Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

The First Day of Spring by Nancy Tucker

32 reviews

killmoore_'s review against another edition

dark emotional sad slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Child death, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Grief, Murder, Abandonment, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Alcohol, Cursing, and Violence

lexx_reads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

5.0

Very heavy with a hopeful ending. Bleak and dark through out. Find yourself simultaneously hoping for the main character and disliking them

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Torture, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Abandonment, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Excrement, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Vomit

danid23's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Domestic abuse, Excrement, Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Grief, Mental illness, and Murder

mayasr's review against another edition

emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

made me sob to think of the neglected children who just need to be loved

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Murder, Domestic abuse, Death, Child abuse, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

abused child kills two toddlers

heather3879's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

This incredibly dark novel is classified as a “thriller” but I found it more horrifying and reflective than thrilling, in a good way. If that makes sense. Christie is a disturbed and neglected child desperate for love and attention who commits a horrific crime. Told in alternating timelines between Christie as a child and as an adult revisiting her home, the story demonstrates the power of a child’s environment on the psyche and the potential for change given the chance for a meaningful connection. It was heavy and horrific in its realism, but well worth the read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Murder, Child death, and Child abuse

Moderate: Domestic abuse

Minor: Addiction and Alcoholism

kingcrookback's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

This was pitched to me as a thriller, and while there was tension in this story, I'd say that this is more of a very dark, very sad character study. Gillian Flynn-esque in the sense that it grapples with themes of childhood trauma/abuse and contemplation of motherhood but with timelines not quite so pressing or urgent. It would have been very easy for Tucker to have made Chrissie out to be an inscrutable monster, but while her actions are hideous, she is still a child - pitiable, at times exasperating or ridiculous, but replete with the kind of logic and understanding of the world that fills only those who are still new to life. As for Julia, for a while I couldn't figure out if having and caring (so deeply) for Molly stemmed from a sense of ingrained selfishness or newly developed selflessness, until I figured that it made more sense for the answer to be "both," no clean lines and no clear-cut answer.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Violence, Child abuse, Murder, and Grief

Moderate: Pregnancy, Alcoholism, and Domestic abuse

blueyogi's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Death, Child abuse, Murder, Child death, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Abandonment

Minor: Bullying and Domestic abuse

lydiavsbooks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

A brilliant book! This definitely sits towards the literary side of thriller, but keeps its pace up with the dual timeline storytelling that I personally really enjoy. 

It follows a child who murders at the age of 8, what happens to the girl and who she becomes. But really its a story about abuse, neglect and motherhood. Its beautiful, upsetting, and compassionate.

 I really enjoyed the reading experience and I expect it will be a memorable one.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Child death

Moderate: Domestic abuse

ashmarie166's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Toxic friendship, Sexual content, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Death, Child abuse, Bullying, Child death, Alcoholism, Toxic relationship, Murder, Emotional abuse, and Domestic abuse

merrillkaye's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective 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? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Murder, Child death, Emotional abuse, and Child abuse