criticalgayze's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
A part of me wants to say that I now at least have an understanding of the CoHo craze, but this is her only thriller, and I truly cannot imagine reading a book by her that was just the romantic parts of this one.
I fully intended to give this book 1.5-stars because I am absolutely sick of the trope of painting PPD as some kind of villainous trait in women, but I think that, while the narrator is still disgustingly judgmental of the kind of psychological trauma pregnancy and childbirth can put a woman through, Hoover herself seems (maybe?) to have mostly redeemed her own complicity in the trope with the book's ending. (Although I am largely as confused as the narrator as to whether this is actually the case or not)
Speaking of the ending, talk about rushed. I felt like, throughout the book, the order of escalation was out of whack, there were largely spurts of tension in amongst the drudgery of straight white horniness as opposed to well built and sustained suspense, and that the culminating scene was over largely before I even realized it had begun.
tl;dr: Not good writing, but I tore through it in two days, so maybe there's something to be said for the Hoover phenomenon.
Graphic: Abortion, Child death, Murder, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, and Sexual content
Moderate: Terminal illness, Blood, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Cancer, Confinement, Grief, Injury/injury detail, Medical trauma, Drug abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Car accident, Death, Alcohol, and Death of parent
def_jt's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Abortion, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Suicide, Child death, Medical content, Child abuse, Fatphobia, Terminal illness, Suicide attempt, Vomit, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Eating disorder, Car accident, Death, Blood, and Confinement
chaotically_katie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
One of the best pieces of writing advice is to trust your audience. And while I appreciate the spoon-feeding to a certain extent, there comes a point where it’s a bit excessive.
Overall, I recommend reading it. Just not at the top of your reading list.
Graphic: Abortion, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Excrement, Physical abuse, Forced institutionalization, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Infidelity, Injury/injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Ableism, Alcohol, Blood, Child death, Gaslighting, Grief, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Body shaming, Car accident, Violence, and Vomit
lostreader_101'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Violence, Cursing, Medical content, Grief, Child abuse, Infertility, Chronic illness, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Murder, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Gore, Gaslighting, and Child death
eliya's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Murder, Toxic relationship, Child death, Infidelity, Sexual content, Child abuse, and Death
Moderate: Fatphobia, Emotional abuse, Body shaming, Terminal illness, Pregnancy, Grief, Cursing, Eating disorder, and Violence
Minor: Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Cancer, Vomit, and Suicidal thoughts
jorja_2001'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? No
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Terminal illness, Murder, Abortion, Sexual content, and Vomit
honeybunchesofoats06's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Chronic illness, Child death, Death, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, Abortion, Blood, Body horror, Car accident, Gore, Injury/injury detail, Medical content, Miscarriage, Vomit, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Child abuse, Death of parent, Mental illness, Grief, Alcohol, and Cancer
gracehx's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Child death
Moderate: Terminal illness and Murder
chloe927lou's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Gore, Death, Child death, Infidelity, Injury/injury detail, Abortion, Murder, Vomit, Violence, Terminal illness, Pregnancy, Medical content, Death of parent, Grief, Chronic illness, Car accident, Alcohol, and Blood
evelyn_ak21'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
4.5
Moderate: Child abuse, Car accident, Sexual content, Miscarriage, Child death, Injury/injury detail, Gore, Grief, and Death
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Terminal illness, Pregnancy, Abortion, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis