Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll

21 reviews

summerofsoaps's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Dementia, Kidnapping, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Eating disorder, Grief, and Death of parent

Minor: Incest

henrybirdie's review against another edition

dark informative inspiring sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

This is such a unique spin on—and commentary about—true crime and our collective obsession with serial killers. While the novel itself is fiction, it centers around the very real crimes of an infamous American murderer who is never named outright in the novel. I found this to be a completely brilliant decision by the author, and although I knew exactly who the killer was in real life, I literally could not recall his actual name for the duration of the book. I kept thinking it would pop into my brain but it didn’t, and I kinda love that. 

The novel is told from the POV of two women whose lives are tragically impacted by the now infamous serial killer. Jessica Knoll does something really interesting by not only leaving the killer unnamed, but totally eviscerating the longstanding narrative that the American media and public have crafted on his behalf. Not charming, brilliant, handsome, enigmatic….he was just a twisted, insecure psychopath whose disgusting crimes flew under the radar due to run of the mill white, male privilege and the insidious ineptitude of chauvinist law enforcement agencies. 

Knoll writes the female protagonists beautifully and weaves their interconnected storylines in such a way that the killer somehow only exists as a minor player. Though his actions drive the plot in a literal sense, she succeeds in transforming him into the small, embarrassing man that he really was. 

This novel is extremely triggering and dark but I absolutely loved it and found it to be a refreshingly subversive take on the genre. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Murder

basicallykaitie's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

This book will live in my mind for the rest of my existence. Make no mistake that this book is heavy, but it is necessary. This is the way I have been waiting to hear true crime discussed since I was a teenager and I think a part of me was healed to know that the victims were finally centers in someone’s narrative of any event. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Gore, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, and Murder

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, and Death of parent

hannahduda's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

fancyjess_party's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional inspiring mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Blood, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Incest, Infidelity, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, and Sexual harassment

kimreads14's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I truly enjoyed this retelling of the victim side of the Bundy case. 

It shows a sort of two sides of the same coin idea. One of the narrator represents the victim that will be killed, and the other one of the survivors fighting for justice to be served. All of it being nicely tied through Tina.

I’m still confused as to whether or not this is a work of fiction or not. Or maybe just part fiction part non-fiction? 

I loved the closing chapter, it was really moving, and also showed that unfortunately not everything comes full circle at all time, but as long as there’s hope, there’s the possibility of it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Lesbophobia, and Gaslighting

maddiet425's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad 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? It's complicated

3.5

So many people see Ted Bundy as an evil genius. This book says that there is more to the story; he was just a good liar who was protected by law enforcement and by the media. I love how this story doesn’t focus on Bundy, but on the victims and their friends and family. It also doesn’t describe gory details simply for shock value, and detailed descriptions of assaults are written in a way that is extremely respectful to the victims. However, I can’t say I loved this story overall, The multiple timelines and POV’s were hard to keep straight and I found it difficult to relate to and understand the characters. Multiple storylines were left unfinished, and I ended the book wanting to know more. It’s such a shame because I absolutely love the idea of the book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, and Murder

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Child abuse and Child death

pastlifetragedy's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, and Gaslighting

Minor: Infidelity, Pedophilia, Religious bigotry, and Stalking

negynaturalist's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

4.75

Interesting read. While this is a novel and not entirely biographical. I loved the time, energy and grace given to the sometimes complicated stories of the victims. There is so much (not always negative, and too often positive) lore built up around The Defendant. The victims deserve at least as much grace, press and intrigue.

I also loved the juxtaposition of the 1970s and modern times. The sorority girls are the same age as my mother. At their age she was attending an anatomy class in nursing school where the male professor made everyone strip down to their underwear so they could "draw muscles on each other" AND NO ONE COMPLAINED! It is easy to forget how different things are in a post #metoo world. Most young people today wouldn't fall for the tactics of The Defendant, but that is due decades of learning, unlearning resulting in cultural shifts. 

I would definitely recommend this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Murder

jmaude's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective slow-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, and Murder