lottiebrooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
-0.5 stars because the flashback case was SO similar to
Spoiler
JonBenet Ramsey’s story that it took a lot of the suspense out of it for me. I was left underwhelmed by the story playing out the same way as all the conspiracy theories about her case. That said, you can tell the author knows about realistic outcomes in this arena.-1 Because, like everyone else, the ending took away from an otherwise powerful ending.
Spoiler
To be in the corner of a character the whole time, and be excited that they “won”, just to not know if they died at the end/if their uncle with dementia is now alone is so weird to me. 4 more pages and I would have considered a 5 on this book.Graphic: Pedophilia, Child death, Murder, and Dementia
Moderate: Gun violence
Minor: Drug abuse and Animal cruelty
lwelch94's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Pedophilia, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Infertility, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse
amberlfaris'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
3.0
Graphic: Child death and Dementia
Moderate: Sexual violence and Suicide
Minor: Drug abuse
tiffanysmith's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
I’ll admit, it was challenging finding a grip on this story. I felt a lack of immersion and the characters fell a bit flat for me. It definitely had some great potential, but was a little more predictable than I would have liked. Some of the plot’s twists came out of nowhere with a lack of build up to them. Also, the ending just…ended. Abruptly.
I did like the dynamics of the story, and the idea that nobody is who you think they were. Each character had a secret, which built a level of complexity to the mystery. There was a lot of telling and not showing with the writing, which I think was one of my biggest reasons of not being able to connect with the protagonist and the plot line.
Graphic: Murder and Cursing
Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Blood, Toxic relationship, Grief, Violence, and Dementia
Minor: Drug abuse, Stalking, Drug use, and Miscarriage
kenz1227'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
4.75
Graphic: Murder, Dementia, and Child death
Moderate: Drug abuse, Stalking, Violence, and Suicide
Minor: Infertility and Mass/school shootings
casuallycharlie'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
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Pedophilia, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual assault, Suicide, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Dementia, Drug abuse, and Stalking
Minor: Miscarriage
maregred'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, Dementia, Abandonment, Kidnapping, Child death, Gaslighting, and Grief
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Stalking, Gun violence, and Infidelity
Minor: Classism, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Suicide, Alcohol, Abortion, Addiction, Alcoholism, and Blood
madsmcw_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
The one thing I didn't really like was the ending. It ends pretty abruptly and was open ended which I'm not a huge fan of. I like endings with concrete endings because it just feels unfinished otherwise.
I listened to this on audio and both narrators were fantastic so I'd highly recommend reading that way
Graphic: Kidnapping, Child death, Infidelity, and Murder
Moderate: Drug abuse, Stalking, Suicide, Sexual assault, Infertility, Alcohol, and Miscarriage