Reviews with content warning for Gaslighting - The Breakdown

the way I could NOT put this one down!!! ba paris has done it again!!

after being disappointed by THE PRISONER, I was itching to pick up her backlist books but also I was a lil nervy 👀 but I’m so thrilled (pun intended) to say that this one really hit the spot for me

psychological gaslighting thrillers really are hit or miss for me, but I felt so awful for the MC, especially when I started doubting her too 🤪 this one did it so well

however, it was the side characters that were so wonderfully ambiguous that I never knew what their true intentions were!! it kept me flip flopping back and forth on who I thought the murderer was

and while I had my suspicions about one of the major twists, it still played out wayyyyy better than I ever expected! and that ending scene had me 🤯

I just love a fast-paced thriller that makes you abandon all of your sleep and daily plans in order to finish!!! my life however could probably do with a nice slow literary fiction book though 😅

rating: 4 stars
wine pairing: italian extra brut prosecco

Content Warnings

shereadsmysteries's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad slow-paced

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

Content Warnings

mattiecerio's review against another edition

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mysterious tense slow-paced

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

2.75

Content Warnings

sleeson's review against another edition

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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

Content Warnings

outsmartyourshelf's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

2.0

Cass is returning home in the middle of a storm after a night out with work colleagues. To get home quickly, she decides to use a shortcut road through the forest, a shortcut that her husband asked her not to use because of the danger. If the car broke down, there would be no way to call for help as mobile phones don't work in the forest & very few cars use it. But needs must, so Cass uses the shortcut, & sees a car in a layby with a woman at the wheel. She pulls over to offer help but doesn't get out due to fears about decoy traps, & the woman doesn't ask for help at all. Eventually Cass drives home to phone the police & let them know the woman is out there, but she has been having memory problems, & she forgets & goes to bed, but the next day she hears that the woman was murdered. After the incident, Cass's memory starts to deteriorate to the point that she fears she has early-onset dementia like her mother did. She is also receiving silent phone calls & she wonders if the killer saw her stop that night, & is after her too.

I loved Bring Me Back by the author, but this one is very disappointing. The writing style is still up to par, but the main character was irritatingly passive, & the plot was so obvious, I figured it all out after 2 chapters & only read to the end to see if I was right about everything.

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