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hjb_128's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism and Alcohol
izzy_v's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I’m not usually a thriller/scary book fan and there were definitely very dark parts of the book but it wasn’t so graphic and detailed or suspenseful that it kept me up at night. I really enjoyed the tone shift away from glorifying the killer, and instead empowering the women involved. Really phenomenal, would read again (which I never say).
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Homophobia, Pedophilia, Rape, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, and Lesbophobia
Minor: Animal cruelty, Eating disorder, Gun violence, Incest, and Death of parent
dishajetly_123'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: Adult/minor relationship, Biphobia, Child abuse, Cursing, Deadnaming, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Violence, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
lexcellent'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? No
5.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Lesbophobia, Outing, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
kyra_613'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? No
3.5
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Mental illness, Pedophilia, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Homophobia
bellsdixon's review
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Death, Gore, Homophobia, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, Lesbophobia, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Gun violence, Stalking, and Pregnancy
ellecam's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Rape, and Murder
Moderate: Pedophilia and Religious bigotry
Minor: Incest and Dementia
jessiejonesbentley's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Blood, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
stellahadz'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? No
4.0
My only complaint about the book is that it mixes reality with fiction in a way that I think undermines its purpose - it is extremely obviously based on Ted Bundy's serial murders. There's a mention of a true-crime movie starring Zac Efron, and some of Bundy's presumed real-life victims (Caryn Campbell and Georgeann Hawkins) are referred to by name. If the purpose of the book is to focus on the victims and not glorify the misogynist murderer, why base the story so obviously on what he did? The book was extremely well-written, and the story would have been equally as compelling if the author had changed certain details or avoided certain references so it wasn't basically a play-by-play retelling of Bundy's crimes. This was the same complaint I had about Eliza Clark's Penance, which I also read recently. I understand and appreciate the necessity of literature that criticizes the true-crime industry and the way victims of violent crimes are treated, but I sometimes wonder about the ethics of essentially fictionalizing horrific things that happened to real people.
To Knoll's credit, it seems like she did speak with a survivor of Bundy's violence; putting aside the ethics of the basis for the book, it really is a powerfully written story with an important message.
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexual violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Forced institutionalization, Dementia, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Lesbophobia
Minor: Eating disorder
sbox'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? No
4.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Gore, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Lesbophobia, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Incest