norwegianforestreader's review
- 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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Grief, Cursing, Death, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Child abuse, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gun violence, Emotional abuse, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Rape, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Infidelity, Mental illness, Confinement, and Stalking
brynhayes's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Sexual assault, Suicide, Abandonment, Alcohol, Grief, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Blood, Mental illness, Murder, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Rape, Death, Stalking, Toxic relationship, and Violence
lxcy153's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
despite liking this book it was not mentioned before any of said trigger warnings were brought up in dialogue that these would happen so just be careful before reading. personally this book was the star to my reading journey as i haven’t prior to this book ever had a drive to read, thus meaning i hadn’t read the first one (due to what i have found this seems to be the sequel) despite this i still found this book east to follow along with. :)
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Rape, Murder, Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, and Abandonment
Moderate: Kidnapping and Stalking
orianaisreading's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I didn’t realise when I bought this book that it was a sequel so I’d have to buy the first one as well.
However, at times, what a hot mess. It was hard to follow all the characters and storylines that were all happening all at once. And there were unanswered questions.
1. Does Lucy know that it wasn’t a suicide pact manipulated by David but that all three of them were killed by Henry?
2. The police officer knows Henry also killed Birdie but the book just ends with no mention of it. Does he just realise he can’t get him and drops the case? He didn’t seem like the type to just drop it.
3. The police officer says there’s no one who cares about who killed Birdie but also says her brother messaged him every day?
Also, it felt like the officer being black was a bit of a fake attempt at diversity. If he was just black and that was that it wouldn’t be mentioned so many times but also it only scraps the surface to what a black officer would face in London. So it didn’t do a good job of saying he’s black and that’s just that and characters can be black without it being everything about them and it failed to do so by the sheer amount of times it was mentioned but it also didn’t do a good job of dealing with the nuances of it.
Contrary to other comments the last line of the epilogue made complete sense to me. The emptiness in Henry would not have been filled by a family reunion, not matter that he loves them. He is not psychopathic, he feels empathy for others, but he’s deeply troubled and will continue to be so.
The book was kind of dragged 150 pages more than it should have (but so is this review). Rant over.
Graphic: Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Abandonment, Murder, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Pedophilia
greatexpectations77's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Gaslighting, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Rape, Emotional abuse, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Misogyny, Physical abuse, Stalking, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Murder, and Suicide
Minor: Grief and Infidelity
helloits_jen's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Physical abuse, Child abuse, Suicide attempt, Stalking, Death, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Murder, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Rape, Pedophilia, Violence, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Miscarriage
kelseyr713's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
I felt that Rachel’s plotline (which mostly took place in the past) was a bit of filler, but was really well done and I absolutely found myself cheering her on.
My stomach was in knots at points from needing to know what happened next! Very difficult to put down. I was very satisfied with the conclusion and it doesn’t end on a cliffhanger this time.
Content warning: rape (specifically spousal rape)
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Grief, Rape, Toxic relationship, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Infidelity, Abandonment, Child abuse, Alcoholism, Drug use, Drug abuse, Alcohol, Dysphoria, Confinement, Cursing, and Stalking
Minor: Vomit, Murder, Racism, Xenophobia, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, and Death of parent
paisleypetty's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Rape, Confinement, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Death of parent, Alcohol, Infidelity, and Miscarriage
bookswithhan's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Suicide, Rape, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Violence, and Abandonment
librariangeorgia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Murder, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Confinement, Death, Gaslighting, and Rape
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Sexual content, and Alcohol