Reviews tagging 'Death'

All the Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham

76 reviews

tayreads10's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-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

4.0

This book dragged for the first half. I almost stopped reading because it placed such an ambiguity there that held out far too long. Towards the end, when the twists and turns finally starting making themselves known, I really enjoyed it!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Mental illness, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Fire/Fire injury

cyndi1966's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Infidelity, Mental illness, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Gaslighting

Moderate: Miscarriage, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Vomit and Alcohol

tierraskye's review against another edition

dark emotional informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

clarklyn's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I LOVED this book! Loved the unreliable narrator that you still wanted to defend and root for. I was shocked several times throughout the book. I thought I had it figured out several different times but never had it truly solved. 

My ONLY complaints are that the voices the narrator used (in the audiobook) for the men was cringey and the potential animal cruelty that was just glossed over? The MC went an ENTIRE DAY without letting her dog outside? Whaa? 

Amazing book otherwise and it made me want to read all of her stuff.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Grief, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Gaslighting

colorcrystals'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? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Infertility, Violence, and Suicide attempt

princess_marie's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Mental illness, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, and Murder

Moderate: Child death and Emotional abuse

Minor: Drug use, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Blood, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol

spellbindingtomes's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

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

4.5

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘯𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘰, 𝘯𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘸𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘺, 𝘸𝘦’𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘶𝘭𝘵; 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦’𝘳𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘵, 𝘶𝘯𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘺. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘪𝘱.

𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐢 𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬:
Isabelle Drake's toddler son Mason was abducted a year ago while the family slept. With the case cold, Isabelle, plagued by insomnia, becomes obsessed with finding him. She agrees to a true-crime podcast interview, hoping for new leads. However, the podcaster's probing questions about her past, combined with her sleep deprivation, cause Isabelle to question her memories of the night Mason disappeared and even her own trustworthiness. Despite this, she remains determined to uncover the truth about her son's fate.
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My first Stacy Willingham book and it was an utterly gripping psychological thriller! Stacy's portrayal of maternal anguish and guilt resonated powerfully with me. I felt every ounce of Isabelle's desperation and guilt as she searches for her missing son. I also found myself getting sad and angry for her (especially with her encounters with the detective!). The story expertly blends past and present, creating an unreliable narrator that had me constantly second-guessing.  

If you do decide to read this and I hope you do, please please don't skip the Author's Note at the end. Stacy's reasons for writing this book and her thoughts on motherhood hit so close to home. 

𝙒𝙚 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙖𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙖𝙣 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩'𝙨 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙨𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙮.

I highly recommend the audiobook. Karissa Vacker narrates this brilliantly, intensifying Isabelle's heart-wrenching journey. With unexpected twists, complex characters, and a deep dive into the psyche of a sleep-deprived, traumatized mother, this book is impossible to put down. A must-read for thriller fans, especially those who appreciate intricate character studies and exploring the depths of maternal instinct.

What to expect: 
🖤 unreliable narrator
🩶 missing child
🤍 true crime podcast
🖤 past and present timelines

*please check TWs before reading

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Gaslighting

mamatrader's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Mental illness, Suicide, Kidnapping, Grief, and Pregnancy

chocolateturtle's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Alcohol

throwback682's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

It’s so hard to describe this book (or even give trigger warnings) without also giving spoilers. 

I think the author did a really good job of keeping you guessing and adding plenty of twists without it being heavy handed or corny. The narrator is both deeply sympathetic and deeply unsympathetic at the same time somehow. This was one I couldn’t put down. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Sexism, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Murder

Minor: Infertility, Sexual content, and Stalking

It’s hard to give TW without spoiling but many of the major trigger warnings surround motherhood in some way