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caitipillar's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Body shaming, Child abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Suicide attempt, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Body shaming, Child abuse, Fatphobia, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Racism, Vomit, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
fkshg8465's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
tourmalinequeen's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
The characters serve the plot not the other way around, and the plot surrounds an abusive relationship. It begins with gaslighting and develops quickly to confinement and psychological abuse. If it weren't for the book club I would not have read it. None of the characters are likeable and backstory gets info dumped in awkward expository segments rather than serving the characters or allowing them to develop. Plot is very fast paced and can be enjoyable at times but the unlikeable characters mean I didn't want anyone to succeed in the narrative, there was no sympathetic character even the ones surviving abuse did not come across as sympathetic. It reads like the author wanted it to be a movie or tv show rather than a book.
Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation
annakinsky's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 out of 5 stars
"I miss Cece when I’m at work. I think about her all the time. I had always fantasized that when I had a baby, I would be able to stay home for at least the first six months. Instead, I just took my two weeks of vacation and went right back to work, even though it still sort of hurt to walk"
"It hit me when I saw those two blue lines that my eternal graduate school lifestyle would never provide for me and my unborn child."
"I kept looking for flaws. Nobody could possibly be as perfect as Andy Winchester"
"I haven’t quite come down from my cloud yet. I can’t believe that I have the financial stability to stay home with my little girl."
"I want to be worthy of this incredible life he’s given me."
I finished reading the book in three days—it would have been sooner if I hadn’t been busy. I absolutely loved how it was written; it was easy to read yet incredibly thrilling. The characters were unpredictable, and I could easily imagine it being made into a film. The story is told from the points of view of Millie and Nina, which really helped me get into their heads and understand their thoughts. The ending was fantastic!
The story follows Millie, who is on parole and just wants to get a job after losing her previous one. Homeless, she lives in her car but is eventually hired by Nina Winchester. After only a few weeks working for the Winchesters, Millie notices that Nina behaves erratically, almost like a complete psycho. (The writing captures this so well—if I were Millie, I would’ve left that job long ago!) But Millie stays because she desperately needs the money. Millie is the housemaid, and although she seems fine on the surface, I started to think she might be a little unhinged too, based on the way she thinks and talks to herself. There are also rumors that Nina had been in a psychiatric hospital after trying to kill her own daughter.
As time goes on, Millie grows more resentful and angry at Nina for her mistreatment, but she also gets closer to Nina's husband, Andrew Winchester, who helps her whenever she's in trouble. One day, while Nina is away, Millie and Andrew go to the opera together and later visit a hotel that was originally booked for the couple.
But here's the twist: Nina had planned everything. She was trying to escape the real monster—her husband, Andrew. Enzo, the gardener, was the only one who knew this secret and had helped Nina attempt to escape before. When Andrew finally tells Nina to leave, she’s thrilled. However, Millie ends up locked in the attic—just like Nina had been before.
Nina chose Millie with a specific purpose in mind: to kill Andrew. She knew about Millie’s troubled past, including how she went to jail for defending her friend. Nina subtly helped Millie by placing pepper spray and a spare key in the attic. Andrew is eventually locked up, and the twist is that Millie, in her own unhinged way, exacts her revenge by doing to Andrew what he had done to her—inflicting punishment. Andrew dies of dehydration, but not before Millie forces him to pull out his own teeth with pliers. It’s darkly humorous. When Nina returns to the house to save Millie, she discovers Andrew is already dead. She helps cover up the crime, with help from a coroner who happens to be Andrew's ex-wife’s father.
At the funeral, Evelyn, Andrew’s mother, reveals she knew about the teeth-pulling and that she had punished Andrew similarly when he was a child—another crazy twist.
In the end, Millie gets away with everything and maintains her connection with both Nina and Enzo. Nina even refers Millie to her friends—other women who are apparently abused by their husbands. The end.
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
kaitlynokeefe's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Fatphobia, Infidelity, and Gaslighting
Minor: Infertility, Sexual assault, and Deportation
lemonsneverlie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Torture, Forced institutionalization, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Physical abuse, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Infertility, Infidelity, Misogyny, Rape, and Death of parent
kshertz's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Minor: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
holly167's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Misogyny and Torture
_pauline's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
I read this in one sitting and absolutely loved the first half, thought I‘d give it 5 stars
I definitely get the hype and would recommend this if you don’t mind the content warnings. the plot twists are great. not sure I‘ll read the sequels any time soon but I‘ll definitely check out her other books
Graphic: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Drug abuse, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Rape, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Minor: Sexual content, Vomit, and Death of parent
sydlexi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis