Reviews tagging 'Terminal illness'

One Of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus

24 reviews

ajg022's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

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

4.0

An enjoyable page-turner, with enough variance of character perspectives to keep me hooked. The plot itself is a little predictable, but isn't necessarily the focus of the story as much as the characters and their relations to others. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Outing, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Moderate: Bullying, Cancer, and Car accident

Minor: Drug use, Gun violence, Mental illness, Police brutality, Mass/school shootings, and Gaslighting

cararowen's review against another edition

dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced

• 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, Homophobia, Stalking, Outing, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, and Classism

Minor: Ableism, Alcoholism, Cancer, Chronic illness, Confinement, Eating disorder, Hate crime, Mental illness, Racism, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, and Alcohol

annaspeckien's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Death, Mental illness, Mass/school shootings, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Cancer, Terminal illness, and Abandonment

ashleysager's review against another edition

hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Murder

Moderate: Suicide

hypofocus's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious tense fast-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? Yes

4.0

Amazing pacing, fully fleshed out characters, decent twist. A fun time and a well rounded read. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Misogyny and Gaslighting

sunburntghost's review against another edition

mysterious fast-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Homophobia, Suicide, Violence, and Outing

Minor: Terminal illness

violetbentbackwards1036's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cancer, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Outing, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

cristinareading's review against another edition

mysterious reflective medium-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, and Stalking

Moderate: Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Cancer, Racism, and Terminal illness

taelights's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.0

I feel like this is the only book I've ever read where the adaptation is better. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Cancer, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Grief, Murder, Outing, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Violence and Mass/school shootings

classicpseudonym's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.75

again, writing this immediately after finishing the book so i don't forget anything so i'm still sort of in shock. i read two can keep a secret by mcmanus a few  years ago so i've had this on my to read ever since (but never particularly wanted to read it until i didn't have time to find another option at the library). but woah that was definitely something.

i feel like i was more hooked than i'm willing to admit because this was a typical ya book about high school and murder (except by peanut oil i guess), but i still wanted to read on even though this doesn't exactly align with my book tastes. and the build-up of everything was pretty well executed, so props to mcmanus on a thrilling debut.

on the other hand, i'm looking back immediately after and i feel like i didn't really get anything out of it? if that makes sense. i wasn't a big fan of the hold that romance and relationships had on the plot and the book overall, but that's just how high school is portrayed in general, and i'm not a big romance person so i'm probably just biased. me saying "i didn't get anything out of it" isn't to say that the psychological themes and the perspectives/narration of each of the characters wasn't interesting, but i just feel like i wouldn't want to read this book again. like the case with two can keep a secret (which i don't remember anything about, then again its been years) i don't think i'd remember anything about the book besides the ending (which will haunt me even though i felt it coming) in a few months.

now that i'm thinking about it, simon's character is going to haunt me for the rest of my life. from the reference to the omniscent narrator at the beginning of the book, to the way he planned on dictating "his story" even from the grave... chilling. god.

so if you want fast paced, thrilling, and haunting in a ya sort of way read, i'd recommend. there are a lot a lot of trigger warnings though, so i'd recommend that people keep that in mind if they read. if you tend to stay away from ya thriller/mystery books like i do, maybe still give it a read if you're bored because i feel like it's decently well done, but it wasn't my favorite book personally and it might not be yours either. then again, i think it's just because i think too much and i gravitate towards books that are really deep and get my mind all jumbled on the issues of society. but that's a me problem. pretty good book overall though.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Infidelity, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Mass/school shootings, Outing, and Alcohol

Minor: Death of parent