Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

These Silent Woods by Kimi Cunningham Grant

14 reviews

pinqlips's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• 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

5.0

An absolutely beautiful look into the happiness and pain of being a parent. The book dares you to ask, "how far would you really go to protect the ones you love? And are you actually protecting them, or yourself?"

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Kidnapping, Car accident, Death of parent, and War

marielcariker's review against another edition

emotional mysterious tense medium-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

4.25

I’ve read two other books with a very similar plot to this one and I loved the direction this one took the most. It was concise, and I thought the characters were really well fleshed out. The story had its heart in the right place, didn’t go for cheap plot extremities for shock value and also I was weeeeeping at the end

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Mental illness, Violence, Car accident, Murder, and War

Moderate: Animal death

chris_reads's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Panic attacks/disorders, and Grief

Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Violence, Car accident, and War

Minor: Terminal illness and Murder

kerrygetsliterary's review against another edition

mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• 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: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, Blood, Kidnapping, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Infidelity

phantomgecko's review against another edition

medium-paced

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

4.0

Interesting enough. Reminded me of, like, My Side of the Mountain except with a murder-y subplot and war flashbacks.

Unexpectedly religious undertones that really made it more emotional. Like, I definitely didn't expect to cry while reading this book, but a couple tears slipped out.

Cooper's paranoia seemed a little unrealistic in some ways.

For example, they're from an undisclosed place, but they've relocated to a new state, ostensibly hours away from where they were. To think that anyone would recognize them after more than, like, two years is wiiiiiiild. He's not a notorious mass murderer. He kidnapped his own child and was a little rough. That's not a news story that's going to be blowing up tvs nationwide. It's just not.

BUT, the dude's mentally ill, so the unrealistic paranoia might be a feature instead of a bug.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Car accident, Death of parent, and War

stormmorgan's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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

4.25

This is usually marketed as a true crime thriller, but that plays a small role in the larger story about a widowed single father trying to keep his daughter safe. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness

Moderate: Car accident, Death of parent, and Alcohol

elizabethludwig's review against another edition

emotional 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Grief, and War

aformeracceleratedreader's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.5

Went into this thinking it was a traditional thriller (like wrong exit) but it wasn't. An atmospheric kind of mystery? centering a father and daughter, why they are there, the father's PTSD of his war experiences, and a lot of other drama and trauma. I think this read pretty quick, I was heavily invested in the story, but I can see some people not really caring about it. It's a lot of back and forth from the father's present day life and his past life.

I bawled like a baby at the end. Not sure if it's because hormones (period is coming) or because the ending really pulled my heart out that much but the waterworks were in full haha 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Gun violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Gaslighting, and Abandonment

shieldbearer's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad slow-paced

• 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

2.0

The ending literally ruined this book in the worst way possible. I'm giving it two stars because the writer is excellent with pacing, and does an excellent job laying groundwork that pays off later in a way that isn't too conspicuous. Unfortunately, the ending makes it clear that most things I really liked about this book are not intentional on the author's part. Literally just end the book when he leaves to drive into town for the last time and your experience will be a million times better. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Blood, Grief, Car accident, and War

Moderate: Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Infidelity, Terminal illness, and Classism

Minor: Abortion

Cooper should not be parenting Finch. He is very mentally unwell and the fact that the way it ends is framed as a "happy" ending is very disappointing. I spent the entire book thinking the author had done a wonderful job writing Cooper as an unreliable narrator, his opinions and perceptions tainted by both his biases and his trauma. But no, he's 100% correct about everything and the fact that his daughter has to care for him when he has a panic attack is completely fine. The fact that Finch's grandparents think she's dead at the end is 100% acceptable even though the Big Moral Debate is doing that to another set of parents. Cooper needs help and while I was rooting for them, and I really wanted Finch to stay in the woods- she needs a stable parental figure in her life and that is not Cooper.

soobooksalot's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Be warned: book gushing ahead. 
 The story of Cooper and Finch is one that will stay with you.
 I've been looking forward to reading These Silent Woods since it's release.
 Cooper and his eight-year-old daughter Finch live off the grid in a remote cabin in the woods, their supplies brought to them yearly by friend Jake. 
 Cooper is a veteran, having served in Afghanistan, and like so many others he did not come back the same man as when he went.
 Finch and Cooper were once known as Grace Elizabeth and Kenny.
 The story of what brought them to live their unconventional lifestyle is unfolded slowly, carefully. The pacing here is perfection, the plot absolutely enveloping. 
 I could not put this book down, though I craved to savour it.
 Some beautiful characterization here, filled with flaws and goodness alike. Quiet, pure moments are woven among tension and anxiety. 
 Prepare for tears and heartache and heart happy and all of the feels.
 I can't recommend this enough. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, and War