Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

All the Beautiful Lies by Peter Swanson

7 reviews

dremmavendetta's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

An impressive depiction of a truly traumatic series of grooming relationships. While I found none of the characters likable, I thought the portrait of sexual abuse was unflinching. Incest (even step- relationships) and grooming are far more prevalent in our society than we’d wish and, while I found this book hard to read at times, this attempt to detail the perversions of attachment that are ingrained in these relationships was a feat. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Alcohol

ladybugwrites's review against another edition

dark 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

4.0

I bought this book a few years back because I absolutely loved The Kind Worth Killing and it made me think that Peter Swanson had more to offer and that I'd probably like his other books. And I was right. I really enjoyed this. It fell a little short of The Kind Worth Killing, but the twists and turns in this book was still intriguing and I found it played out rather nicely.

I will say that I kept guessing throughout the book and thats partly one of the reasons I love mysteries, the act of guessing and the fantastic feeling of being right. I did guess some wrongly at the start of the book, but I did figure out some things before and in the end, it made sense anyways and that's always a good thing. 

One of the things I didn't like was the sex scenes, and there should be a warning label for pedophiles. It makes sense within the story, but its enough and big enough of a plot point to make one uncomfortable.

I don't know what else to say. It's well written, it keeps you turning page after page, and it's definitely an indicator that I'm picking up more of Peter Swanson's books. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Pedophilia

sarahna's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body horror, Cancer, Child abuse, Gore, Incest, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, and Murder

bibliophilekiera's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Death, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Murder

ph_read_be's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Sexual assault, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Incest, Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, and Death of parent

Minor: Cancer, Terminal illness, and Vomit

alexandriakay_'s review against another edition

dark mysterious tense 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? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Incest, Toxic relationship, Blood, and Murder

No

helendipietro's review

challenging dark mysterious fast-paced

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

4.0

Got this book in a subscription box (A Box of Stories) and was hooked straight away by the drama, plot, characters, obsessions and revenge throughout. The content at times is disturbing and inappropriate but this is what made it difficult to put down - like when you can’t look away in a horror film. The characters, although not likeable, had backstories that were very intriguing and explain the events that unfold. I also liked how it was written from 2 POV and time frames (then and now) this added to the tension and suspense. Great read!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship