Reviews tagging 'Child death'

Heartbreaker by Claudia Dey

3 reviews

baiday's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

• 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? It's complicated

3.75

I don’t know how I feel about this book. I finished it yesterday, and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. I’m just turning the characters over in my mind and replaying the story again and again, and I just don’t know what to think. Maybe that was the point?

I feel like this story was definitely marketed the wrong way. They really capitalized on the “sinister cult” aspect but as far as cults go this one wasn’t sinister at all. It was just odd and rural and almost get like a caricature of extremely isolated religious communities. Just without the religion. So it felt strange and disjointed at times. 

I enjoyed it for sure, but I kept expecting a bigger twist then what I got, and while the

affair between Billie Jean and Supernatural and all the subsequent details, the baby sister who was really his daughter, the fact that The Heavy was his father

was a twist it was given so much more gravity then I think it deserved.

Maybe I’m crazy, but I was expecting the storyline about

the blood drawing or the it not really being 1985

to be more of a big deal but it was kind of just glazed over.

The synopsis made it seem like there was something really dark going on within the cult, but in reality it was just messed up family drama that didn’t need the setting of the cult to begin with.

I wish the author had chosen one or the other to write about. Either focus the story on the family or dive deeper into the mythos and lore of the cult. She left so much on the table when it came to what the cult was doing, why they were there and their mysterious leader and his ideologies. 

Although I really enjoyed it, I just feel like my attention was divided while reading this book, and I was left wanting more.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child death, Death, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury

carlytenille's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark hopeful mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Confinement, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Grief, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury

themorbidlycuriousbookclub's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

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

3.5

I loved this. But I could’ve loved it more. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Classism