Reviews tagging 'Suicide'

The Night Swim by Megan Goldin

55 reviews

outsmartyourshelf's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Rachel Krall is headed to Neapolis, a small town on the coast where a headline-grabbing trial is about to take place. A local golden boy, a swimmer, stands accused of raping a young girl following a party. Rachel is the brains behind a true crime podcast which has been very popular in its first two seasons & she needs a new format for the third season: a live trial. Rachel will be at the court so her listeners can follow the case in real time & decide for themselves: guilty or not guilty. At a rest stop on the way there, Rachel returns to her car to find a note on the windscreen asking for her help. The note is from Hannah & she wants Rachel to help her find out what really happened to her sister twenty five years earlier.

This was a difficult book to read. Not because it's badly written but I found the subject matter harrowing. The narrative is told from Rachel's point of view but we also get Hannah's view of what happened all those years ago in the form of letters to Rachel. Both storylines look at the price that women & girls pay when it comes to sexual assault.  Rachel asks a pertinent question about why murder & rape are viewed so differently - people tend not to argue a murder victim "asked for it" but the same doesn't apply to sexual assault. Why? Does a victim have to be dead before they can get justice? With conviction rates at an all time low this is a well-written, timely read but a difficult one.

My thanks to NetGalley & publisher, Canelo, for the opportunity to read an ARC.  I am voluntarily giving an honest review.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault and Sexual violence

Moderate: Suicide

nicksalex's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Car accident, Bullying, Alcohol, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, Cancer, Rape, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Violence, Sexual violence, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Alcohol, Suicide, Pedophilia, and Death of parent

vj_thompson's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.5

A thought provoking story that depicts why sexual assault cases next see the light of a court room. The process is time consuming, lawyers can brutal, and it may do more harm than good. 

Megan Goldin is an auto-buy author. The first book I read by her was Stay Awake. She does an amazing job at character building and touching on subjects matters like sexual assaults or mental health conditions. These topics are normalized in Megan’s stories. I found myself both times rooting for the main characters, and the side characters, wishing them all a happy and successful outcome.

I am looking forward to reading the sequel, and I hope our main character Rachel continues to fight the good fight.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Child abuse, Grief, Bullying, Violence, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Death, Alcohol, and Murder

Moderate: Car accident, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, Alcoholism, Cancer, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Pedophilia, Animal cruelty, Stalking, and Gun violence

haleysversion's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Child death, Blood, Mental illness, Sexual content, Alcohol, Bullying, Car accident, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Medical content, Murder, Rape, Suicide, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, and Suicidal thoughts

zach_off's review against another edition

dark hopeful mysterious 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

4.5

Captivating murder mystery with a chilling subplot that seamlessly connects the dots. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Death, Suicide, Torture, Bullying, Car accident, Child abuse, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Violence, Sexual violence, Misogyny, and Sexual assault

the_pink_pharmacist's review against another edition

adventurous dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Death, Domestic abuse, Murder, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, and Child abuse

reneeschauer's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Cancer, Sexual assault, Murder, Bullying, Rape, Physical abuse, and Child abuse

kdepenhart's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Rape, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Self harm, Physical abuse, and Mental illness

kerrygetsliterary's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad medium-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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Medical content, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Rape, Alcohol, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Misogyny, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Blood, Car accident, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, and Vomit

cassielaj's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense medium-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? It's complicated

I cannot give this book a star rating. While the writing was good and the mystery compelling, this was a really challenging book to read, and it deserves more nuance than a 1-5 rating. This story is heavy. It is graphically detailed at times. It is tragic and disheartening and just the tiniest bit hopeful. And I honestly think it’s important. This book treats rape and sexual assault victims and trials in a way I haven’t seen enough in popular media, especially in the thriller genre, which often sensationalizes tragedy. It explores the challenges and injustices of the justice system when it comes to trying a sexual assault case. It explores class differences and politics in a small town and shows how power can be abused. It explores the guilt that can come with doing nothing to help someone in a time of need, and it explores redemption from the horrors of the past. I want to recommend it because it’s a good book, but I don’t want to because it was heavy. If you choose to read this, go in with as much information as you can, and be kind to yourself while you read it. 

From a thriller perspective, I did find it a bit predictable, but overall I thought the mystery was well paced. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Car accident, Grief, Bullying, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Emotional abuse, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Gaslighting, Suicide, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, and Xenophobia

Detailed descriptions of a trial process. Graphic and disturbing details of manipulation, sexual assault, bullying, and more.