Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

Not a Happy Family by Shari Lapena

10 reviews

bookishchaos's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.25

I don't think this book deserves all the negative reviews it got. Like yes the second half got really slow and not a whole lot happened, but I was still invested all the way up until 75% and then I just skipped to the end to see who the killer was lol. It was exactly who I thought it was but I read a lot of thrillers. It was a nice read for a rainy afternoon. Not too long but not too short. I personally wouldn't recommend this though. It wasn't terrible, it was just alright.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Death of parent, and Blood

Moderate: Stalking, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Minor: Alcoholism, Mental illness, and Terminal illness

emma6544's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Blood

Minor: Domestic abuse, Alcoholism, and Child abuse

bookedbymadeline's review against another edition

dark mysterious relaxing tense fast-paced

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

5.0

This is the 5th book I’ve read from Lapena and I think it’s my new favorite from her! I love Lapena’s books and she’s definitely cemented herself as my one of my favorite thriller writers. 

I was immediately pulled in and I couldn’t put it down, finishing in 3 days! There were jaw dropping plot twists I didn’t see coming. Never guessed what happened, the storytelling was incredibly done making everybody seem guilty.

The characters were complex and well written! The pacing was well done, holding my attention the entire way through. I also thought the ending was perfect, leaving the story somewhat open ended which worked well for this novel. Highly recommend for anyone who loves thrillers and psychological family dramas!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infertility, Blood, Murder, Death of parent, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Alcoholism and Child abuse

Minor: Domestic abuse, Infidelity, and Cancer

ameliabee33's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.0

I haven't read too much of the crime genre, so this was my introduction to it. I thought this book was an easy read, where you follow the mental and physical turmoils of siblings brought up by an abusive rich father after both of their parents are murdered. The reader jumps around from each sibling, cops, cleaning lady, aunt, etc. within chapters. It was an easy plot line to follow, one of the siblings murdered the parents. But who did it? I definitely had different hunches throughout the book, and the ending was satisfying and one that I really didn't expect. I got "You" vibes. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Child abuse and Alcoholism

Minor: Sexual content

bhanson24's review against another edition

mysterious 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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Alcoholism

Minor: Pregnancy

rachelwierick's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Murder, and Stalking

Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, and Terminal illness

colettesjourney's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Blood, Cancer, Bullying, Child abuse, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Infidelity, Violence, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Sexism, Pregnancy, Murder, Misogyny, and Mental illness

Minor: Infertility

starklinqs's review

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

4.0

This was a really cool book! I was definitely kept waiting the entire time, and the end - and epilogue - was super interesting. Like another review said, I think this could have done more with backstories for the siblings. However, it was still really well done and I enjoyed the book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Death of parent

Moderate: Child abuse

Minor: Alcoholism and Stalking

saadiasreads's review

dark tense medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Murder, Violence, and Death

Moderate: Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Infertility, and Stalking

Minor: Domestic abuse and Infidelity

emily842752's review

dark mysterious 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? It's complicated

1.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder, Infertility, and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Stalking, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Alcoholism, Panic attacks/disorders, and Terminal illness