Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

She Started It by Sian Gilbert

25 reviews

cathcasper's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Drug abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Physical abuse, and Lesbophobia

coffee_kindle's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

 The party of a lifetime is nothing like what they expected...

Poppy Greer is getting married, so why wouldn't you invite your 4 old school friends to your hen party on a private island in the Bahamas, first class, all expenses paid, even if you haven't spoken to the them in 10 years.

Although the 4 friends: Tanya; Annabel; Esther; and Chloe, have drifted apart as they have gotten older, there are secrets which bond them for life and the invitation to Poppy's hen party has them too curious and intrigued to turn down the offer.

When they meet Poppy on the island they are all shocked by her transformation since school and the confidence she now has. As the hen party unfolds the party games start to reveal some hidden secrets, turning their paradise holiday into a nightmare.

There are so many twists within this fast paced book, that it had me hooked throughout. It's wonderfully catty and smart, with characters that you can't help but hate. It was a hard book to put down, it really did grip me, with the clever use of story telling and every time I thought I had it sussed, a long came another twist, it is an action packed book, with plenty of suspense.

TW: Bullying is a theme throughout this book, with some Domestic Violence and abuse..

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Stalking, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

erinmichele_reads's review against another edition

emotional mysterious tense

• 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, Fatphobia, Gore, Homophobia, Infidelity, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Suicide attempt, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, and Excrement

amanda_mh's review against another edition

mysterious reflective sad 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

3.75

That was a good book! I wasn’t sure at first and then the twisted nature of all these women hooked me it kinda felt like people on a reality show.  I liked how we slowly got pieces of the past and as things were revealed in the present. Some very intense and shocking moments, not a book I’d usually pick up but it was an option for BOTM so thought why not. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Biphobia, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Hate crime, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

bleusbookblog's review against another edition

challenging mysterious 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? It's complicated

3.0

I hate to be brutally honest but I did not enjoy this book. The characters were horribly unlikable and frankly annoying. I figured out the twist at 198 pages and it wasn’t that exciting. The only part that evoked an emotional response from me was about 3 sentences long. The writing was great. I will not deny that there was talent. The story was just not there.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Infidelity, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Blood, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Physical abuse

brandilovesbooks's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

Annabelle, Chloe, Ester, and Tanya have been friends since secondary school.  They all receive invitations to a hen party from a girl they used to bully.  Why not go?  The hen party is on an island in the Bahamas, they have first class airfare, and everything has been paid for.

Over the course of 4 days on a private island, the girls learn that maybe Poppy, the bride, hasn't forgotten what they did.  They also learn that their friendships are riddled with secrets.  Then someone is dead.  

Most of the book is told in the present with Annabelle, Chloe, Ester, and Tanya alternating first person narratives.  Occasionally, Poppy tells what happened 10 years ago with her diary entries.    Each time you read more about how these girls tormented Poppy in the past, you feel more for her.  The other characters are truly oblivious to the hurt they caused her.

The prologue is brilliant.  You think you know the outcome of the book going into chapter one.  But what seems obvious in the prologue becomes very muddied as the story goes on.

She Started It definitely has twists and turns.  I had the biggest one figured out early in the book, though.  

The ending is ridiculous.  So many unanswered questions!


I recommend this book for anyone who wants to read about bullies getting their comeuppance years later and for anyone who enjoys watching female friends turn on each other.

Content warnings- bullying, drinking, drugs, self harm, murder, blood, suicide.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying

Minor: Addiction, Body shaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Murder, and Alcohol

belle05's review against another edition

emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying

Minor: Drug abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicide, and Alcohol

haleysversion's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Suicide attempt, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

mmannlein1's review against another edition

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Vomit, Stalking, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

jennabeck13's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

• 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

2.0

She Started It by Sian Gilbert

⭐️⭐️ (2/5)

Genre: Thriller

About 340 pages

Poppy was relentlessly bullied by four girls (Esther, Chloe, Tanya, and Annabel) while in school. We’re talking recurring verbal attacks and malicious pranks…. So these four are quite surprised when they get an invitation from Poppy to a private island in the Bahamas for her bachelorette party. Their gut reactions are: “Why did she invite us?” and “Why would we go?” but the fact that Poppy is covering all the costs of this first-class trip makes them reconsider. So that’s how they end up on Deadman’s Bay. Albeit beautiful, the island is more remote than they expected, and Poppy is completely different than they remember. With hesitation, the four proceed with the trip…. A decision they may come to regret as it becomes clear that Poppy has ulterior motives and not everyone will make it out alive.

This one missed the mark for me…. It felt like a mix of And Then There Were None and Daisy Darker (both of which I loved), but not as well done. It was very similar to Daisy Darker which made it easy for me to figure out who was responsible. The characters were all unlikable but I will admit they had some good banter.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Infidelity