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saffiyahk's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Dementia, Grief, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Murder
doodlebeanz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
This book was about two women at the lowest points of their life and you can't even feel badly for them. They made every wrong choice. I facepalmed at least once a chapter at the stupidity of these two women. Normally in domestic thrillers like this, you're rooting for the women to get away from the man, but in this instance, I was just hoping one of them would grow a brain and make a right choice for once.
The writing was also just... not good. I don't want to say horrendous, but close to. It was so juvenile, it had no flow and it didn't feel natural. It was so cold and lackluster, like I was reading a text book or something, I can't even explain it. I didn't feel any connection to any character; no one was flushed out, no one had any depth to them, everything was rushed, everything was hinted at before it happened, there were some twists but honestly, it was just exhausting. The author threw in SO many twists that it just became repetitive and unrealistic and exhausting for the reader. So many times I had to say 'wait, what?' and go back and re-read a sentence but it still didn't make a whole lot of sense, it almost felt like Harding forgot what she was writing too. Everyone had the same tone, if that makes sense. The main characters (Lee, Jesse, Hazel, Benjamin) all had the same tone as all the lawyers, Jesse's brother, the receptionist at a salon (characters who were just there for a scene or two). It was just so... flat. No affect. Just completely void of creativity.
The only reason this book gets a star and a half is because I did consume it very quickly. I was obsessed with finishing it and wondering what the hell was going on. It was a disappointing read and definitely a hate read. I hated how much I wanted to know, how I kept turning the pages and staying up far past my bed time to get to the end/the point. Sadly, I never got to the point but I did luckily get to the end.
This book got so much praise on GoodReads and maybe I am just being harsh, but this was a bad book. I would not recommend this to anyone. I will not be grabbing anther one of Harding's book off the shelf anytime soon. Disappointing.
Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Dementia, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Car accident
asteinke'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
4.5
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Stalking, and Murder
Moderate: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Dementia, Suicide attempt, and Classism
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
savvyrosereads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A woman living in her car gets tangled up in more than she bargained for when she saves the life of a wealthy woman.
Another month, another great book club pick! I really enjoyed this one, which kept me entertained and on the edge of my seat the whole time. The chapters were super short (ALWAYS a plus), and the twists and turns made me excited to keep reading and find out what would happen next. I also really enjoyed the changing POVs, which I thought added a lot of layers and nuance to the story.
I did expect another somewhat more “groundbreaking” reveal at some point, but I think that is just a function of consuming a lot of thrillers and always expecting some massive shock at the eleventh hour. Overall, I thought this was really well paced and the plot unspooled pretty nicely—and while there probably could have been another left turn at the end, I’m not overly mad that there wasn’t. As an added bonus, I actually really liked the main characters (even if I questioned some of their decisions), which can be rare for a thriller and which I always appreciate!
Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: shifting POVs; psychological thrillers; short chapters
CW: Domestic violence/abuse; dementia; death of parent; discussions of suicide/suicide attempt; discussions of homelessness/poverty
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Dementia, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, and Car accident
thatswhatshanread's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
While it was a little slow to start, the intrigue never stops. It increases with each chapter (short chapters are the best) and throws in punch after punch of “WTF?!“ drama. This one is best if you go in blind, so I won’t say much else except that you will definitely have trust issues after finishing it.
Robyn Harding is SO GOOD at what she does!! Fans of “Sleeping with the Enemy”, “Gone Girl”, “Killing Eve” and the like should flock to this book.
Graphic: Addiction, Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Dementia, Grief, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism