Reviews tagging 'Car accident'

Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell

6 reviews

jessi_lou95's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement and Kidnapping

Moderate: Child abuse

Minor: Animal death, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Car accident, and Pregnancy

koreydobbert's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad 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? Yes

2.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Suicide, Kidnapping, Murder, and Pregnancy

Minor: Infertility, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, and Death of parent

norwegianforestreader's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Alcohol

fifteenthjessica's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious 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

4.0

Laurel Mack has had a hard time moving forward after her fifteen-year old daughter, Ellie, vanished one day on the way to the library ten years ago. It's not until she meets Floyd that she starts to repair the relationships (including with her surviving children) that were damaged when she withdrew into her own trauma after Ellie's disappearance. However, she's thrown off her new equilibrium when she meets his nine-year old daughter, Poppy, who bears an uncanny resemblance to Ellie.

This is another book club book that didn't look like what I normally read (contemporary mystery vs fantasy, sci fi, and historic fiction) but decided to read anyways. My specific thoughts when reading the synopsis was "this looks so messed up, I want to read it." It did not disappoint on that front.

The story is told in short chapters in a mix of third person limited and first person PoV, following Laurel in the story's present, Ellie around the time of her disappearance,

Ellie's kidnapper, and a lone chapter by Floyd that is the only one told in present tense. Plus an epilogue that I have no idea why it's present that reveals that if a random woman read her used book in a more timely manner could have revealed what happened to Ellie sooner. I don't know what it adds. The mystery was plenty bizarre and tragic without this revelation.

Like a lot of books with similar structures, I found the PoV switches frustrating at times. At the start, there's a chapter that ends with Laurel getting a call from the police about a new break in the case, but then we get a chapter from Ellie's PoV when she meets

the character we later learn is her eventual kidnapper.

Then Laurel driving to the police station. More Ellie. Then finally what the cops found. Good thing the chapters are short. Another issue with the structure is that the reader gets information from other PoVs that tell the audience a lot of information about what happened to Ellie, that Laurel is not privy to. However, it didn't bring me a sense of satisfying dramatic irony so much as a desire to shake Laurel and say "confront him already."

Characters are OK. Most of Laurel's family are likable enough and don't overstay their welcome, but I'm not sure if I would have been as attached to Ellie if she wasn't so similar to me at that age. For better or worse, Lisa Jewell does not shy away from the more unpleasant side of someone coping with a parent's worst nightmare, and at times Laurel's PoV can be frustrating to read about. The worst though, is probably Floyd. Maybe it's the fact that the synopsis hints at a connection with Ellie's disappearance, but it was obvious that something was off with him. However, my big issue is that while Laurel finds him charming, I never did. He comes off as a clingy sex pest with a weirdly clingy relationship with his younger daughter, and the climax revelations make him even worse in retrospect.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Physical abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Dementia, Stalking, Murder, Pregnancy, and Classism

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Car accident, and Death of parent

sharlapeggy's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

3.5

Bit predictable and I realised what was happening as the story went on. I hoped I’d be wrong and there would be a big twist but I was disappointed.  However I did enjoy this and it did keep me wondering what was happening!! 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infertility, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Torture, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Car accident

ajpotz's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

2.5

i feel conflicted about this book. so to wrap it up , if your the type to make theories when reading, this is for you. but if your disappointed when all of your theories are met with nothing more, then it’s not. mediocre book, had potential to be way darker and twisted. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, and Cursing

Moderate: Gore, Miscarriage, Grief, Car accident, Murder, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail