Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

The Lying Game by Ruth Ware

21 reviews

abernathy_33's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Suicide, and Death of parent

Moderate: Drug use, Eating disorder, and Murder

Minor: Animal death, Child abuse, and Self harm

eldritchreader's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

3.75

Was this my favourite Ruth Ware book? No. I felt as though the tense wasn't as tense, the grisly nature wasn't as dark and the characters didn't hit quite as personal as other books by this author or in this genre.

However, I don't agree with a lot of the one or two star reviews I've read. If you didn't like it because you don't enjoy morally grey characters, fine. But unlikeable characters does not make this a bad book. If anything, I found that to be the best part of it. 

The back and forth tension of right and wrong, loyalty and the regression to the poor decisions made by traumatised teenagers was blended in an authentic way. The people were real and messy. 

Ware didn't write this to have characters have a morally-sound redemption arc. She wrote a messy story about a messy situation and the messy decisions and emotions of those involved. 

And that is (in my view) good writing.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

larareads's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

• 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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Alcoholism, Eating disorder, Infidelity, and Abandonment

Minor: Child abuse

erinnnn's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

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

3.5

A pulpy, seaside I Know What You Did Last Summer that may be a bit too long to be a satisfying beach read. While I would normally dislike spending so much time on details and relationships unrelated to the plot, I didn’t mind it much here because I thoroughly enjoyed Isa and colorful friend group. They are by far my favorite characters in any of Ware's books.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Suicide, Blood, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Cursing, Death, Incest, Infidelity, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, and Dysphoria

kaymmullins's review against another edition

challenging mysterious fast-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Self harm, Death of parent, and Murder

ksilvio's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Suicide, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Infidelity, and Physical abuse

maggies's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

This is very middle-of-the-road for me. It took a while to build up, and the ending felt very abrupt. In between was mostly Isa being anxious and insufferable, even if she was also justified. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief and Death of parent

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Child abuse, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment

Minor: Eating disorder and Self harm

talii's review against another edition

emotional reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Death, Suicide, Blood, Death of parent, and Alcohol

Moderate: Child abuse and Drug use

Minor: Incest and Self harm

adelinebal4's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Suicide, Islamophobia, Death of parent, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Addiction, Animal death, Cancer, Child abuse, Incest, Self harm, and Alcohol

Minor: Adult/minor relationship

alanabie's review against another edition

dark emotional tense slow-paced

• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

This has been my favorite, I think of the "trashy thrillers" I've read this year (free little libraries ftw) but it fell short in a lot of ways. She's a better writer than others I've read, but the pacing and the stakes were low. I didn't love the big reveal, about halfway in the book, about "what they did"

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Eating disorder, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Moderate: Addiction, Self harm, and Sexual violence

Minor: Child abuse and Pedophilia