Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six by Lisa Unger

34 reviews

snoopyfanclub's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Rape, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

peach_pit's review against another edition

slow-paced

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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Emotional abuse, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Suicide, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Toxic friendship

clrouse's review against another edition

slow-paced

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

2.0

I wanted to like this but it was't well-written enough to make up for the fact that it was pretty predictable. Plot aside, most of the characters felt underdeveloped and generic and all but a couple were pretty unlikable in a way that wasn't even interesting. I finished it because I kept thinking it would go somewhere and by the time I accepted it wasn't going to I was pretty far in. Maybe would be more enjoyable for someone who rarely reads mysteries and isn't in the mood for much of a thinker?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Animal death, Drug use, Infertility, Miscarriage, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Stalking, and Alcohol

macint0046's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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

3.75

This book has great pacing, and I never wanted to put it down. Lisa Unger’s ability to build stories that run parallel to the plot before gracefully arcing together allows this story to be riveting from start to finish. 

A story of family, genetics, history, and how all these elements make us who we are. An element of mystery that serves to move the plot along, but doesn’t have you biting your nails at the unknown. Unger takes your hand and leads you down the path of each character, exploring their flaws and motives while allowing you to make your own decision on the morality of their choices. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infertility, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Miscarriage, Rape, Murder, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Pedophilia, Stalking, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

Centered around infidelity and need of a sperm donor. Rape scene is not graphic but the reaction of the rape victim (fear, sadness, depression) are quick but more triggering.

nicolle12423's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

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

1.0

VERY slowly. It didn't really pick up until about halfway through, and only for a short time. The ending was anticlimactic. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Rape, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Abandonment

jmkendall0218's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Murder

amandab0514's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Rape, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Animal cruelty

taking_tea_with_the_hatter's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

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

1.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Infertility, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment

musicalpopcorn's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

When a group of people go to a vacation house for the weekend, they never dream that it could unravel their lives. 

This book kept me interested in the plot, but wasn’t anything special. I found it semi-predictable and a little heavy on the concept of “family”. The ending also dragged on a little long. 

I liked Henry’s story arc the best, which was only a small portion of the whole thing.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

xxenjoy's review against another edition

mysterious 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? Yes

0.5

Between the unlikable characters, iffy writing, and confusing storyline, I will not be reading another book by this author. If I hadn't been listening to the audiobook  (I had a number of problems with the narrator as well, but that's a whole other thing) instead of reading the paper copy, I would have given up less than halfway through. For a thriller, there was a remarkable number of scenes that felt like they were written for/from the male gaze, which was offputting from a female author. Will not be recommending this.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Miscarriage, Rape, and Toxic relationship

use of the word slut, defense of highly problematic characters by multiple other characters, lots of characters cheating on one another (multiple scenarios)