Reviews with content warning for Dementia - Cosas que hacemos a oscuras

Reviews tagging 'Dementia'

Cosas que hacemos a oscuras by Jennifer Hillier

36 reviews

yvo_about_books's review against another edition

4.0

Finished reading: July 24th 2023

"While you can reinvent yourself, you can't outrun yourself. The common denominator in all the terrible things that have happend to you is you. Everywhere you go, there you are."

I loved Jar Of Hearts back when I read it in 2019, and I'm still not sure why it has taken me this long to pick up another of her titles. Especially since I've also had her previous psychological thriller on my TBR since it was published in 2020... Things We Do In The Dark won out in the end; mostly because the premise of this story intrigued me more. And I can definitely understand why it has been receiving so much love now! Things We Do In The Dark has only reconfirmed the fact that I highly enjoy the way Jennifer Hillier writes her stories. I wasn't expecting the two different POVs, because I was already so invested in Paris' story and the death of her rich husband. BUT. I loved what Drew's POV added to the plot, and I always have a weak spot for a podcast angle in a story (although the podcast itself only played a minor role). The building up of the plot is very well done, with the different parts complementing each other and adding more suspense. The dive into the past of main character Paris gets darker and darker as you continue reading, and what might seem to be a fairly simple murder case in the present turns out to be so much more... There are a lot of twists and secrets to unravel, and I really enjoyed how everything was woven together. A little warning: Things We Do In The Dark was a lot darker and twisted than expected, and it features topics including child abuse, pedophilia, suicide and violence. That said, the plot itself was well developed and the writing itself brought everything together. I did guess one of the final big twists, but as a whole Things We Do In The Dark was a very satisfying thriller.

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hmstumfoll's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

Content Warnings

_terah_hansen_'s review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad 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

Content Warnings

shesreadingagain_'s review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced

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

2.5

So convoluted. I had high hopes for this book. It’s all over the place and there are many murders spoiler and so many false identities galore /spoiler.

I needed a damn flow chart for this book. I will try another book by this author because I did like the pacing and writing but the content was not ideal.

Content Warnings

katiejohns's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

Content Warnings

mkzach's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

Content Warnings

oceanwriter's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

Though I wouldn't personally call this much of a thriller, Things We Do in the Dark did not disappoint.

When her well-known husband is found dead, Paris Peralta is the obvious suspect. Though she knows she's innocent, she's less worried about the murder charge itself than she is about having her face in the media. This isn't the first time she's been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

With an alternating timeline and POV, we also meet Drew, a true crime podcaster who inevitably comes across Paris' story. We don’t hear as much from his side, but it brings the story together as it alternates from past to present. However, I don't think the book necessarily needed his storyline, either. We don't learn too much about him.

What I enjoyed most were the backstories even though the topics were heavy. Paris and Ruby in particular were well-fleshed out. Where the active thrill is lacking, the characters make up for it. That's not to say there's no element of suspense, only that where a lot of what's being told is in the past tense, we know on some level how things end. The characters made it for me. I enjoyed it a lot.

Content Warnings