Reviews tagging 'Police brutality'

The Quarry Girls by Jess Lourey

8 reviews

fishandfriends's review

Very dark and SA heavy

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Murder, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Drug abuse and Police brutality

ekopaskie's review against another edition

challenging 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? No

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Police brutality, Stalking, and Murder

zarakoconnor's review against another edition

dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

4.5

Wow. One of the twistiest thrillers I have ever read. Had an impending sense of dread the entire time. Was sort of predictable but in a way that left me empty and sad because this happens in real life. We know how these stories go because we have seen them on the news. Brilliantly written.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Drug use, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexism, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Police brutality, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Suicide

aligibbs24's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Violence, Police brutality, and Kidnapping

purplenoodlepie's review

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

Unpopular opinion - this wasn't good as I thought it would. I found Heather annoying and trying. Parts of the book were unnecessary and dull. The rehashing of the abuse got tired quickly. It was easy to work out who the bad guys where - not a mystery at all. Disappointing. CHECK TRIGGER WARNINGS BEFORE READING!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Police brutality, Kidnapping, and Murder

Minor: Child abuse, Drug abuse, and Infidelity

emmalizzz's review

emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This was such a fun listen to kick off warmer weather! It’s faced paced and once it starts it does not slow down. I love the dual POV and it leads to a really exciting scene towards the end of the book! The plot twist is a tad predictable, but didn’t make it any less enjoyable. The main character, Heather, and her friends remind me of my friends and I growing up in a small town, and while they can all be dumb and frustrating sometimes, they’re easy to love. The creep factor was definitely upped with the addition of the mining tunnels connecting all of the houses and there are some really disturbing visuals, which of course is what I’m here for. Overall an easy, quick, enticing story that gives you all of the spooky summer small town feels!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, and Police brutality

Moderate: Child abuse, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

morganw33's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Confinement, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Fire/Fire injury

rosesofthespring's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

I'm so happy that this was the book I started the new year with.

Jess Lourey writes with an anger that demands answers. Why are men allowed to act with violence in response to the same injuries that women are expected to swallow and smile through? Why are the hopes, futures, and very lives of girls an acceptable loss in the face of men's desires?

"Does that sound like the kind of guy who would abduct a girl?"

If your answer is no, what would it take to change it to a yes?

I didn't grow up in the 70s, when this book is set, but the echoes of a midwest girlhood resound through the decades. Parties you know you shouldn't go to. Friends pressured and stifled simultaneously, growing up way too fast. Men and boys who think you owe them something. This is an absolute powerhouse of fiction.

If I had one genuine criticism of this story, it would be that everything wraps up a little too cleanly. However, given what Lourey has been through in her life -and what she puts the reader through in her book- maybe that's a catharsis we both deserve.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Vomit, Trafficking, Stalking, and Gaslighting

Here I'll try to expand on cases where the content is explicit, but does not take up that much page space. With regards to pedophilia:

Adult men are revealed to be coercing underage girls into sexual contact. The youngest girl we see on-page is 16, but there's evidence of girls potentially as young as 12 being in the same situation.

With regards to police brutality:

The top cop in the area is essentially trafficking girls. He's found to be using the authority of the badge to trade sexual favors for expunging juvenile offenses. While this isn't "violent" in the sense of a physical attack, it's certainly sexual brutalization.