Reviews tagging Domestic abuse

When No One Is Watching, by Alyssa Cole

29 reviews

jojo_'s review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality, Violence, Classism, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Gun violence, Medical trauma, Racism, and Sexual content

Moderate: Blood, Grief, Toxic relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, Kidnapping, and Medical content

Minor: Genocide, Suicide, Alcohol, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Infidelity, and Slavery

halebugs's review

challenging dark emotional funny informative tense fast-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Murder, Gun violence, Police brutality, Hate crime, and Death of parent

Moderate: Suicide, Domestic abuse, and Drug abuse

laguerrelewis's review

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad 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

5.0

WHEEEEEEW. This book fucked me UP in the best way possible. Thrillers are an excellent medium to work through/depict/teach about the insidiousness of racism, and I’m glad that this trend is being picked up by intelligent and talented creators like Jordan Peele, Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, and now Alyssa Cole. This book keeps you on the farthest edge of your seat, but also manages to inspire and warm your heart with a tale of communal aid and resistance. Cole writes characters and a community that are complex, storied, and palpable, adding to the stress when they are threatened by powers seemingly beyond their control. A read I would recommend for anyone looking for a cathartic, informative, and nervewracking take on gentrificaction.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Grief, Slavery, Sexual content, Death, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Police brutality, Blood, Cultural appropriation, Violence, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Colonisation, Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, Alcohol, Kidnapping, Racism, and Death of parent

madmantha's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative mysterious reflective 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

One of the best books I’ve ever read, if not THE best. 
Thrilling, anxiety-inducing, emotional and yet hilarious at the same time. 

Can’t wait to suggest this read to others, I loaned it from the library but will definitely be purchasing my own copy. This is something that deserves to be remembered and celebrated for years to come. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Police brutality, Racism, Sexual content, Violence, Classism, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Genocide, Grief, Hate crime, Injury/injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Stalking, and Torture

Moderate: Abandonment, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Excrement, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Ableism, Blood, Body horror, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Injury/injury detail, Kidnapping, and Medical trauma

Minor: Alcoholism, Blood, Child abuse, Cultural appropriation, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Homophobia, Mental illness, Religious bigotry, Toxic friendship, Trafficking, Vomit, Alcohol, Addiction, Hate crime, Outing, Racial slurs, and Slavery

bookedbymadeline's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

The discussions on gentrification and racism were really well done! The beginning was a little slow but it picked up quickly and I didn’t want to put it down.

I loved the characters and the building of paranoia/unreliable narrators! As others have said the ending was rushed and left me a bit deflated but overall a great thriller/mystery 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Medical trauma, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Slavery, and Police brutality

Minor: Drug use

mostlyliterate's review against another edition

dark funny informative mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Injury/injury detail, Medical trauma, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, Racism, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Blood, Cursing, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, and Medical content

Minor: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Gore, Sexual harassment, Slavery, and Vomit

entanglednovels's review

dark emotional tense slow-paced

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

5.0

Wow. Every good thing I’ve heard about this proves true. The amount of twists and turns that all added up so perfectly -while still remaining believable (scarily believable) - just shows how well Cole adapted to the thriller genre. The amount of power and truth behind Cole’s fictional story is both amazing and a little horrifying (mostly due to the truth part). If I can say one thing about this, it’s read it. Just read it. Don’t ask too many questions. I will eagerly pick up more thrillers from Cole should she write more in the future. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Hate crime, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, and Violence

Moderate: Addiction, Alcohol, Blood, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Police brutality, Sexual content, and Stalking

Minor: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Toxic relationship

elzibub's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Violence, Racism, and Grief

ivana's review

dark mysterious tense slow-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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Blood, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Infidelity, Murder, Police brutality, Racism, Sexual content, Slavery, and Violence

hmatt's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.0

Book-clubbing this one so maybe I'll have more thoughts after talking it through with others.

This didn't grip me. It's like I could see what the author was trying to do the whole time, but it didn't pull me in or immerse me in the "thriller" aspects. I felt it was very "nothing... nothing... nothing... OK GO... alright it's over" - great descriptors, I know.

A very minor, personal-preference type issue I had was keeping track of all the minor characters. It's such a short book that I didn't really get a lot of contextualization to help stick all the background neighbour characters' names in my head - I think it would have improved the read if I could remember them better.

Also, there's one part (arguably the most thrilling:

Spoiler

when she gets in the fake Uber

) that I still don't think I fully understand. Maybe I'm missing where this was explained. Again, the minor-character thing is maybe hindering something. But I wish the rest of the story had captured that same vibe.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Kidnapping, Gun violence, Grief, Forced institutionalization, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Racism, and Violence

Moderate: Blood, Drug use, and Police brutality

Minor: Domestic abuse