Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

The Wife Upstairs by Freida McFadden

53 reviews

bookedandbusy's review

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

aahrobot's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad 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? It's complicated

4.0

The entire time I was listening I thought, “Oh it’s clearly this person.” But then, right towards the end, it wasn’t. But then at the actual end, it was. The Red Herring was a nice change of pace from all the other Frieda books I have read so far. Not bad; again, I found some of the characters annoying, but I at least liked Victoria. Good, easy read with a nice twist. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Murder

Moderate: Gun violence, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Vomit, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Schizophrenia/Psychosis

laineyt's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• 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

3.5

we spend the whole book learning about how victoria was the victim of horrible abuse and then the end “twist” felt like a cheap shot and discredited everything

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Fatphobia

melanielk's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Gun violence, Mental illness, and Murder

Minor: Miscarriage and Medical content

abbey1s's review against another edition

dark mysterious fast-paced

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

3.5

My goal is to read every Freida McFadden book this year because she has been my absolute favorite thriller author of the year and this one did not disappoint! It had me guessing who was telling the truth until the very end. I am only giving it a 3 though because there is a lot of domestic violence mentioned. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse

maggieparedesauthor's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Gun violence, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

jenn_o_3's review against another edition

2.5

I don’t think I’ll read this author again. This book was recommended to me or I wouldn’t have chosen it. But it was pretty formulaic and predictable. The first “twist” isn’t one at all and the second “twist” just takes you back to if there weren’t any twists. So I don’t understand the reviews saying it’s so twisty and unpredictable. 

Aside from that, I also don’t love the writing style. Short sentences, limited vocabulary… it almost reads young adult to me. And the author repeats info over and over like readers are dumb. For example, in chapter 1 the narrator is very poor. Saying she’s about to be evicted paints that picture pretty clearly, but the author mentions it again in every single paragraph. Ok, we get it. And the “foreshadowing” that was like a hammer over the head. “She got a terrible feeling” again, repeated about 5 times in chapter 1 alone. 

The revealing clue also makes zero sense

Victoria gives Sylvie a diary that talks about Mack and only Mack but then when speaking of him she uses a different name? How on earth does that make sense?!?!? Especially when every word requires so much effort? And there’s no effort by the author  to even try to make it make sense. Lazy writing.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Miscarriage

meikesbieb's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

Dit duurde voor mijn gevoel echt 3 jaar van mn leven om door dit boek heen te komen, maar zoals ik al had verwacht begint het echte spannende gebeuren pas enige tijd over de helft. Side note: think ff twice als je deze wilt lezen als je ook al ‘Verity’ hebt gelezen, want daardoor werd dit boek voor mij nog langdradiger dan dat het eigenlijk had hoeven zijn. Uiteraard wel echt weer fantastische plottwists en het is gewoon echt een psychologische thriller

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, and Murder

tierraskye's review against another edition

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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, and Dysphoria

hilaryj10's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-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

4.0

A creepy domestic thriller. I read this in a day. I couldn’t stop. Some of the characters actions were frustrating and had you wanting to yell at them asking what they were thinking.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Murder