Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall

47 reviews

foldingthepage_kayleigh's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious medium-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

4.5

I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about this one at first because it just reminded me so much of Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera that I read this summer that I couldn’t feel invested. But by the midway point I was hooked and all of the ridiculous small town drama sunk its claws into me. I had guessed a bunch of the major reveals but that didn’t hinder me from enjoying bingeing this fast-paced thriller. My only complaint is that I wish there had actually been podcast elements in this book, considering that one of the main characters is a podcaster! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Infidelity

heather_harrison's review against another edition

mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.75

Mystery thriller centred on returning home 20-something years after the fact. Plenty of decent tropes. Mixed bag of plot twists. Pacing was better from the second half of the book but overall fun read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Toxic relationship, Violence, Stalking, Murder, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Alcoholism, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, and Sexual harassment

kshertz's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

Oooh this was a good mystery! I didn’t see anything coming even though I definitely should have. To be fair, the narrator is super unreliable. Unfortunately for me the character I most relate to ends up being so evil. Nothing is as it seems. You can’t stop and have to stay up late to see how it ends. This small town and the woods are a lot more complex than they seem! Would have been 5 stars but the romance is closed door which made me very mad 😬

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

lisettemarie's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

heini's review against another edition

dark sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Blood, Suicide attempt, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Eating disorder, Infidelity, Pedophilia, and Stalking

bookedandbusy's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

This was an incredible thriller. I absolutely loved it. It was twisty and kept me guessing until the end! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Mental illness, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Blood, Suicide attempt, Murder, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

amalauna's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Violence, Suicide attempt, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

greatexpectations77's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Dude shut uppp what the ffff this is so good. I was so stressed out by the end of it that I was pacing around the room. And then I had to sketch the whole plot out for my partner because I had to tell someone all of the great twists and turns. I can't wait to read more by Ms. Marshall. What a super freaking fun time.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, Toxic relationship, Grief, Murder, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Gun violence, Blood, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Suicide, Police brutality, and Death of parent

nicolle12423's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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

Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, and Toxic friendship

bbayless96's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

“That’s the thing about trust, isn’t it?” Ethan says. “You gather all the evidence you can, use your brain, weigh character and past actions. But the final inch of it— that’s faith. Trust means believing in someone. It’s not just a conclusion. It’s a choice.” 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body horror, Death, Mental illness, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Pedophilia, Self harm, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, and Toxic friendship