_msmarian_'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I have no words to really describe the rollercoaster of emotions that I went through while reading this book! It's a proper mind boggler, to say the least.
While the reader may start formulating who the villain is, it's impossible to really know until the very end.
Probably one of the best paychological thrillers I've EVER read!
HIGHLY recommend this fast-paced page turner if you're interested in this genre.
Graphic: Blood, Violence, Pregnancy, Death, Infidelity, Child death, Child abuse, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Murder, Mental illness, Grief, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, and Death of parent
teigancollins's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Mental illness, and Murder
oliviamichelle_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Mental illness, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, and Child death
rad_reads_123'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Death, Gaslighting, and Death of parent
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, and Gun violence
Minor: Animal cruelty
33vee's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Murder, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Death, Emotional abuse, Animal cruelty, Violence, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
hellokatya's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
as much as the characters annoyed me, and were truly insufferable, the author really knows how to weave a story together and make it addicting.
definitely a strong recommendation for a thrilling binge read.
Spoiler
i most definitely saw through the richard misdirect, but it was nice to even question just a little bit what really was going on.Spoiler
i do wish there had been more done with the aspect of joanne being an unreliable narrator, with her mother’s history of PPD. i think it could’ve been a really good plot device, but it seemed to be put to waste.the story reminded me of the omen or the good son.
in its entirety, it’s very creepy, frustrating, and really puts you on the edge of your seat.
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Death of parent, and Mental illness
Moderate: Pregnancy, Child death, Fatphobia, Gun violence, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Animal cruelty, Blood, Body shaming, and Fire/Fire injury
sharlapeggy's review
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Grief, Vomit, Emotional abuse, Blood, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicide, Suicide attempt, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Confinement, Death, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Murder, Pregnancy, and Violence
greatexpectations77'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
4.75
Graphic: Mental illness, Murder, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Bullying, Death, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Abandonment, Pregnancy, Child death, Alcohol, and Confinement
Minor: Blood, Grief, Gun violence, Infidelity, Misogyny, Stalking, Animal death, and Injury/Injury detail
rachelcotter1'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: Mental illness, Death, Child death, Murder, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Suicide
ellejo3's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
It's a wild ride. Joanne, her husband Richard, and their baby Evie have recently moved to a big house in the English country side. One day, Joanne sees a letter that she worries is from Richard's ex-girlfriend. Only, it's actually from his estranged 20-year-old daughter, Chloe, from his first marriage. Chloe stopped speaking to him two years ago when he married Joanne. She heard that he and Joanne had a baby and wanted to reconcile so she could get to know her new sister. Richard is overjoyed because he's made several attempts to reconcile with her. Joanne wants to make Richard happy and does her best to welcome Chloe.
The visit quickly spirals out of control, though. Chloe repeatedly gaslights Joanne and treats her poorly overall. Each time, Richard immediately sides with Chloe and aggressively tears Joanne down in ways I consider verbal and emotional abuse. He also gets volatile and throws objects. There are one or two times when he does side with Joanne, but for the most part, he aggressively defends Chloe, which Chloe is fully aware of and exploits.
Despite how obvious the gaslighting is, Joanne begins to worry that she's becoming like her own mother, who was hospitalized for paranoia and other mental health related issues when Joanne was a baby. She also really wants to make Richard happy.
The gaslighting here was so heavy-handed and repetitive that I almost DNFed the book because I was annoyed. The last third is where things really started to pick up though. It was twist after twist. I kind of wish it ended two chapters early. That would've been the ending I was hoping for as I read it. I'm still not sure what I think about the last two or three chapters. I am glad that there was more to the story than a stereotypical gaslighting story, though. I also enjoyed the "Rebecca" vibes.
Overall, I recommend it if you enjoy psychological and/or domestic thrillers. There's definitely some dark twists and turns.
I do want to note a content warning that's not obvious from the description. It is a spoiler, though, so be warned.
Spoiler
Richard and his first wife had another baby daughter when Chloe was 10 or 11. She died at three months old. Her death is off page, but you do learn how it happened. Due to how traumatic the death of a child is, I wanted to make sure that I noted this specifically.Graphic: Child death, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Violence, Domestic abuse, and Murder