criticalgayze's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
A part of me wants to say that I now at least have an understanding of the CoHo craze, but this is her only thriller, and I truly cannot imagine reading a book by her that was just the romantic parts of this one.
I fully intended to give this book 1.5-stars because I am absolutely sick of the trope of painting PPD as some kind of villainous trait in women, but I think that, while the narrator is still disgustingly judgmental of the kind of psychological trauma pregnancy and childbirth can put a woman through, Hoover herself seems (maybe?) to have mostly redeemed her own complicity in the trope with the book's ending. (Although I am largely as confused as the narrator as to whether this is actually the case or not)
Speaking of the ending, talk about rushed. I felt like, throughout the book, the order of escalation was out of whack, there were largely spurts of tension in amongst the drudgery of straight white horniness as opposed to well built and sustained suspense, and that the culminating scene was over largely before I even realized it had begun.
tl;dr: Not good writing, but I tore through it in two days, so maybe there's something to be said for the Hoover phenomenon.
Graphic: Abortion, Child death, Murder, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, and Sexual content
Moderate: Terminal illness, Blood, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Cancer, Confinement, Grief, Injury/injury detail, Medical trauma, Drug abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Car accident, Death, Alcohol, and Death of parent
varlot's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Confinement, Sexual content, Violence, Gaslighting, Grief, Medical content, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Car accident, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Blood, and Cursing
def_jt's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Abortion, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Suicide, Child death, Medical content, Child abuse, Fatphobia, Terminal illness, Suicide attempt, Vomit, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Eating disorder, Car accident, Death, Blood, and Confinement
chaotically_katie's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
One of the best pieces of writing advice is to trust your audience. And while I appreciate the spoon-feeding to a certain extent, there comes a point where it’s a bit excessive.
Overall, I recommend reading it. Just not at the top of your reading list.
Graphic: Abortion, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Excrement, Physical abuse, Forced institutionalization, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Infidelity, Injury/injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Ableism, Alcohol, Blood, Child death, Gaslighting, Grief, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Body shaming, Car accident, Violence, and Vomit
crystal83087's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Violence, Confinement, Car accident, Child death, Medical content, Infidelity, Murder, and Pregnancy
redefiningrachel's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Violence, Toxic relationship, Blood, Child abuse, Car accident, Medical content, Confinement, Grief, Emotional abuse, Death, Child death, Murder, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Sexual assault
amaranth_wytch's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Murder, Cursing, Sexual content, Child abuse, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Abortion, Vomit, and Grief
Minor: Miscarriage, Infidelity, Injury/injury detail, Car accident, and Confinement
anielabooks's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
5.0
Graphic: Car accident, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Grief, Murder, Abortion, Blood, Child death, Death, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Infidelity, Vomit, Injury/injury detail, Sexual content, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Cursing, Ableism, and Pregnancy
Minor: Animal death, Confinement, Miscarriage, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, and Alcohol
alliebee333's review
There’s a whole page dedicated to a description of Verity’s mother and her “expanding waist line“ and a description of disordered eating/workout behaviors to avoid Verity experiencing the same fate, so reader beware. These are terrible characters, all written terribly.
Graphic: Abortion, Blood, Car accident, Confinement, Eating disorder, Medical trauma, Child abuse, Pregnancy, Fatphobia, Injury/injury detail, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Child death, Grief, Infidelity, Murder, and Physical abuse
elsakwes'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
1.0
Graphic: Pregnancy, Child abuse, Confinement, Sexual content, Child death, Grief, and Medical content
Minor: Abortion