lesemaresi's review
- 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
4.25
Spoiler
Unsure about the conclusion/ending… and how reliable the author really isSpoiler
Graphic: Suicide, Sexual content, Mental illness, Infidelity, Grief, Trafficking, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Drug use, Drug abuse, Torture, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Death, Sexual harassment, Physical abuse, Murder, Kidnapping, Emotional abuse, Eating disorder, Alcoholism, Adult/minor relationship, Addiction, Abandonment, and Violence
sarahmae531's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The ending was set up perfectly. I was so sure I knew what was going to happen because it all seemed so obvious, but then I was proven SO wrong. The true ending was also well explained and you weren’t left wondering “how does that all add up??”
The book also did an amazing job of not breaking the fourth wall. Editor, publisher, and author notes included in the book are all fiction. There is a character in the book that’s shares the name and title of a debut novel as the author. Emails, photos, and even a Facebook post are included. It was very impressive.
I will say, check content warnings before reading, this has almost every traumatizing thing you can think of.
Graphic: Suicide, Suicide attempt, Drug abuse, Death, Violence, Self harm, Stalking, Kidnapping, Murder, Mental illness, Infidelity, Grief, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Addiction, and Blood
Moderate: Pregnancy, Cancer, Terminal illness, Trafficking, Torture, Toxic relationship, and Sexual harassment
mysterymom46's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Kidnapping and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Infidelity, Drug abuse, and Drug use
Spoiler
person is urinated on by multiple peoplenovabooks's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Bullying, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Murder, Self harm, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, and Violence
travelseatsreads's review
- 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
5.0
I don't want to say too much as a huge amount of the enjoyment of True Crime Story is trying to figure out what's actually going on. This need to know more persists from the first few lines to the final full stop.
Cleverly pieced together with interviews, emails and statements it kept my mind boggling right until the end. I listened to the audio version and it was hugely atmospheric. The interviews and statements even have that white noise and background interference you'd expect from tape recordings. I know some listeners found this irritating but it definitely added to the drama for me. I can also imagine this would work perfectly in text form and would love to dive into the snippets of emails and police statements so might even buy this for my shelf.
Murderinos, true crime fans and podcast fanatics, you will devour this and crime fiction fans equally will get trapped in it's twisty tangled web.
Read it or listen to it but you need to add it to your TBR pile now. I'm immediately adding Knox's other books to mine.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Bullying, Violence, Trafficking, Stalking, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Mental illness, Drug abuse, and Drug use
honeyreads1066's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Stalking, Kidnapping, Grief, and Death
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Blood, Drug abuse, Drug use, Violence, Suicide, Rape, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Minor: Trafficking