theportalmaster's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Death, Violence, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, and Physical abuse
emilyeleanor's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Death
sophieamreacher's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Violence, Drug use, Death, and Abandonment
jamiejanae_6's review against another edition
- 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
3.25
Moderate: Blood, Grief, Murder, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Domestic abuse, and Fire/Fire injury
aplantoread's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
3.5
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Physical abuse, Addiction, Blood, Bullying, Drug abuse, Murder, and Domestic abuse
claire_reardon's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Moderate: Drug use, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Death
caitlin_davis22'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? No
4.0
Moderate: Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Death, Child death, Car accident, Domestic abuse, and Drug use
tezariah's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Cancer, Car accident, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Grief, Infidelity, Murder, Physical abuse, Stalking, Toxic relationship, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, and Drug use
brenna2themax's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
I really enjoyed this book. Good twists, I liked the characters (especially Liz and Kelly). I really love reading thrillers, but I hate it when they have gratuitous sexual violence from the male.perspective. graphic, dehumanizing, used as a cheap tool to excite the reader. No thanks. As a woman and a Survivor, I just don't want to read that shit. But I do enjoy reading stories about domestic violence and male violence toward women from a woman's perspective. Not dwelling on the gory, graphic details because we get it, most of us have (or still are) loved through it somehow.
Julie Clark walks this line well, explaining the danger, but also understanding that the reader isn't an idiot and likely has their own trauma and has some knowledge on the subject.
Some of what I say next gives away some general themes in the book.
-----‐-------
-------------
-------------
More specific trigger warning, because I don't want to give to much away but want you to be prepared: domestic violence situation in which we read about a husband working up to an explosion (walking on eggshells stage), but
Spoiler
doesn't physically strike her.Spoiler
There is discussion of a man killing a female partner, but again, we don't read through the scene or get any concrete details.While the book does explore women's experience of violence from men, and not just from male partners, from male
Spoiler
cops/Agents, boyfriends, friends, spouses, fathers, coworkers, and powerful men in male run institutions,I love these kinds of thrillers and really wish they had their own genre, because I am fucking sick to death of the thrillers that dehumanize women, graphically describe violence women endure, and then feed us some bullshit story about how we just have to find the "right" man to help us out. Fuck that noise. I want a realistic thriller from a woman's perspective. This is one of those books.
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexism, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Addiction, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Grief, Stalking, Drug use, Confinement, and Physical abuse
Minor: Car accident, Death, Bullying, Child death, Outing, and Murder
lomesia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Abandonment, Death, Domestic abuse, and Toxic relationship