Reviews with content warning for Vomit - All the Dangerous Things

I read this all the way through in one sitting. An excellent mystery that was engaging and kept me guessing until the end. The author also did an excellent job of weaving together the past and present story lines. At times I felt like I was actually in the main character’s head, with thoughts drifting in the past and then abruptly being brought back to the present. Most of the time when books try to do this it is just confusing, but this author pulls it off in a masterful way.

It also was thought-provoking and I appreciated the commentary in the ‘Author’s Note’ (but don’t read that til after you’ve read the book).

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snoopyfanclub's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad 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

4.5

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throwback682's review against another edition

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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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sagesanctum's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

3.75

Wow. I was surprised by this one.

This is my first real venture into the horror/thriller genre; typically I'm more of a "only books with a guaranteed happy ending" type of reader. I read to improve my mood, so I usually don't try anything I think might be too depressing. Despite this, I joined the local book club in an effort to broaden my horizons, and All the Dangerous Things was the book chosen.

Right out the gate, I wasn't thrilled to be reading this one. I'm a parent to young children and I DO NOT enjoy reading literally anything involving even the possibility of child harm or death, so the idea of reading a book about a missing child truly did not appeal to me. And honestly, for a good... half? three-quarters of the way through the book? Still wasn't vibing with it. Most of the characters are unlikable. Isabelle herself, despite being a sympathetic character because of her circumstances, quickly and progressively becomes less likable through the story. Other characters--either through their own behavior or simply because we're learning about them through Isabelle's lens--are also unpleasant for different reasons. Some things that happen in the book? Not my cup of tea.

However, I did like the writing style. Some people complained about the sprawling descriptions and metaphoric language, but I really liked it. I feel like it fits Isabelle's character, given her career choice. I do agree the pacing could use some more progressive ramp-up, since I think I didn't really start feeling much tension until maybe 200+ pages in? Which I suspect is a bit slow for a thriller. That being said, the twist was spectacular and the ending was both unexpected and satisfying.

Thus, I am giving it 3.75 stars. It's solidly written, the conclusion makes the story worth a try if you can tolerate the initially-slow buildup, but I don't think I'd read it more than one time.

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clo_l's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

I’m not entirely sure how I feel about this book.
I respect it for the fact that I am a mother to a baby, who struggles with postpartum depression & strongly feels that postpartum mental health should be talked about it more. I appreciate the struggles of motherhood being talking about, seen from both the viewpoints of Izzy & her mother.
This book was slow. So incredibly slow. I wanted to give up so many times. It felt boring, all these details and flashbacks and info that just drug on & on & on. It didn’t start getting good until the last like 70 pages? If it wasn’t for the sheer fact that I needed to know what happened to her son and that I hate not finishing books, I wouldn’t stopped reading like halfway through.
I’m used to books taking the first half slow, to build up and the last half getting intense but I feel like this book never truly reached that part. I didn’t predict what happened, which is good but it still didn’t have that shock effect.
Idk. I really really really wanted to love this book. To love Izzy. To connect deeper. But I just didn’t.

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r_o_s_e's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad 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

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feralbookwife's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

3.75

Fast paced, solid mystery. Kept me guessing until the end.

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