Reviews tagging 'Confinement'

Ward D by Freida McFadden

40 reviews

greatexpectations77's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• 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

3.0

I liked this one fine, and it had the patented Frieda McFadden twists. But god damn, you would think this was written 40 years ago for how it talked about mental health! Super judgy and exclusive terms about people being crazy and unstable and like animals. It felt like McFadden had never met a mentally ill person. Folks in overnight facilities are all trying their best. No one wants to live with a brain that tortures them. Everyone is deserving of care. And I feel like if one of Amy's doctors had read this book, she would get a severe talking to about how she refers to mentally ill patients. Also, she needs to get her head out of her ass about this whole I-was-dumped-for-a-test thing. People make mistakes! They get really stressed about life-changing tests and they screw up their priorities! But don't spend the whole book

hating your ex and then suddenly feel all bad when he's dead.

McFadden has written female characters that were way easier to support than Amy.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Mental illness, Medical content, Medical trauma, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Addiction, Bullying, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, and Abandonment

thackerleah's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement and Mental illness

Moderate: Violence and Murder

oh_joyy's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

1.5

I actually really, really did not like this book - I was looking forward to it ending. I did the audio, and the narrator was annoying. But maybe she was just portraying the main character really well, because I did not vibe with her at all. I had a hard time connecting with any of the characters in the book. 

I might be biased because I work in healthcare and I’ve worked in mental health, and it was so so frustrating to read about the mental health stigmas and also just how incorrect the inpatient mental health facility was portrayed in general. But I get it, I had to remind myself that this is coming from a general public point of view and this also made it more suspenseful and thrilling for readers. 

The twists and turns were just lack luster for me and the ending wasn’t too much of a shock. I do like McFadden’s other books, but this one was just not for me. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Confinement and Mental illness

hannahjacobsen's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.75

Another Freida book that I couldn’t put down! This book had me guessing until the very end. Just when I thought I had the characters figured out, another plot twist would throw me completely off. Definitely recommend for a quick thriller read!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Gore, Mental illness, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

k8lynn's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• 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

5.0

my favorite by Freida Mcfadden!!!!!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

nicolecoyle's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Ableism, Confinement, Death, Violence, and Blood

Minor: Dementia and Fire/Fire injury

mrstorms's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Medical content, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Confinement, Death, Blood, Murder, and Gaslighting

daydaybookbay's review against another edition

dark inspiring mysterious 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

4.5

I rated this book a 9 out of 10. I loved this book. It'sfast-pacedd and keeps you on edge waiting for the next shoe to drop. Although I figured out the twist in the first half, the ride there was so much fun. Will definitely read it again!

Reasons I couldn't give a 10 out of 10 rating is mostly how I predicted the ending. There's only so many twists you can create in a locked psychiatric unit. Also, I feel the mental illnesses are very generalized. There's a lot of diversity in reality, but the depictions here were very Hollywood-esque.

This is my first book by Freida McFadden, but it definitely won't be my last. I have heard many good things about her other novels, so I am super excited to read them in the future as well.

I love how easy it is to throw off the reader. All the characters are in a psych ward, and the main character questions her own sanity from the get-go. Every single person's credibility is demolished since Chapter 1. With no reliable character, there is a wide open playing field for the story to travel. Because of this, the storyline has no clear path, and it's easier to mislead the reader. I love it!

Jade took me by surprise multiple times. Her character was all over the place (obviously).

I do like that there was no redemption arc for her, though. Sometimes, having a bad guy just stay a bad guy is so freaking satisfying.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Dementia, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

nuuamuikkunen's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

1.0

The premise is interesting and I like the plit twists in Freida’s books, but this book is just filled with stigmatizing depictions of mental illnesses and just plain wrong, that I cannot in good conscience give it a good review.

Bipolar disorder doesn’t make you want to kill other people. Scizophrenia doesn’t make you want to kill people. These disorders are more harmful to the patient than the people around them. Cmon. Easy research. Totally inexcusable to write books like this in this day and age.

All in all, the way these patients are talked about gave me the ick.

Plus, the main character is just soooo unbearable. Hated her. I’m starting to see that it’s a pattern with Freida’s books. But the plot is usually so good, I keep on reading them.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Confinement, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

whitneyfoster's review against another edition

dark emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Mental illness, Blood, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Medical content