Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

The Girl Before by JP Delaney

19 reviews

khanyisile13's review against another edition

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

4.75

This was so nearly a five star book! So close! The writing is insanely clever, for one person to think up this story? Insanity. I don’t know what I expected going into it, but certainly not this. The story is really good at manipulating even the reader’s feelings. I was gobsmacked to find out the main twist. The dual timeline worked really well in the story’s favour, and I think the characters were believable.
I even think Emma’s dedication to victimhood is believable, even though it was the biggest plot twist that scrambled my brain for a good hour or so. It made me realize that it’s entirely possible for people to think this way, because they do. And often white women, like Emma, get away with it. Because it’s all just a game to them. Manipulation is a game they’re so good at winning. 

The reason it doesn’t get a five stars is because of its depictions of Black people. There are only two obviously Black people in this story, and they’re both stereotypes of what white people have typically expected from Black people. And I think that’s a shame. Then the second reason is that I understand that thrillers have a history of
pinning things on mental health disorders, and driving a fear of people experiencing mental illness, and I think that’s problematic.
I think it would be fine and dandy to just explain that these are terrible people. Because they are. Delaney didn’t have to add that aspect into it, or he could have found a way to add it in while still being cautious of what the reader will take away. He’s a talented writer and if he could think up THOSE twists,
he could easily find a way to make sure that the reader doesn’t find people with mental health disorders inherently dangerous.


Overall, a really excellently told twisty story. I read it in a weekend, which is insane because I’m a slow reader. 

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peachie_pie's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Keeps you guessing until the very end!! I really enjoyed this book, although I didn’t love the first few chapters finding them a little clunky the book really came into itself and I found the structure very clever as well as the plot development. Some great twists and turns! 

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lzjolo's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced

3.0


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lillyrose97's review against another edition

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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? Yes

3.0


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simkei's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense fast-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

3.0


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funofme's review against another edition

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medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Loveable characters? No

3.0

it was fine… i felt like the author overthought everything and now i’m left confused. 

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latham9's review against another edition

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dark 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

3.0


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kylieqrada's review against another edition

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dark emotional 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

3.0

Do not get it twisted - this is a very well-written and spooky thriller. However, SA and narcisstic/abusive relationship themes are triggering for me. So my overall enjoyment was inhibited by that. I would definitely read more by this author. 

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_mack_jack_'s review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

it was out best by another review i saw: yet another book choosing to subvert expectations with a nonsensical twist instead of giving the plot and characters the follow-through they earned. this book was a page-turner but ultimately lackluster.

what i wanted from the book initially was to be shocked and to have my expectations subverted. as i learned more about the characters, i wanted to see the natural conclusion come about. i think the author focused on shock value over realism when coming up with plot points. the complexities of the characters, specifically the men, are unexplored to their fullest because the author takes them off course at random. the women are flawed and emotional humans, which is always good to see, but emma specifically is written to be almost a villain as the book progresses. at first it was a captivating twist, but again the path it took broke my suspension of disbelief. 

did i enjoy reading it? yes. would i recommend it? no.

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chaoschali's review against another edition

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dark emotional 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

4.0


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