anthonyk's review against another edition
1.0
this is easily one of the worst books I have ever read. This was neither thrilling nor a dark character study, the only thing "dark" about it was the black hole siphoning my patience this book created while I was reading it. Every single character in this book is not a person: they are flat, stock characters where every little detail is told instead of shown. So many characters have so little motivation/reason to act the way they do. Why does Fox not believe his wife? Why does Violet hate her mother so much? Why does Cecilia hate Blythe so much? Why did Etta hate Cecilia so much? Also the book's implication that the reason why Etta was abusive was because she had the "nerves" when really I think it's coded she's bipolar, but also plz authors stop making mentally ill people behave this way; there are mentally ill abusers just as much as there are mentally ill people seeking treatment who don't mistreat their children.
thavs's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
3.75
I felt weird listening to this.
ffure's review against another edition
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
amyyrelphh's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-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
3.75
bookstasamuel's review against another edition
5.0
I can tell this book definitely won’t be for everyone (some trigger warnings involving motherhood) but it really did everything I want a book to do. It gave me all the feels and also kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. Some things were a bit predictable, but honestly I didn’t mind it.
I’m gonna be thinking about this one for awhile!
I’m gonna be thinking about this one for awhile!
lucaelisabeth's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- 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
3.5
nuh_thaan's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Spoiler
The deep dive into Blythe's psyche, childhood, and her mother's childhood really provide context to what goes through her mind. The concept of behaviors being passed down because of the bond that women have is always very interesting. Violet has such a strong personality too, I'd be interested in exploring her thoughts more in depth as well.Blythe doesn't connect with Violet, but she did connect with Sam. Violet pushed Sam into the street which caused him to die. Or at least that's what we're meant to believer. Blythe tries to be a good mother, Blythe tries to learn and befriend Gemma (in a roundabout way), Blythe tries to get Fox to understand what is happening. Blythe tries. Unfortunately, no one listens to her and the result is more chaos.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Car accident, Pregnancy, Grief, Child death, Gaslighting, and Death of parent
Moderate: Bullying and Miscarriage