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waniojeniyi's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I don't know about this book and I wonder why it has such a good rep here.
The story dragged for the most part, and when it supposedly picked up, I had lost interest.
So, we are introduced very quickly to all the residents of Melville Heights. On paper, it is a cute neighbourhood but the book starts out with a murder; so apparently the neighbourhood is not that cute.
The characters were unlikable and frankly, very weird, re: Joey, Tom, Nicola. I liked the representation of Asperger's in the story but surely, that could have been addressed without Freddie's weird hobby?
There was a lot going on in this book so it was really hard to focus on the murder that was supposed to be the point of the story.
The story dragged for the most part, and when it supposedly picked up, I had lost interest.
So, we are introduced very quickly to all the residents of Melville Heights. On paper, it is a cute neighbourhood but the book starts out with a murder; so apparently the neighbourhood is not that cute.
The characters were unlikable and frankly, very weird, re: Joey, Tom, Nicola. I liked the representation of Asperger's in the story but surely, that could have been addressed without Freddie's weird hobby?
There was a lot going on in this book so it was really hard to focus on the murder that was supposed to be the point of the story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Pedophilia
cinnamxnstick's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I was hooked from the start, detective hat ON trying to figure out where it was going.
Obviously Lisa Jewell outsmarts me every time!! The Queen of Twists!!!
Jewell has such a talent for getting me invested in deeply flawed characters and getting right into the grey areas. Always playing with perspective in surprising ways!
Obviously Lisa Jewell outsmarts me every time!! The Queen of Twists!!!
Jewell has such a talent for getting me invested in deeply flawed characters and getting right into the grey areas. Always playing with perspective in surprising ways!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Suicide, Stalking, and Murder
Moderate: Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent
nneka's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- 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? Yes
5.0
Lisa Jewell is an absolutely superb writer, throughout reading she had me on the edge of my seat. You never truly know where the plot is going, the twists and turns gave me whiplash, yet excited me all the same. I wish I could read this book for the first time again and relive the plot twist all over again. One of the only books that managed to me fill my eyes with tears of pain and disgust simultaneously.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Suicide, and Murder
Minor: Pedophilia
chapters_and_pages's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was my 8th Lisa Jewell book, and while I enjoyed it, it definitely wasn’t my favourite.
Melville Heights is one of the nicest areas of Bristol, it’s certainly the last place you’d expect someone to get brutally murdered in their kitchen… Following four different characters, everyone has something to hide.
Firstly, as someone who was born in Bristol and has lived here my entire life, I loved reading about it from a fictional perspective. It was really cool to actually be able to recognise and picture locations based on first hand perspective!
At the beginning, I found it a little hard to distinguish the characters, and who I was following at any given time, but by about 100 pages it wasn’t too bad.
I really enjoyed Jenna as a character, she was definitely my favourite. In regards to the other three main characters, in my opinion, Joey was annoying, Tom was creepy (even if he wasn’t in a relationship with a student, and, as far as we know, had never been, the fact that he was in his mid thirties and in a relationship with a 19 year old was creepy…) and I didn’t like how Freddie was portrayed.
Throughout the book, Freddie is depicted as some sort of teenage stalker, watching people from his window, taking photos of them. Later in the book, it becomes clear that he has Asperger’s (which would now be known as Autism Spectrum Disorder) which he doesn’t know about. As someone with suspected Autism, I don’t like how it seemed like the behaviour was written off and excused because he’s on the spectrum.
I found the ending to be a bit meh, not bad but not as shocking as I would have liked. The very last page mentions a lock of hair, and for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out who’s hair this was and the significance of it until I Googled it, and I’ve read a lot of reviews where people said the same thing.
Overall, I enjoyed this book but it wasn’t a favourite of mine.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Death, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Blood, Stalking, Murder, and Pregnancy
jasminehazel's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- 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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Stalking
Minor: Pedophilia
kyleighwhitsell's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia, Stalking, and Murder
booklover_17's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Mental illness, and Violence
Moderate: Pedophilia
norwegianforestreader's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Pregnancy
sthartsema's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Stalking, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
t4tbookfairy's review against another edition
tense
medium-paced
1.0
full of unlikable characters without many redeeming qualities - not much to like. Interesting plot twist and structure, disappointing ending and empty characters. I couldn’t get over the unchecked racism and fat phobia. Nope.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia, Self harm, Sexism, Suicide, Violence, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Fatphobia and Racism