Reviews tagging 'Ableism'

The Wife Upstairs by Freida McFadden

10 reviews

bookedandbusy's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

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

5.0

This was an incredible thriller! I didn’t know who to trust or what to think!! It kept me guessing until the end! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Chronic illness, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting

spocksgotfeelings's review against another edition

the most heinous crime was the writing of this book. i regret reading it. thematic assertions included:
-crazy people are dangerous and want to hurt you no matter how much medication you sedate them with
-you should not believe women claiming to be abused by theor husbands, especially if the husband is nice to you
-fat people are ugly and being fat is an indicator of a character flaw, and is disrespectful to your romantic partner. 
worst read of the year. sorry to be blunt. I usually don't even write whole reviews but this book actually dealt me psychic damage to read and I feel the need to warn people away. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Gaslighting

jenniferbowman'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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Cursing, Gun violence, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Vomit, Medical content, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

rsagarin's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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: Ableism, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

sunnybwrites's review against another edition

dark mysterious fast-paced

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

4.5

I love Frieda’s books. My only gripe is there was a lot of themes and imagery clearly lifted from her other books that made this feel a bit weaker than her other titles.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Medical trauma, and Gaslighting

Minor: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Cursing, Eating disorder, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Medical content, Stalking, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

greatestheights's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-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

2.75

Freida McFadden protagonists have to be the most useless, oblivious, dense people I've ever read about, and yet, I cannot stop reading every single one of these books.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Medical content, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

annainthedark's review against another edition

slow-paced

1.5

I did not find this to be an interesting book. There was about 10 mins at the end where it got a bit more interesting, but the previous 9 hour 50 mins were dull. 

Pretty much every character in it sucks, and none of them even suck in an interesting way. There is a brief glimmer in those final 10 minutes but that is it! 

Maybe this is a more interesting book if you have not a lot of knowledge about abuse? But Adam's abuse is absolutely textbook paint by numbers, it's like the diary scenes documenting it were done off a checklist. Those scenes were a bit difficult to listen to, but mostly incredibly dull. Maybe the intention is for it to come across as shocking or building up the tension, but the I feel that's a little bit defeated by us already knowing the outcome of the abuse.

The treatment of Victoria as a disabled character at the start especially is quite unpleasant to get through. As is the treatment of Eva, who if I'm remembering correctly is the only character of colour in a book that is at least partially set in New York city? She's one of the few characters in the right, and yet completely absent from the resolution.

 All in all, I did not gel with this book or this author, this was not an enjoyable way to spend 10 hours of my life. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism and Domestic abuse

Minor: Racism

booksbytheglass's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-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

4.0

oh god this was a twisty turny ride! 🫡 I buddy read this with my pal jordan and we were screaming at the characters the entire time 

I just can’t believe the stupidity of these characters, especially the female MCs vicky and sylvie! like they see all of the 🚩🚩🚩 and just … talk themselves out of it? I was so frustrated all the dang time 

by like the fourth chapter, I just accepted that these women were going to get whatever was coming to them 🤷🏼‍♀️ how the heck are you going to realize that you’re living with a psycho, get an offer from an outside human to leave, and then just … say … no thanks?

all of the idiocy aside, I did enjoy the back and forth between past and present and figure out just who the unreliable narrators were! I got so many verity vibes!!!

and that ending epilogue? I just knew freida had to throw in one last plot twist 💀

this is a very bingeable read and I’d highly recommend it to those who love a good psychological thriller!

rating: 4 stars
wine pairing: baden pinot noir 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism and Gaslighting

morethanmylupus's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-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

3.0

I think this could have been a 4 star book for me but there were too many parallels to Verity by Colleen Hoover it kind of ruined it for me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Domestic abuse, and Murder

oneofmymanyflaws's review against another edition

dark 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? It's complicated

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Death, and Domestic abuse