did overall enjoy this book. The characters are intriguing and there's plenty of tension. I'd say it's maybe a little longer than it needed to be though.
A bonus point for chapters with lots of obvious mid chapter breaks though. I despise long chapters but those little mid chapter breaks sure do help.
I did overall enjoy this book. The characters are intriguing and there's plenty of tension. I'd say it's maybe a little longer than it needed to be though.
A bonus point for chapters with lots of obvious mid chapter breaks though. I despise long chapters but those little mid chapter breaks sure do help.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
stephintoadventure's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Sexual violence
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Mental illness and Suicide
pageswithamber's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
An awful book. So boring. I’m would have given it more stars if it was a DNF
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
agoldendear's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
3.0
I kept thinking that the book has the format of a Shakespearean tragedy—we know the whole time that a terrible fate awaits the protagonists, and the road up to it, caused almost entirely by our character’s unfortunate choices, unravels throughout the book. I enjoyed that aspect of it, and it’s what kept me going during the times when I didn’t want to read on.
There were two times that I wanted to put the book down for good. The first was during the beginning portion, in which Yvonne lives her life while having an affair. While I understand the need for a slow build up, perhaps it was a little too slow for me. Or perhaps I wished I wasn’t in Yvonne’s head so much, since a majority of the book is her musing or reflecting on various events and thoughts. Super thoughtful/philosophical books aren’t really my thing.
The second time I wanted to give up was during the main section that needs a content warning. If you want to know what the sensitive content is, it is listed in the relevant section on Storygraph. It was difficult to read, but Yvonne’s time afterwards and the various character’s reactions to it were even more difficult, at least for me. So, please be careful when going into this book. The difficult section is very relevant to the plot, so it can’t entirely be skipped, although I had to skim a bit due to having a hard time with the content.
A side note is that I might not recommend this book to people who get very upset about gender stereotypes—Yvonne talks a lot about ways that men and women are ‘inherently different’ from each other. I found it slightly irritating but likely accurate to a 50-year-old white woman.
There were two times that I wanted to put the book down for good. The first was during the beginning portion, in which Yvonne lives her life while having an affair. While I understand the need for a slow build up, perhaps it was a little too slow for me. Or perhaps I wished I wasn’t in Yvonne’s head so much, since a majority of the book is her musing or reflecting on various events and thoughts. Super thoughtful/philosophical books aren’t really my thing.
The second time I wanted to give up was during the main section that needs a content warning. If you want to know what the sensitive content is, it is listed in the relevant section on Storygraph. It was difficult to read, but Yvonne’s time afterwards and the various character’s reactions to it were even more difficult, at least for me. So, please be careful when going into this book. The difficult section is very relevant to the plot, so it can’t entirely be skipped, although I had to skim a bit due to having a hard time with the content.
A side note is that I might not recommend this book to people who get very upset about gender stereotypes—Yvonne talks a lot about ways that men and women are ‘inherently different’ from each other. I found it slightly irritating but likely accurate to a 50-year-old white woman.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
dc0901's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Stalking, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Mental illness
pernillelsk's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Stalking, and Murder
Moderate: Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Sexual harassment
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