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kappafrog's review
- 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
3.0
I really loved the way the setting of the house was described, with all the flowers and trees and the sense of seclusion. My favourite character was definitely Pat. I would have been happy to see more of his life! I liked the doctor-turned-bartender a lot too. Usually I gravitate towards queer women in books, especially historical ones, but it was harder to connect with the women in this book. I think it was just obvious that the author was writing what he knew with the queer men so their feelings and personalities shone through a lot more strongly than those of the women.
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Police brutality, Murder, Lesbophobia, Outing, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Vomit, Medical content, Stalking, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Classism
Minor: Gun violence, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Blood, Death of parent, and War
phoebenotbuffay'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? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Lesbophobia, Outing, and Gaslighting
kam_h's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Hate crime, Homophobia, Sexism, Violence, and Police brutality
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Death of parent, and Alcohol
purrson'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? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Homophobia
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Police brutality
Minor: Animal death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Death of parent, and Murder
The animal death is minor:duffchan's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, and Murder
foreverinastory'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? Yes
4.0
Wow loved this!! What a book.
Lavender House is a 1950’s murder mystery. Evander Mills has been recently outed and forced to leave his job as a detective. Andy is struggling with his new reality. When he’s approached by Pearl who has a job for him, he begrudgingly accepts. Then he arrives at the estate, Lavender House, and he’s shocked to see queer people living authentically. As Andy continues to investigate, Lavender House changes his mind about many things, but will he catch the killer before he can open himself up to a new idea of life?
I loved this book!! I need it to be a series because I am so ready to jump in with Andy as he investigates crimes for queer victims. This book was incredibly gripping and while I didn’t always agree with Andy, I found his motives believable and poignant. Also who could I not love Andy, we share a name 😌. I listened to the audiobook through Libro FM and I cannot recommend the narrator enough. Vikas Adam also narrated parts of The Charm Offensive and A Dark & Hollow Star and is now officially on my favorite narrator list! Overall, I loved seeing this mystery unravel and I would highly recommend it!
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Death, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Lesbophobia, Outing, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Biphobia, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Antisemitism, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment
betweentheshelves'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? Yes
4.0
However, the little queer oasis the Lamontaine family has carverd out for themselves holds dark secrets. While they might be hidden from the rest of the society and able to be themselves, something more sininster might be going on. And it's up to Andy to figure out what.
Thanks to NetGalley and Forge Books for an advanced copy of Lavender House to review! I've read some of Lev AC Rosen's YA stuff, so I was interested in seeing how he moves to adult fiction. I am happy to say I wasn't disappointed!
This is being pitched as a queer, historical Knives Out, and I think that's the perfect description of this book. There's the murder mystery, things not quite like they seem on the surface. Before going in, know that there is a lot of homophobia depicted in this book, due to the time period its set in. The idea of a little queer oasis is fantastic, though. I'm sure this happened more than we think it did.
The characters are also really well written. Andy is a complicated protagonist, trying to figure out where to go now that he's been kicked out of the police force. There's a pretty large cast of characters, but they don't blend together like you might think they would. It's definitely a great book to read as we're right in the middle of spooky season.
All in all, if you love mysteries like Knives Out, you will probably thoroguhly enjoy this book!
Graphic: Homophobia, Violence, and Police brutality
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Misogyny
Minor: Gore, Suicidal thoughts, and Grief
lynseyye's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Homophobia, Police brutality, and Murder
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, and War
Minor: Grief