Reviews with content warning for Child abuse - Bright Young Women

Wow!!

I am a huge true crime fan and have been since as far back as I can remember. However, one of the things that always annoys me in the telling of these stories, whether that be fiction, non-fiction, film or podcasts,s, is how the perpetrator is usually the person talked about. The victims are a sidenote, and we're lucky if we get a short introduction to their background.

This has been the case throughout history. Even looking at cases like Jack the Ripper. The other thing that has always got under my skin, and I feel like it's come to light more in recent years, is that when there is a serial killer or rapist on the loose, it's always women who are told to change.

Don't wear certain clothes, don't go out at night, don't run alone, don't walk in the dark, don't get in taxis until you confirm they are legit, don't be overly sexual, don't entice men etc and there is often an othering of women especially in the press making them seem less human and at times deserving of what happened to them.

This is why I absolutely loved reading this book. It was an absolute breath of fresh air. I loved the storytelling, and despite being a fictional account, it's obvious that Knoll has researched the case extensively and has gone to great depths to keep as much of the story as factual as possible.

I loved the complexity of the main characters, who seemed incredibly real. Women with complex personalities with both likeable and disagreeable qualities.

I also love the fact that the killer isn't named, and when they are referred to, it is only as the defendant. I can honestly see him rolling in his grave to think that a female author has written such a compelling story about some of the women in this case and highlighting just how incompetent and forgettable he is.

I loved it!

Content Warnings

dishajetly_123's review against another edition

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adventurous 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

Content Warnings

vampireroyal's review against another edition

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3.5

Ultimately, I do think this book brings up important discussions about sensationalism and violence against women. I am curious if the victims of Ted Bundy would feel about this book. It felt so strange to be reading a fictional book about the events while also diving into discussion about how the media sensationalized the real events.
I think there was weird moments that I didn't quite understand that had nothing to do about the real events that just had me asking why that was written

like Pamela being turned on by the police officer in an early chapter and Ruth going to hit her nephew in a way she described as almost erotic pleasure - like it was just so strange to write those things.

Content Warnings

lexcellent's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Content Warnings

emmajh91's review against another edition

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challenging tense medium-paced

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

3.0

Content Warnings

nat20composure's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

I adored this book, but had picked it up prior to finding out that it was a story following the accounts of fictionalized Ted Bundy victims. I felt that it taking real world killings and retelling them through fictional characters to tell people we need to prioritize victims was tone deaf. The narrative could have better served it's own purpose if it had committed to its own fictionalization.

That aside, the book does a very good job of using the readers real world experienced and understanding of how victims are stripped of their personhood and picked apart to maintain a sense of fear and powerlessness. I found it impossible to not empathize with the main characters. Their actions, and the consequences of those actions, felt like my own. You know from the start how the book will end, and still, you're hopeful. Still, you bargain with it, begging it be different. Even when I wasn't reading it I was holding my breath with the girls, waiting for the verdict, waiting for closure. I will be thinking about them for a long, long while.

Content Warnings

mstoehr's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.75

Content Warnings

jessiejonesbentley's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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