itzbrianna'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
Sharp Objects is a classic tale of a dysfunctional family plagued by death and Camille coming back home after being estranged from her mother, step father, and half sister sets a tone for how this story will end.
Flynn never fails to bring descriptions to life and characters to fruition throughout the plot. The whole time you’re wondering who could be so cruel as to murder two preteen girls in such a gruesome way? And you slowly begin to place the pieces of a very disturbing realization of who did it.
The book wraps up the story beautifully and makes you ask the right questions throughout. One thing I really loved about this book was how Camille’s relationship with her hometown changes from beginning to end. This is a story that will stay with you long after it ends.
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Child death, Self harm, Classism, Fatphobia, Bullying, and Murder
Moderate: Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Body shaming, and Grief
isabellelle_11's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Rape, Panic attacks/disorders, Bullying, Alcohol, Body horror, Child abuse, Gore, Grief, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Child death, Death, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Vomit, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, Mental illness, Murder, Misogyny, Sexual content, Self harm, and Chronic illness
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Alcoholism, Cursing, Classism, Lesbophobia, Adult/minor relationship, Eating disorder, Homophobia, Animal death, and Drug use
Minor: Suicide, Abandonment, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Body shaming, and Infertility
birbmcbirb's review
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Death, Sexism, Misogyny, Mental illness, Child death, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Self harm, Murder, and Grief
Moderate: Sexual assault, Rape, and Bullying
Minor: Classism
kaaaaaaaa's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I have a couple more of Flynn's books on hold from the library, so it will be interesting to see how she grows as a writer and if she can clear whatever this je ne sais quoi hurdle is.
Also, this isn't a real make-or-break thing, but how flexible is Camille
Spoiler
that there's only one spot on her back missing the words? How good at writing backwards while looking in a mirror can she be?Graphic: Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Dysphoria, Gaslighting, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Mental illness, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Drug use, Murder, Body shaming, Bullying, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Child death, Incest, Self harm, Addiction, Death, Classism, Drug abuse, Terminal illness, Body horror, Rape, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, and Grief
Moderate: Vomit and Infidelity
Minor: Eating disorder, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Suicidal thoughts, and Fatphobia
hanbu's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Murder, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Self harm, Rape, Kidnapping, Gore, Drug use, Classism, and Child death
lignjahal's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I decided to listen to the audiobook alongside watching the miniseries, which was a fun experience for someone rewatching the series.
I found the miniseries to be one of those rare adaptations that is better than the novel and improves the novel with its changes. That doesn’t mean that the novel was not good or unenjoyable, just that I think the extension of time and the passage of time since the novel’s release, have made it possible for the book to be improved.
As ever, Flynn’s prose is fantastic and I love how she writes female characters as unabashedly real, instead of the ridiculous version of “likable” that she has pushed against. Her writing style is really good at reflecting on trauma and the female experience of it, which is something I needed to read right now.
The only ding to the score comes from the writing of Amma, who’s pattern of behaviors in the book make her a more obvious bad seed than the version in the miniseries (which I obviously prefer better).
Graphic: Child death, Classism, Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Blood, Child abuse, Self harm, Drug use, Murder, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, and Sexual violence
tkatt20's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
This was a ride. The premise it's was good, it felt like reading a Criminal Minds episode for the first 100 or so pages, but then we entered into the second half where things dragged and got weirder and more off-putting, and not in a good way, more of a "why is this thirty+ year old taking drugs from a 13 year old" way. I did genuinely like the main plots of the book, but once the MC has a few vastly inappropriate interactions with underage characters I was a little checked out.
I did keep reading for the mystery though. I was so certain I knew who the killer was but was quickly proven wrong at the end. I thought the characters were very interesting, mostly unlikable, but interesting nonetheless, and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing how they all responded to the crimes going on in their little town. If you're looking for a multi-layered, macabre mystery, then this will be perfect for you, otherwise I would go looking for something a little lighter and to preserve a little bit of the innocence you may have left.
Graphic: Murder, Self harm, Alcoholism, Vomit, Mental illness, Bullying, and Child death
Moderate: Abandonment, Toxic friendship, Blood, Suicidal thoughts, Drug use, Animal cruelty, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Grief
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Classism, Lesbophobia, Cancer, and Cannibalism
cinthiaurora's review
4.0
I think she’s a very talented writer but in some instances throughout this book the way she presents new info felt a little off.
Spoiler
For example, the cutting.For something that Flynn really emphasized plagues Camille’s every waking thought and influences every aspect of how she interacts with others, it just felt funny to “reveal” it half way through the novel. A novel being narrated by Camille no less.
Same thing with Adora’s violent tendencies. Up until Camille recalls the cheek biting incident, Adora was just presented to be a slightly overbearing, distant but possibly well-meaning mother. For being such a core memory you would think she would have brought this up, just, like, a little bit sooner. I understand the way to build suspense and all the strategies authors use to “leave breadcrumbs” in a story all the way up until the final climax. I understand the reason why these things couldn’t all be brought up at once. But sometimes it just felt like Camille had this selective amnesia until it was convenient for the narrative.
It felt funny, that’s all. But that’s just me being nitpicky.
Another thing that felt weird was the way Richard and Camille just, never spoke again immediately after the climax. I’m not saying it’s not realistic or that I craved any further “romance” between them, it just felt like a loose end Flynn didn’t know how to tie up so it was dropped altogether.
Anyways, those are just some of my thoughts. Great novel overall. Very twisted (in a good way) exploration of the dynamic between mother and daughter- which was rightfully the center focus of the book. Everything beyond that isn’t worth nitpicking too much. (Unless you’re like me and you like nitpicking :))
Graphic: Alcohol, Self harm, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Cursing, Grief, Body horror, Bullying, Drug use, Gaslighting, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Physical abuse, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Rape, Child death, Kidnapping, Medical content, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, and Vomit
Minor: Animal death, Classism, Sexism, and Misogyny
nightingalehero's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Body shaming, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Child death, Classism, and Gaslighting
maregred's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Alcohol, Bullying, Murder, Terminal illness, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Gaslighting, and Self harm
Moderate: Addiction, Classism, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Sexual assault, Rape, Dysphoria, and Body horror
Minor: Mental illness, Blood, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, and Fatphobia