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fanboyriot's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Bullying, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Dementia, Stalking, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
Minor: Body shaming, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, and Kidnapping
mikathereviewer's review against another edition
- 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
‘“I don’t know.”
Those three little words Bel knew better than most. Both the truth and a blockade, to hide behind when you needed it. But now that she was on the other side of those words, she finally saw why it drove people mad.’
I LOVE the temperament and humour of Bel. Even though the book is supoosed to be sad and more on the emotional side, I couldn't but catch the little jokes and actually chuckle. Especially when she gets annoyed and add some insults out of nowhere that leave the room silent.
Even though I didn't like that her attidue sometimes came across as too bitchy, I think that it was done on purpose as we know that she never wanted to be filmed in the first place and surely got annoyed at some point being asked about her mum while she always said 'I don't know' or 'I was too young to remember anything that happened'. So I totally get her. Would also be pissed off at some point when people would ask me the same questions all the time and I always answer the same but they don't stop asking. Especially as she never really knew her mum.
But that's also what I like. Maybe she seems a bit too rude sometimes, but that just shows her true feelings and her way of copying with the loss of her mother and the way everyone kinda pressures her to remember to what exactly happened.
Scene that shows that:
“I wonder, does being here in these exact same conditions, does it spark anything in your memory? Any images, feelings?”
“Yes, now you mention it, I’ve just suddenly remembered everything and solved the entire case, can you believe it? What a plot twist.”
Maybe I misinterpret it, but her way of leaving people first could be a copying mechanism for her, when her mum left her as she doesn't want to be left first ever again so she leaves people first before it ever happens to her again. Which can and also did as we see in the book destroyed any kinds of relationships she had as she only had her dad left every time. But that whole copying and her attitude and stuff give so much depth to that character that I really think she's three-dimensional.
Now we come to the plot twist. As some might know me, I usually get/know them before it's revealed, but I still make a difference between how hard it was to find out and if it was obvious or not. And I can only say; 1 was obvious and the other 2 weren't.
The one that wasn't obvious: The grandfather being also involved in it (I guessed it, but still was surprising as it wasn't very obvious and needed time to get to)
And that Carter wasn't the cousin, but Bel's sister.
I mean, I knew the plot twists yes (only got 2 of 3 right as the last plot twist was something I never payed close attention) but I know lots of thriller so I know the pattern and the foreshadowing, but honestly if you aren't thinking about it as much as I do and investigate and read between lines as excessively as I did, you would be good to go with a surprise (at least for 2 of the plot twists). I loved the twists, they were interesting to see revealed!
I also never got the idea of thinking about Carter a lot as I got a different idea with the baby sock, so that was actually surprising.
I thought when the message said WE are being kept by Patrick Price that it was someone but Carter. I thought someone we don't know, just adding to the shock effect of knowing it wasn't just one he kept.
The ending was fire!!!
Like what happened?
Was that even a good idea??
I'm a bit disappointed that the book only used real platform names, real film names, etc. and didn't make one up or something. I think it shows more creativity if one makes one up and doesn't use existing ones.
I didn't care AT ALL about that mini love of this book. Unnecessary. Just wanted to read some thriller and not some romance, that also felt rushed as it only started in chapter 30.
At the end of the book there is a logic mistake. You turn your phone off to not be traced back, but it only works BEFORE you go to the place you don't want to be traced back. Since they were there already it would in real life logic would be too late.
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All books mentioned in this book:
1. The Memory Thief
2. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
3. Bring up the Bodies
4. Behind Closed Doors
5. Gone Girl
6. Station Eleven
7. The Vanishing Half
8. The Guest List
9. The Green Mile by Stephen King
10. The Midnight Library
11. A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
12. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
13. Game Of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
14. Malibu Rising
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Read: 1.-2. August 2024
Review written: 2. August 2024
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
Moderate: Body shaming, Infertility, Physical abuse, Dementia, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cursing, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Excrement, Car accident, and Pandemic/Epidemic
This book contains (at the end of the book) mention of blaming oneself for something that was out of their control. Also called: Characterological self-blame (CSB) This book also contains (graphic) prejudice against husbands (‘it is always the husband who does this to their wife’, etcetera)fkshg8465's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
neko_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Kidnapping, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Dementia, and Murder
Minor: Infidelity, Violence, Stalking, and Pregnancy
themoodreader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Confinement and Death
Minor: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Infidelity, Violence, Dementia, Kidnapping, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
literally_mint's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Abandonment
Moderate: Dementia
Minor: Confinement, Infertility, Infidelity, Stalking, and Gaslighting
staceyinthesticks'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? No
4.5
Graphic: Confinement and Kidnapping
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Dementia, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Infidelity, Medical content, Grief, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
jocelyn62013's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Kidnapping and Abandonment
Moderate: Eating disorder, Dementia, Stalking, and Gaslighting
Minor: Infidelity, Murder, and Pregnancy
dblue236's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
I can honestly say I didn't see the end of this book coming, and I ended up siding with characters I sort of hated throughout most of the book and vice versa. This felt very much like watching a movie and while it wasn't always necessarily realistic or terribly intricate, it was entertaining as hell and I didn't really want it to end. This author never disappoints.
Moderate: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Dementia, Kidnapping, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
Minor: Body shaming and Infidelity
shesflippinpages'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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Infertility, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail