Reviews tagging 'Addiction'

Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter

396 reviews

mustafai's review against another edition

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

4.5

 

I believe if you really do want to understand this book better you must read its prequel short story called ‘Blonde Hair, Blue Eyes’. 

I have never read a more disturbing book in my life. I have never read such cruelty and inhumane things done to another human being, though i have read a lot of Patricia Cornwell forensic thrillers and James Patterson books before this. 

 

So here it goes... 

24 years ago Sam Caroll’s oldest daughter Julia, 19 years old, blonde hair, blue eyes goes missing. A happy family becomes devastated and loses all peace. Sam’s middle daughter Lydia takes up drugs, wife remarries and younger daughter Claire goes in a shell avoiding any limelight or attention. An incident involving Claire’s boyfriend creates a huge rift between the sisters. 

Present: Claire’s husband gets murdered in front of her eyes in an alley when they are making out. Claire discovers something on her husband’s computer which makes her want to get some answers from her estranged and only surviving sister, Lydia. There is definitely some connection between her eldest sister Julia’s who’s missing and her murdered husband but what is it? 

 

The horror of human is a reality. What’s mentioned in this book has actually occurred worldwide because unfortunately there are takers for it. There is unbearable sickness in people but reading about it can make you throw up as well. 

Pretty Girls is graphic in violence but is also very very high on emotion. I have never shed a tear reading fiction and i am reading it since 30 years. The scene where one of the victim’s sister comforts the other made me cry. 

I don’t think I will be able to forget this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Stalking, and Murder

Moderate: Sexual content, Vomit, and Abandonment

alex_bousquet's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Murder, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Addiction, Body shaming, Cursing, and Drug use

_kelcii's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Gun violence, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

igroswell's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

So, to me, this was everything I want in a thriller. Never knew where it was going, plot twist after plot twist that I couldn’t predict. Absolutely fabulous writing. I loved the way the author described things, it really helped you picture what was going on. There are heavy themes in this book, and some of it very graphic. I definitely recommend reading the content warnings before starting it, but if you are okay with the content and love mysteries/thrillers, you’ll love this. It also presents strong female characters which I always love to see. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Alcohol

Minor: Vomit and Dementia

briknecht's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

3.25

My first KS book so I’m not sure if this is just her style but this was insane. It felt a bit long, and I could have done without some of the torture descriptions. 

The story definitely hooked me but the constant reminders of the beautiful Claire/Julia vs “fat” Lydia got annoying really quickly. I didn’t love that we never got an explanation for

the murderer other than he’s a psychopath. So many other things got over explained but this one was just brushed right over?

 

I hear great things about KS so I’ll give her another try in a few months. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction and Fatphobia

emsxrenee's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Stalking, Murder, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Confinement, and Alcohol

cayleeguy's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Addiction, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol

luna_adamx's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Rape, Sexual violence, and Torture

Minor: Addiction

ketsy95's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

marisabenn's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

5.0

I typically don't like thrillers because I can guess everything right away. This one did a great job at revealing the killer right away, but growing the story and expanding the mystery. The last chapter felt a little bit rushed, but that's okay for a tense and thick story before. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Blood, Kidnapping, Stalking, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail