emhansen's review against another edition
4.25
Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicide, Death, Gaslighting, Infidelity, and Pregnancy
kathryn_reads_paiges's review against another edition
Graphic: Child death
Moderate: Medical trauma, Grief, Pregnancy, Child abuse, and Abandonment
Minor: Gaslighting
samlopez93's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Grief, Murder, Car accident, and Child death
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Domestic abuse, Toxic friendship, and Stalking
roxfoxreads89'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
2.0
Graphic: Infidelity, Mental illness, Murder, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy
alangmaack's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Graphic: Child death, Gaslighting, Grief, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Self harm, Death, Bullying, Murder, and Toxic relationship
cathuluu's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Suicide, Mental illness, Grief, Infidelity, Child death, Pregnancy, Self harm, Abandonment, Miscarriage, Murder, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Stalking, Medical content, Gaslighting, Sexual content, and Death of parent
Minor: Vomit
peachxslime's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Moderate: Grief, Death, and Child death
Minor: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Child abuse, Dementia, and Abortion
burnyayhayley's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Thank the gods I am finally finished with this goddamn book.
Listen, this lady can string some nice sentences together but seems to have gotten well-developed writing confused with never-ending repetitive prose that is gratuitous, depressing, and needlessly psychotic. I didn't know this about myself until now, but I HATE the evil child trope, and regardless of how you feel coming out of this story, I think it was not a well-utilized trope here (and yes, even though I hate it, I have read books where it is used well).
I have many bones to pick, but here they are neatly summed up as rebuttals.
Everyone who seemed to enjoy this book is repeating a few things in the comments, such as:
1) this book is *better* if you are a mother — excuse me HOW?? Please define the word "better"??? More depressing? More horrifying? More harrowing and heartbreaking and frustrating??? Is that fun??? I would theoretically like to have kids someday, and this book made me question that desire SEVERAL times.
2) that the protagonist is supposed to be "unreliable" and the reader is meant to doubt her along with LITERALLY EVERY CHARACTER in the book—but her actual partner telling her she is wrong about her feelings made me believe her more. I did not ever feel like I had a good reason to doubt her. Most of the time, she doesn't even sound deluded in any way, just fucking sad, which she darn well is allowed to be??? I don't see how anyone would remain clear-headed after witnessing the horror she had.
3) that this book is immersive and quick to read, but here I am pausing every few chapters to process and not picking it back up for three days because I literally do not see the point in the story having continued past the halfway point, or earlier. If you just made these characters reasonable, this story would have been avoided. If Fox hadn't been such a shithead and just
Now that I have read this debut and her newest release, I can safely say that I won't be reading any more Audrain unless she learns how to actually write a thriller that is thrilling instead of deeply gratuitously depressing and anger-inducing.
I'm sad that I bought this new when it came out. Libraries 4ever.
Graphic: Child death, Mental illness, and Gaslighting
aaronreadsatad'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
5.0
Graphic: Self harm, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Pregnancy, and Mental illness
Moderate: Child death, Death of parent, Child abuse, Death, Blood, Grief, Drug use, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Cursing, and Violence
Minor: Abortion
nadir's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Child death, Stalking, Abandonment, Grief, and Infidelity
Moderate: Stalking, Suicide, Death, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Car accident, Miscarriage, and Sexual content