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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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Dementia, Trafficking, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
hellokatya's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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 absolutely loved this book and was completely engrossed. it was so difficult to put down and gave me a few day’s worth of lost sleep. i highly Highly recommend this book. i definitely saw (one of the bigger) plot twists a while before, but that is no where near a complaint; the author was so fantastic at leaving breadcrumbs so that it was extremely satisfying to find out you were right.
my only gripes are:
1.I wish the elsie reveal had happened earlier or been longer. especially the aftermath, very much told rather than shown; but i was very glad to have had closure on that and it made complete sense.
2.the confrontation with ruby shouldve also been longer. it had been 25 years and she had so much pent up rage, how did it go so quickly? i guess to an extent she wanted it to be over with and didn’t want to stoop to her mother’s level, but it would’ve made for a better send off.
overall, had it not been for those two preferences, this book is a 5/5. absolutely enthralling.
my only gripes are:
1.
2.
overall, had it not been for those two preferences, this book is a 5/5. absolutely enthralling.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Infidelity, Trafficking, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting