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madreadings's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
adrianne is a very frustrating narrator. i am aware that is probably the point, but reading over and over again about how her precious boy wasn’t that bad because “all he did was touch them” is disgusting. the twist at the end with the father felt lazily thrown in as a shock factor. i found a similar problem with the other lucinda berry book i’ve read, when she returns, where it feels like she doesn’t know how to end the book so she comes up with a twist.
overall not a fun experience.
overall not a fun experience.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Forced institutionalization, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Bullying and Rape
kamrynkoble's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-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
3.5
This is a really thought-provoking, sad book. I could discuss the ethics presented here for hours, honestly, and I commend the author for tackling such an awful topic. It made me think and challenged some of my saw understanding of the world.
The actual writing style felt a little flat to me, and I don’t think the audiobook narrator helped. The mother really grated at me and we spent so much time in her narration. It’s interesting—but I could’ve had a little more “truth” grounding her. Her continual minimization was exhausting, even though I can’t imagine being in her shoes.
I saw the “twist” coming, and was honestly afraid for it to get a step worse because of other breadcrumbs the author left.
Cannot put enough emphasis on this—if you are a victim of CSA or you love someone who is, proceed with caution.
The actual writing style felt a little flat to me, and I don’t think the audiobook narrator helped. The mother really grated at me and we spent so much time in her narration. It’s interesting—but I could’ve had a little more “truth” grounding her. Her continual minimization was exhausting, even though I can’t imagine being in her shoes.
I saw the “twist” coming, and was honestly afraid for it to get a step worse because of other breadcrumbs the author left.
Cannot put enough emphasis on this—if you are a victim of CSA or you love someone who is, proceed with caution.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Child abuse and Forced institutionalization
cbressler80's review against another edition
dark
sad
fast-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
4.0
I mean wow…. I started this book feeling one way and ended it feeling another way. It’s a hard read especially if you are a mom. But it truly answers the question of how far a person would go for TRUE love. That twist at the end.? Never saw that coming.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Incest, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail
sweetiepie621's review against another edition
reflective
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
4.5
This book was stunning. It warps your feelings in some twists and turns. I loved this book and from page 50 on I was glued. The only criticism I have is in the beginning I was finding the main narration annoying and almost "please pity me" sort of tone.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Suicide attempt, and Sexual harassment
rebeccakoury's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This book is extremely complicated and I don't know how to feel. Check your trigger warnings before even opening this book up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Hate crime, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail
corywbowers's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Gore, Incest, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
lovelydeadgirl's review against another edition
dark
sad
slow-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
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, and Suicide attempt
madds_libb's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, and Violence
Moderate: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail
aflowers93's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book really just kind of left me sad. It is definitely a dark subject, so beware before starting. The little twist at the end had me throw for a loop. Definitely worth the read!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Pedophilia, and Forced institutionalization
minimicropup's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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
3.5
Atmosphere: 👍
-set primarily by conversational dialogue and internal thoughts; this is done well without ever being over the top, coming across as forced for plot convenience, or as "cheesy"
-has "the-“ syndrome for setting environment ("the living room", "the table", "the bedroom"). In almost any other book I'd be annoyed with it, but it works here. The material is so dark there's no way I would want to spend time reading about the sounds, smells, and colours of their surroundings with such challenging events unfolding
-you can imagine suburban housing in a fairly small town with a temperate climate; the author won't suddenly destroy it!
Main POVs: 👍
-a married Catholic parent of two who unconditionally loves their kids, but is bordering on denial/justification sometimes. We are following this parent's reflections on the past and experiences when their adolescent son admits to molesting young girls, completes a treatment program in an institutionalized setting, and is faced with re-integration during his senior year of high school.
-an adolescent in a treatment/rehabilitation centre for young males who have committed sex crimes
Growls and Howls: 🐺
-I wish this started off with a short intro showing us the family dynamics BEFORE the events. Like starting with the family happy together at the amusement park, then jumping to the timeline written. Since I was being told the past mainly through the one parent’s POV, it made it harder for me to imagine a time when Noah was popular and likeable and close with his family.
-I got yanked out of the book a bit when they went to a public place with children everywhere and Noah’s parents, who previously were sketched out if he was so much as left alone with his younger sister were, like, totally cool with it. It seemed like the elephant in the room and out of character.
-I don’t know what the current stance is within the fields of psychology and medicine re: pedophilia, so I can’t comment on the accuracy of what is said or done within this book. I’m not particularly wanting to look any of this up myself, so I’m going to guess it’s controversial but mostly a conundrum (no real cure etc). I would have liked if there was a bit at the end of the book informing the average reader of evidence for whether or not true pedophilia exists and treatment outlooks IRL.
Show'n'Tell: 🥺
Mostly tell, but shows where it counts. Uh, no crayons for this one folks, class is cancelled.
Reading Journey: 🥴
You have a truck so you agree to an afternoon helping someone move and quickly realize it's a whole sad thing. If you complete the task, you are def skipping the beer and pizza to get outta there asap.
Good match if you like:
-dark but thought-provoking nature-vs-nurture tropes
-one twist at the end (I didn't see it coming) that makes you want to re-read some parts
-short, to the point, hard-hitting drama
-family and parenting struggles
-social issues commentary
Vibes: 🫢😢😮💨
Format: Kindle Unlimited
-set primarily by conversational dialogue and internal thoughts; this is done well without ever being over the top, coming across as forced for plot convenience, or as "cheesy"
-has "the-“ syndrome for setting environment ("the living room", "the table", "the bedroom"). In almost any other book I'd be annoyed with it, but it works here. The material is so dark there's no way I would want to spend time reading about the sounds, smells, and colours of their surroundings with such challenging events unfolding
-you can imagine suburban housing in a fairly small town with a temperate climate; the author won't suddenly destroy it!
Main POVs: 👍
-a married Catholic parent of two who unconditionally loves their kids, but is bordering on denial/justification sometimes. We are following this parent's reflections on the past and experiences when their adolescent son admits to molesting young girls, completes a treatment program in an institutionalized setting, and is faced with re-integration during his senior year of high school.
-an adolescent in a treatment/rehabilitation centre for young males who have committed sex crimes
Growls and Howls: 🐺
-I wish this started off with a short intro showing us the family dynamics BEFORE the events. Like starting with the family happy together at the amusement park, then jumping to the timeline written. Since I was being told the past mainly through the one parent’s POV, it made it harder for me to imagine a time when Noah was popular and likeable and close with his family.
-I got yanked out of the book a bit when they went to a public place with children everywhere and Noah’s parents, who previously were sketched out if he was so much as left alone with his younger sister were, like, totally cool with it. It seemed like the elephant in the room and out of character.
-I don’t know what the current stance is within the fields of psychology and medicine re: pedophilia, so I can’t comment on the accuracy of what is said or done within this book. I’m not particularly wanting to look any of this up myself, so I’m going to guess it’s controversial but mostly a conundrum (no real cure etc). I would have liked if there was a bit at the end of the book informing the average reader of evidence for whether or not true pedophilia exists and treatment outlooks IRL.
Show'n'Tell: 🥺
Mostly tell, but shows where it counts. Uh, no crayons for this one folks, class is cancelled.
Reading Journey: 🥴
You have a truck so you agree to an afternoon helping someone move and quickly realize it's a whole sad thing. If you complete the task, you are def skipping the beer and pizza to get outta there asap.
Good match if you like:
-dark but thought-provoking nature-vs-nurture tropes
-one twist at the end (I didn't see it coming) that makes you want to re-read some parts
-short, to the point, hard-hitting drama
-family and parenting struggles
-social issues commentary
Vibes: 🫢😢😮💨
Format: Kindle Unlimited
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Death, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Pedophilia, Rape, Forced institutionalization, and Vomit
Minor: Incest
I don't think this book is automatically a nope for anyone who has survived someone (or has a family member) like Noah; I think for some it may offer some healing, perspective, and understanding, but could also be very derailing, rage-inducing, and come across as too sympathetic to the abuser. Here are some considerations with mild spoilers if you'd like to know first: How main incidents are described