izkristajean's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
Graphic: Murder, Body horror, Drug use, Gore, Rape, Body shaming, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, and Blood
bmitch21's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
Graphic: Alcohol, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Violence, Blood, Car accident, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Excrement, Gore, Murder, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Stalking, and Torture
janachigo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Death, Stalking, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Trafficking, Body horror, Grief, Murder, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Gore, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Torture, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Drug abuse, Death of parent, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Suicide, Addiction, Alcoholism, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Body shaming and Dementia
lacemac's review
- 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 sobbed, I gasped, I cringed and I squirmed.
The most gripping book I have ever read.
Graphic: Car accident, Gore, Kidnapping, Drug abuse, Torture, Violence, Child death, Murder, Sexual violence, Gun violence, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Addiction, Fire/Fire injury, Alcoholism, Mental illness, and Rape
harajkreads's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Spoiler
The characters are well written, well for me at least. The manipulations at play were really well written. The way Paul isolated Claire away from her family members. The way Paul was always in control at every step. Domestic abuse is usually tied to physical abuse. However here we can see that despite Claire being ‘well treated’ by her husband, she was indeed in a domestic abuse relationship. She wasn’t abused physically, she was abused psychologically and emotionally.Also, we can also see how it affects the victim’s family members. The aftermath of the case, the devastation, the breakdown of relationships. One of the parents became obsessed with the case, the other one tried to ‘move on’. People grieve differently, and marriages break because of that. Sam was obsessed with his daughter’s disappearance, Helen on the other hand, still grieving for her, but had to move ahead in order to take care of her other living daughters: Lydia and Claire.
Probably 50% into the books, it got too graphic. I just skimmed through it, but it was rather interesting how Paul was also involved in abusing the victims. I wonder how he got involved. How did he first start committing these gruesome crimes? Did his father introduce him to these crimes? I will probably read this book again to better understand Paul’s involvement. The history between Paul and his father was briefly mentioned, and I really think it would be great to further elaborate their relationship. As for Paul’s mother, she was innocent. She was in fact looking for Julia during one of the searches for Julia’s disappearance. [Paul’s father was a psychopath and obviously a sadistic person. Was Paul being introduced to these violents and became like his father, or was he born a psychopath?]
As the chapters come to an end, we can see how Claire managed to piece the puzzles together. Claire was written as a frail woman, someone who depended on others. In order to uncover the truth, she had to go out of her comfort zone and dig into her husband’s private life. For once in her life, she had to think for herself, and she had to take action on her own. For a while, all these decisions are made for her by her husband. Another red flag in her marriage.
In conclusion, the book was well written: the plot, the twists at the end, and the characters.
Graphic: Blood, Alcoholism, Addiction, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Gore, Grief, Kidnapping, Murder, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, and Violence
ameliez's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.25
Graphic: Murder, Kidnapping, Violence, Suicide, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Blood, Torture, Rape, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, Death of parent, and Confinement
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, and Animal cruelty
rchltnnswd's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Death, Grief, Death of parent, Gore, Sexual assault, Blood, Torture, Sexual violence, and Sexual content
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Alcoholism, Drug use, Rape, Suicide, and Addiction
Minor: Fatphobia, Gun violence, and Fire/Fire injury
cheeseandsausages's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Kidnapping, Murder, Suicide, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Gore, Death, Torture, Violence, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Addiction and Alcoholism
katybugggg's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Grief, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Murder, Stalking, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Excrement, Blood, Confinement, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Vomit, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Abandonment, Addiction, Alcoholism, and Fatphobia
amsswim's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This was incredibly violent and graphic, so I'd recommend reading warnings before starting.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Vomit, Child death, Death, Body horror, Drug use, Abandonment, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Addiction, Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Grief, Gun violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Body shaming, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Kidnapping, Murder, Sexual assault, Rape, Sexual content, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Misogyny, Car accident, Sexism, Classism, Dementia, and Medical content
Minor: Cannibalism