Reviews tagging 'Gore'

Not a Happy Family by Shari Lapena

6 reviews

faerietale_princess's review against another edition

Go to review page

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

4.5

Couldn’t put this one down— finished in a day. I was always eager to know more about whatever secret the author teased.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

kyrstin_p1989's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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

This murder mystery is fast paced and interesting. It’s easy to read and the author makes you change your mind about who the killer is repeatedly. Deep down I knew who it was from about the middle of the book but the story telling was engaging enough to keep me second guessing.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

writtenbydnicole's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious sad tense fast-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

4.0

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

meredith_williams_'s review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious tense medium-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? Yes

3.5

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

jholt2899's review against another edition

Go to review page

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

4.5

[TL;DR]
The Mertons are the perfect family; rich, beautiful, and successful. Or at least that's what they seem like. When both their parents are found dead in a murder robbery, the Merton children stand to inherit millions. Catherine, Dan, and Jenna are all suspects, and there is no clear answer as to who did it.

I'm going to need more mysteries like this that spin true crime. I adore this genre and coupled with the family drama, Not a Happy Family is deliciously juicy. The character drive here is what keeps the storyline interesting. I think it's really fun to have an unreliable narrator, and the third person point of view shielded the reader from the characters' inner thoughts which created a more complex narrative.

I only wish that the plotline regarding Rose had turned out to be more dramatic considering how chaotic this family was. Perhaps a crazy meltdown of a fight would have sealed the deal for me. Otherwise, this was wildly entertaining and the ending was perfection, tying the bow on the whole story.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars
TW/CW: blood, murder, family drama, explicitly detailed scenes, gore
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

amandalorianxo's review

Go to review page

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

3.25

So this was is the first novel of Shari Lapena’s that I’ve read and for the most part it was eyebrow raising (but in a good way.) Just when I definitely thought one character commuted the crime, there was more evidence brought to light about someone else. It definitely a classic who did it? twists and turns thriller. It was a fast read with short chapters and easy vocab. I do wish though the person who did commit the crime was actually caught / arrested but we can’t predict them all. 😅
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
More...