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bella_cavicchi's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
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
4.5
A gut punch. Beautifully written, well-drawn characters, really (surprisingly) readable, but, man, does it leave you grieving. I think pitches of it as a thriller -- or, worse, a procedural -- ultimately do the novel a disservice; I found it to be a thoughtful investigation of and tribute, even, to a community that so many others have deemed broken.
Fans of Mare of Easttown (me) will definitely enjoy it.
Fans of Mare of Easttown (me) will definitely enjoy it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and Abandonment
Moderate: Racism, Sexism, and Police brutality
thespinystacks's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This is a hugely confronting story about addiction, and how it affects the people around an addict more so than that of the addict. It’s a powerful story to tell, and I think this book did a great job of it.
Told in past and present timelines, you really feel for Mickey as she struggles through childhood and adolescence with a sister she loves dearly but worries for.
Hidden amongst the story of heartbreak within a family is a crime that Michaela is investigating and worried she may be linked to in more ways than one.
Sad and hopeful simultaneously.
Told in past and present timelines, you really feel for Mickey as she struggles through childhood and adolescence with a sister she loves dearly but worries for.
Hidden amongst the story of heartbreak within a family is a crime that Michaela is investigating and worried she may be linked to in more ways than one.
Sad and hopeful simultaneously.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse and Drug use
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Murder, and Pregnancy
elisabethjoe's review against another edition
emotional
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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Police brutality, and Death of parent
alexhaydon's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Murder, and Pregnancy
literarypenguin's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
I didn’t expect such a powerful, emotional and at times heartwarming read. It was safe to say that I was pleasantly surprised and by the end of it I was left with a understanding of how damaging and truly terrible addiction is.
Long Bright River is a story about two sisters, Mickey and Kacey, whose upbringing and childhood molded them and changed how they both saw the world and the people in it. The author crafts a beautifully written story through flashbacks of pivotal moments in the girl's lives alongside flash forwards of the lives they live today. The author really shows us just how devastating of a illness addiction really is, how it can also tear apart even the closest of families. As a resident of Pennsylvania, just like the sisters in this book, I can say for certain that the places she describes is a sad but often normal reality.
Mickey is one of the most interesting, at the same time flawed, characters I have ever read. Her urge to protect people at the cost of her own sanity and health is very understandable after all that she has seen and been through. Her love for her sister is very admirable, at the same time you can see her anger and rage for Kacey at her actions and the many terrible things she has done. Mickey herself has her own demons she has yet to do battle with, she struggles everyday with trusting people, crippling panic attacks, and being a loving, attentive mother to Thomas. She takes her job as a officer very seriously and puts up a wall around herself everyday that she enters the station.
The writing is beautifully done and the author’s attention to detail is excellent. By reading this book you can tell a lot of research went into this book, but also a lot of sensitivity and care. The city itself is almost a character, her descriptions of buildings and the people who live on them is superb.
I can’t recommend this book enough, if you want a book that will make you feel, make you take a long hard look at addiction and its horrifying side effects not only on the addicts but the people around them. Pick up and read this book, trust me you won’t regret it.
Long Bright River is a story about two sisters, Mickey and Kacey, whose upbringing and childhood molded them and changed how they both saw the world and the people in it. The author crafts a beautifully written story through flashbacks of pivotal moments in the girl's lives alongside flash forwards of the lives they live today. The author really shows us just how devastating of a illness addiction really is, how it can also tear apart even the closest of families. As a resident of Pennsylvania, just like the sisters in this book, I can say for certain that the places she describes is a sad but often normal reality.
Mickey is one of the most interesting, at the same time flawed, characters I have ever read. Her urge to protect people at the cost of her own sanity and health is very understandable after all that she has seen and been through. Her love for her sister is very admirable, at the same time you can see her anger and rage for Kacey at her actions and the many terrible things she has done. Mickey herself has her own demons she has yet to do battle with, she struggles everyday with trusting people, crippling panic attacks, and being a loving, attentive mother to Thomas. She takes her job as a officer very seriously and puts up a wall around herself everyday that she enters the station.
The writing is beautifully done and the author’s attention to detail is excellent. By reading this book you can tell a lot of research went into this book, but also a lot of sensitivity and care. The city itself is almost a character, her descriptions of buildings and the people who live on them is superb.
I can’t recommend this book enough, if you want a book that will make you feel, make you take a long hard look at addiction and its horrifying side effects not only on the addicts but the people around them. Pick up and read this book, trust me you won’t regret it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, and Drug use
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Death
Minor: Gun violence and Infidelity
cpoersch's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Murder
tiltedwhirled's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, and Murder
flavinja's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, Drug use, Misogyny, Police brutality, and Murder
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Grief, and Death of parent
jsoakes's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- 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
2.0
This is a story that could have been great. All the stuff about living with and overcoming addiction (or not) was really interesting. The familial interactions felt realistic and were engaging, especially the relationship of the sisters. But all the cop stuff was just..... Really bad?
Also, this could just be a personal gripe, but I really hate it when a character insists that she isn't dumb using her excellence in schooling as proof and then proceeds to be absolutely idiotic in every situation possible.
I also realize that there are tons of issues with abuse of power in the police force, but this representation felt weak. It felt like the author was trying to make a point about corruption, but at the same time was sort of copping out with her chosen villains (which were painfully obvious from the very beginning).
There was one twist I didn't anticipate that was well done, but there were a few that were..... Just dumb.
It wasn't a bad story, I just think it could have been great if the protagonist wasn't so bad at her job and actually made a few good decisions, or if "the bad guys" were fleshed out a bit more...
Also, this could just be a personal gripe, but I really hate it when a character insists that she isn't dumb using her excellence in schooling as proof and then proceeds to be absolutely idiotic in every situation possible.
I also realize that there are tons of issues with abuse of power in the police force, but this representation felt weak. It felt like the author was trying to make a point about corruption, but at the same time was sort of copping out with her chosen villains (which were painfully obvious from the very beginning).
Spoiler
It's easy to see a literal serial killer as evil, but literal serial killers are not very common in the real world where police brutality and abuse actually occurs. This book obviously touches on that with the members of the force protecting each other and not taking claims against them seriously, but it also goes too far and pushes it away from reality. This could have been so much more satisfying if the story was just about a cop coercing sex from vulnerable women and actually getting caught.There was one twist I didn't anticipate that was well done
Spoiler
(I did not guess that Thomas was Kacey's son)Spoiler
The killer OBVIOUSLY wasn't Truman and it was so obviously Laherty from the very first page. Clear was very obviously a creepy grooming asshole, but also obviously not the killer as well. Their father was very obviously alive. I felt like all of these were supposed to be shocking twists that just did not land.It wasn't a bad story, I just think it could have been great if the protagonist wasn't so bad at her job and actually made a few good decisions, or if "the bad guys" were fleshed out a bit more...
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, Rape, Toxic relationship, Police brutality, Death of parent, and Murder
hazelgirl21's review
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Death, and Drug use
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship