Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

The Lying Game by Ruth Ware

6 reviews

mlbreton's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

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

3.75

I really did like this book overall. It was a fun read and I kept trying to guess the outcome and kept getting it wrong! 

I did have some issues with the book, but mostly with the characters and what the author was trying to make us feel about them. For example,

Spoiler

I found Isa awful. I thought it was so cruel of her the way she treated her husband and being so offended that he thought he was cheating, but she was being so distant and not communicating with him AT ALL so I think it's natural his head went where it did! And we're we supposed to LIKE Ambrose, the father/artist that drew his daughter and teenage friends NAKED?! I don't care how much the main girls said it "wasn't like that", it's creepy as hell and SO inappropriate. Lastly, with Kate and Luc, we're we supposed to be rooting for them at the end? Or find it romantic that she wanted to sacrifice her life and freedom for her brother she was SEXUALLY INVOLVED WITH?!? I did not get that at all and couldn't get past that weird family dynamic to find any of them likeable.

Overall, the book kept me engaged but I did find it disappointing that it ended on

Spoiler

another lie

instead of having the characters grow from that

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Content Warnings

Minor: Eating disorder, Infidelity, Murder, Self harm, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, and Incest

sylvestra's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Death of parent, Suicide, Alcoholism, and Drug abuse

Moderate: Incest, Toxic friendship, and Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Infidelity, Fire/Fire injury, and Eating disorder

singalana's review against another edition

mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

2.75

Tässä kirjassa on paljon hyviä aineksia: sisäoppilaitos ja meren rannalla sijaitseva vanha talo, joka on hiljalleen uppoamassa mereen. Tarina kertoo neljästä naisesta, joilla on yhteinen salaisuus. 

Päähenkilö Isa on tuore äiti, joka saa tekstiviestin ystävältään Katelta, ja pian neljä ystävystä ovat jälleen koossa, koska heidän salaisuutensa on tulossa päivänvaloon. Valitettavasti Isan persoonallisuus pyörii täysin äitiyden ympärillä, eikä hahmossa ole tarttumapintaa. Isan hössötys vauvan ympärillä vie huomiota pois muulta tarinalta, eikä vauvan mukanaolo tuo tarinalle mitään lisäarvoa. Jos imettämisestä lukeminen ei kiinnosta, päähenkilön seuraaminen voi olla hieman raskasta. Lisäksi Isan ja hänen miehensä välillä on turhaa jännitettä, koska pariskunta ei kommunikoi keskenään. 

Tarinassa on kaksi aikajanaa, ja pikkuhiljaa alkaa paljastua mitä tapahtui tyttöjen ollessa sisäoppilaitoksessa. Kirjan ensimmäiset 300 sivua ovat hieman tylsät, ja viimeiset 20 sivua on tungettu täyteen toimintaa. Lisäksi kun mysteeri paljastuu, naisten reaktiot sen paljastumiseen tuntuu ylimitoitetulta. Valitettavasti juonessa käytetään paljon väärinkäsityksiä, ja lopussa on vielä dramaattinen "tuplatwisti", jotka tämän kirjan kohdalla tuntuvat vähän laiskoilta ratkaisuilta. Lisäksi kirjan nimikin viittaa valhepeliin, mutta pelillä ei loppujen lopuksi ole mitään merkitystä juonen kannalta.

Tämä ei ole huonoin Ruth Waren kirja jonka olen lukenut, mutta ei kyllä paraskaan. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Incest, Bullying, Cancer, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Addiction, Alcohol, Infidelity, Murder, Animal death, Blood, Death of parent, and Sexual content

alidathealien's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

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

4.25

I'm not sure what I was expecting from this book, but I don't think it was that. I wish we got more scenes of the girls in their school days, it would have made them all more sympathetic and would have made the twist more surprising. Especially Luc I wish we'd seen more of outside of his adult self and outside of Isa's rose colored memories of him. 

I loved the setting and I think the author did a really good job of making it seem warm and beautiful in the past, but grey and cold in the present. 

Iss dragging her baby up and down the coastline STRESSED me out!!! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Drug abuse, and Suicide

Moderate: Infidelity

vaguely_pink's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Death of parent, Infidelity, Drug abuse, Grief, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Medical content, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Gaslighting, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Incest, Pedophilia, Self harm, and Stalking

Minor: Cancer, Islamophobia, Animal death, Adult/minor relationship, Misogyny, and Bullying

hannahet's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Death of parent, Drug use, and Suicide

Moderate: Animal death, Grief, Murder, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Body shaming, Chronic illness, Eating disorder, and Infidelity