Reviews tagging 'Vomit'

Into the Water by Paula Hawkins

6 reviews

nikkitynack's review against another edition

Too much icky stuff for me (bulimia scene, sexual assault scene)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Sexual assault, and Vomit

mr_cain's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• 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

4.75

I only docked .25 of a star because the pacing was so slow in the exposition. I understand she's establishing a whole host of characters and I do appreciate it, but it's a book you have to power through the first part of. 

This book genuinely kept me guessing. I did suspect the real culprit several times, but I waffled often. Hawkins does a great job supplying motive and details for each of the suspects without it feeling like a painfully deliberate red herring. 

Hawkins also makes the characters each their own and her style is distinct for each chapter in a different POV (i.e. Helen, Jules, + Sean's chapters all feel genuine vs. the same style with different names as many POV switching books seem to do). She provides a cast of characters who are complex and feel so real. Not every character is deeply complicated but they all have their own established psyches which I loved. 

I can easily call myself a Paula Hawkins fan after this.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Blood

Minor: Chronic illness, Eating disorder, and Vomit

angelafeng's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• 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: Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Fatphobia, Pedophilia, Rape, and Alcohol

Minor: Cancer, Eating disorder, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, and Suicide attempt

avidreaderandgeekgirl's review

dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• 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? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Child death, Cursing, Death, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Alcohol

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Cancer, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Blood, Vomit, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, and Abandonment

Minor: Alcoholism and Drug use

lordofdisorder's review against another edition

dark emotional funny 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Alcohol

Moderate: Body horror, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Violence, Blood, Lesbophobia, and Gaslighting

Minor: Cancer, Confinement, Excrement, Vomit, and Dementia

rbrockett21'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? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Having just read the Girl on the Train, I was excited to read Hawkins’s next thriller. However, both as a stand-alone and in comparison to GotT, I felt it was disappointing. After seeing how well she can convey unreliable narration, it seemed like this was written by a less experienced author who was just entering the genre. Honestly, it seemed like this could have been her first work, not GotT. I didn’t feel a deep connection with any of the characters, and the set up left me wondering if there even was a mystery to be solved at all.

I think what got in the way of the potentially good plot was the excessive filler written in from each perspective. There’s leaving clues via different perspectives, and then there’s just spending too much time trying to make something out of nothing.

Though it was a quick read, I wouldn’t say I was madly turning the pages out of suspense. The only time the pace picked up was about 2/3 of the way through, and only briefly. Even in the moments leading up to finding out who the guilty party was, I just wasn’t that invested. And, in my opinion, the answer to whodunnit was very disappointing; it felt like it was supposed to be a twist that just completely missed its mark.

I still intend to read A Slow Burning Fire upon its release to see if it’s on par with GotT, but after Into the Water my excitement has been curbed. Hopefully her next novel will rekindle my appreciation for her writing style.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Dementia, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Murder