Reviews tagging 'Medical trauma'

They Never Learn by Layne Fargo

8 reviews

foldingthepage_kayleigh's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

• 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

A serial killer FMC with a thirst for justice with a dark academia setting? Excellent 👏🏼 A 4.5 star read for me. The dual POVs were well done and the twists were *chef's kiss*. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Sexual content and Alcohol

gabbyseibert's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

If the movie promising young woman was a book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Medical trauma, Stalking, Murder, and Sexual harassment

chughes5's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious 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

The best book I've read all year! I was hooked from the beginning and never knew what would happen next.

I'm so glad there was a happy sapphic ending that we never got in Killing Eve.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Medical trauma, Stalking, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

msradiosilence's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

TLDR; 3 rating, I love women’s wrongs, I love queer women, but there is something missing here.

Content warnings at the bottom. :)

I am a sucker for bisexual female main characters, and this one kills men who hurt women?? It sounded so far up my alley. I went in hoping Scarlett and Carly would team up and take down all the horrible men on Gorman’s campus but that’s just…not exactly what happened.

So Scarlett and Carly are the same person. I figured that out just a little bit before the reveal, so cheers!

I really appreciated Carly’s arc, but because the time was ambiguous, the four or five page chapters and then the switches back and forth between Carly and Scarlett did give me whiplash in a few places. I understand why (to keep you on the edge of your seats during tense moments) but there was something lost in the back and forth. 

I’ve seen a lot of people complain about how there’s quite literally a single man in this book who is a genuinely good guy, and it’s sort of explained away because he’s gay. I think people pointing this out are missing the fact that Scarlett is a horrendously unreliable narrator. Someone described this as genderbent American Psycho, and while I’ve never read that book, I’ve seen plenty of reviewers who bite back at incel misogynists who look up to Patrick Bateman enough to realize that the comparison is likely an apt one. Scarlett is so consumed with her belief that men ain’t shit, and while it’s very likely the men she kills haven’t committed crimes egregious enough for the reader to sentence them to death, Scarlett’s had enough. She reads a lot into situations, often colored by her own trauma, and since this is from her perspective, we should take her observations with a grain of salt (in most cases). With the exception of Drew, all the men in this book read as horrible predators, and we as the audience only have Scarlett to rely on until another character confirms it (Mina with Kinnear,

Mikayla with Jasper

, jury’s still out on Stright). But whether you believe Scarlett or not, the point is she’s unreliable, but these men are still pretty awful.

And that’s the point, isn’t it? It’s a cautionary tale against trust, because it’s not always the ones you don’t know. Scarlett is a dream, and one that I’ve heard quite a few of my friends echo. Because even in the year of our lorde 2023, the doctors and the deans in Carly’s storyline are still saying the same shit. I saw it happen in undergrad to friends of mine. We have a long, long way to go before the events in this book are only the work of fiction.

Anyway. I thought the book was fine but it didn’t change my life. So, solid three stars.

Rating: 3

Would I recommend? A tentative yes, but mostly for the TWs and content.

Content warnings: Graphic: Fire, Sexual violence, Stalking, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Gore, Grief, Sexism, Cursing, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content (about sexual assault), Sexual content (on page, consensual), Sexual harassment, Blood, Infidelity, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, Sexual assault, and Violence. Moderate: Death of parent, Rape (mentioned, not on page), Alcohol, Domestic abuse, and Suicide (mentioned). Minor: Torture (mentioned), Car accident, and Drug use

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Rape, Suicide, Death of parent, and Alcohol

Minor: Drug use, Torture, and Car accident

froggydanny's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Murder, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Cursing and Blood

Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Grief, and Medical trauma

alexisgarcia's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

this was so enjoyable. it has female rage, revenge, and men finally getting punishment. what else could you want? 
*please check the content warnings!!*

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Death, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

cultbyproxy's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective fast-paced

• 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

There is so much to say about this book and certainly not enough words to say it.

In this thriller,  English professor meets serial killer in a gripping story that brings female serial killers to the forefront. This book is not only a show of pure literary excellence from Layne Fargo but a truly twisted and primal take on feminism (and beautiful queer and bisexual representation). The use of dual-narration gives the reader great insight, and with a morally grey protagonist Fargo executes a storyline of vengeance vs victimhood with twists and turns that leave the reader constantly guessing. 

Do you root for the killer or their victims? Who is the true underdog? Were the crimes worthy of the punishment? Is vigilante justice the answer? And is my love for the protagonist worthy of my own psychological evaluation? 

The only way to find out is to keep turning the page and that is certainly not a problem, because Layne Fargo will leave you wanting to know more. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Sexual assault, Suicide, Violence, Blood, and Murder

Minor: Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail

jourdanicus's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

What a wild ride. Would definitely recommend for fans of My Dark Vanessa and/or the show Killing Eve. This was great as an audiobook.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Medical trauma, and Suicide attempt