Reviews tagging 'Violence'

That Weekend by Kara Thomas

15 reviews

taliatalksbooks's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.5

That Weekend by Kara Thomas was an enjoyable and fast paced thriller. I really loved the way the story developed, even though there was a good amount of fluff. I think there was a good amount of angst that lead to the progress of the story, and I felt like these characters could have been more mature. There were some actions that didn’t have many consequences, and I think some of the plot points were a BIT questionable. Though a little bit of this story was uncomfy, I did enjoy it overall. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, and Violence

Minor: Incest

misasue03's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

_chelseachelsea's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• 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? It's complicated

4.0

Something I really like about Kara Thomas is her skill for pacing. Many thrillers unfold too slowly - dragging out the mystery until the last possible second, then rushing through the explanation like a Bond villain - or too quickly, in a way that feels unrealistic and overly convenient. This was my second Thomas novel (the first being The Cheerleaders) and I continue to be impressed by the way she manages to balance tension with realism. That Weekend feels like a play, with a first act that lays out just enough information to draw you in, a second act that unravels with impeccable timing, and a finale that delivers satisfying answers. While the mystery isn’t necessarily jaw-droppingly clever or unique, I don’t think that’s a weakness. In fact, I‘m finding more and more as I read thriller after thriller that a believable story is infinitely harder to pull off than a ridiculous one.

For most of the book, I had a 4.25-4.5 star rating in mind. I loved the narrator, Claire, who we follow as she struggles to recall the events that led her to be found bloody and concussed on a mountain she doesn’t remember stepping foot on. Claire is smart, but stubborn. She is petty, but she cares. She feels like a real teenager, on the cusp of adulthood and unsure of who she wants to be. When her life is toppled by trauma her response to it feels true, not contrived, and when she starts digging for answers it’s not because she’s a scrappy hometown hero with a sudden burst of detective skills - it’s because she cannot move forward from her own grief without the answers she thinks will resolve it. Again, Thomas demonstrates a real understanding of loss.

The one complaint I have, which ultimately caused me to drop my rating to a 4.0, is that while the finale does give a satisfying resolution to the story - without tying it up too neatly in a way that feels cheap - there are a few “bonus” twists that I felt warranted more attention. One of my biggest pet peeves in a thriller or mystery is when a plot point feels rushed or thrown in at the last minute. By the time these shockers are dropped on us, the pages are drawing to a close. There’s no time to explore the meaning or impact of them. I found it frustrating that by the time we were really getting to learn more about these other characters, our time with them was over.

Outside of that peeve, That Weekend is an excellent novel about guilt, grief, and the burden of secrets - even the ones we must keep to protect ourselves.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Incest, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Trafficking, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Classism

pollyhall's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

nicoleherz's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

Family secrets, muddled memory mystery, how far would you go to escape?

Practically read it in one sitting, a really gripping story. I liked the writing and how the author gave the characters a lot of depth and unseen facets to their personalities and relationships.
Some twists were a little predictable but some of them were a total surprise!! Loved that

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Grief, and Murder

Moderate: Alcoholism, Confinement, Cursing, Drug use, Gun violence, Incest, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Car accident, Death of parent, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Cancer, Racism, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Medical content, and Classism

joisaddler's review

emotional sad fast-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Violence, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

jillkaarlela's review

dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

• 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

3.25

Check the trigger warnings! I wouldn’t say that this was kind-blowing, but it wasn’t bad. There was a slightly shocking twist that was interesting. It didn’t take me long to finish. It wasn’t bad, but it’s definitely not my favorite. I liked Thomas’s other book, “The Cheerleaders” better. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse

Moderate: Cursing, Sexual content, and Violence

Minor: Incest

I would say maybe 14-15+

odrib's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Blood, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Confinement, Incest, Violence, Medical content, Kidnapping, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Cancer, Gun violence, Terminal illness, and Alcohol

maple_dove's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, and Alcohol

Moderate: Death and Death of parent

Minor: Sexual content

betweentheshelves's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

• 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

4.0

Plot twists on plot twists! Some of them were predictable, others were not. I definitely couldn't stop listening in the second half, there. I needed to know what was going to happen! Kara Thomas is definitely one of my favorite thriller authors, and this book just shows why.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Alcoholism, Incest, and Violence

Minor: Cancer, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts