Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey

130 reviews

eri_cat93's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective tense medium-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

3.75

Just Like Home is a gripping, eerie book that kept me wondering what the hell was happening straight through the end. 

After a traumatic childhood (putting it mildly) that left her estranged from her mother, now adult Vera is summoned home to get the house in order during her mother's final days. The story starts off slow and creepy, revealing bits and pieces of Vera's dark childhood and happenings she still doesn't quite understand as an adult. Between confronting her memories of this home and dealing with the artist her mother allowed in to "gain inspiration" from the terrors of this house, girl has a lot going on. She has to confront the house, her unloving mother, and the fact that she might be more like her long gone, loving father than she'd like to admit.

The back half of this book is scary and unexpected and gross and messed up all in the best ways. I will admit though, I'm torn between the ending being surprising & sufficiently creepy, or just a little cheesy with some spooky sprinkled on top.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Murder

Minor: Domestic abuse

flamingogf's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

4.25

i had trouble sleeping after reading this book. it was unbelievably creepy at times, the sensory details exceptionally written. i was able to describe and picture in my head exactly what was going on. i thought it was very effective to write the main character in the way that she was written. she had no real discernable opinion about her father as an adult, and as a child we slowly get to unravel a story of how she became who she was and what was done to her. i was gasping and so saddened by her childhood, mainly because it was also very effectively inserted into the present day timeline. i also highly recommend the audiobook!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Child abuse, Gore, and Violence

whatkatyread87's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

m_moon's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, and Murder

haileyhardcover's review against another edition

dark tense 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

2.0

After learning that her estranged mother is dying, Vera returns to her childhood home. The house where her serial killer father murdered his victims and buried the bodies. The house that still has more secrets buried inside.

Um, hello? Hell of a hook, right?! I really expected to be obsessed with this book. Sadly, no. It wasn’t BAD… but it wasn’t great either. 

I think something that some horror writers forget is that things need to make a certain degree of sense. You can write a story with supernatural elements and still employ logic. It’s that element of logic - that bit of sense gnawing at you, making you wonder if maybe, just maybe, this could really happen - that’s what makes a story really scary. Understanding your characters - their fears, their motivations - and making their choices align with those things is crucial to crafting a story that makes sense and has the power to really chill your reader. 

The writing isn’t anything spectacular (there were multiple inconsistencies with the characters and the plot), but Gailey does do a good job of getting your heart pumping here and there. In those moments, she uses short sentences, building the tension, driving your eyes forward - but it’s too often a build up to nothing, or something that just doesn’t make sense and then never does make sense. The reveal, if you can call it that, manages to tie up a few of the loose ends, but more so makes it abundantly clear that Gailey did not know her own characters well enough and she ends up relying too heavily on trying to make things creepy and gory. 

I think this book could’ve been really great if the supernatural elements were left out entirely; or, at the very least, more care was taken in the development of it and more effort put into the character development. As it is, it’s just meh.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: Body horror, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Vomit, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cancer, Chronic illness, Cursing, Physical abuse, and Grief

orlagal's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and Abandonment

written_in_mold's review against another edition

mysterious tense medium-paced

• 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? It's complicated

4.75

Amazing. Couldn't put it down. Got it from my library on a whim and I'm so glad I did. If you love gothic horror, haunted houses, feminine rage, and complicated family dynamics you'll love this. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Stalking, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

eleonorehilbig's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

I picked up this book blindly because i read and absolutely LOVED the echo wive! like to a point i still can't stop talking about how freaking good that book is. 

and i don't know what to do with this one. 
it was engaging enough and i enjoy their writing style. 
but what did i read? what's the point of the book? if i understood this i believe i would rate it a lot higher - at this point i am just confused - and so i will just rate it as average. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, and Murder

ixris's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• 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

5.0

Technically a Gothic, the splatter is not super intense. Gailey's writing is phenomenal. If you're in the mood for creeps and willies this is a great read! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, and Blood

I love the house. Best monster. Must protect.

skye_era_books's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-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? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail