Reviews tagging 'Dementia'

Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll

62 reviews

abernathy_33's review against another edition

dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Murder

Moderate: Homophobia, Sexual violence, and Death of parent

Minor: Eating disorder, Incest, and Dementia

hjb_128's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcoholism and Alcohol

stungbythewood's review against another edition

medium-paced

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

5.0

I find it challenging on how to write this review because a lot of my feelings are about the defendant and how women and girls are still victims of reprehensible sex crimes and murders to this DAY.

I thought this book was quite enjoyable, despite the somber nature of the content. I usually have difficulty pushing through the start of most books but this one gripped me right away.

There are POV switches but I’ve gotten used to those through other novels I’ve read. It’s not something that bothers me.

There was only one section that I got confused by while reading and it’s during the present when Pamela is traveling to Tallahassee once more to visit Carl. There is a significant gap between the two “present day” chapters that I was unsure of what actually happened since they’re spread so far apart.

I like that this book calls out the defendant for what he really was at the end of the day. Nothing. An insecure man who stole the light from bright young women and girls just because he could. 

There’s no way to describe the insurmountable grief I felt while reading Ruth’s final moments. Though she is fictional, knowing that there were and are many real life women who have gone through a similar fate is beyond devastating.

Often times I am quite irritated with glamorization of serial killers and people’s willing ignorance to see people for how they really are.

The defendant was a good manipulator, butthat doesn’t mean he was inherently charming. The two are not mutually inclusive. After all, if he was so capable of being suave and captivating, why did he fake injuries to lure women into helping him? 

Reading through this story gave me some solace to a degree. Knowing that my unease and caution around male strangers in particular is not so unfounded.

I feel as though women are blamed for their fears, as if we’re not brought up in fear. As if fear and caution and doubt aren’t the things separating us from coming home one night vs. becoming another statistic.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Rape, Murder, and Lesbophobia

Moderate: Misogyny

Minor: Eating disorder and Dementia

emmajh91's review against another edition

challenging tense 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Dementia, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

abbysingh's review against another edition

challenging dark sad medium-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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Gaslighting

Minor: Dementia

ellecam's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

I fear this book might have ruined my reading goal for the rest of the year because nothing else will compare. Men are infuriating, the patriarchy is infuriating, true crime is normally infuriating but this approach truly turned the narrative on its head. A fictionalised feminist re-telling of the victims of the infamous “All American Sex Killer”, painting him as the pathetic incel he truly was, is something I never knew I needed to read. Until I read it. BRAVO.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Rape, and Murder

Moderate: Pedophilia and Religious bigotry

Minor: Incest and Dementia

jessiejonesbentley's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Blood, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

stellahadz's review against another edition

dark 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? No

4.0

This book tells the story of several women whose lives were impacted by the crimes of an unnamed serial killer in the 1970s. It's a well-written, slow-burning story told from multiple points of view and in multiple timelines. It's not a mystery or a thriller, but rather an unraveling of events the reader learns about from the very beginning. I liked that the focus was not on the crimes, but rather on their impact, and the "complicated grief" they caused for Tina and Pamela.

My only complaint about the book is that it mixes reality with fiction in a way that I think undermines its purpose - it is extremely obviously based on Ted Bundy's serial murders. There's a mention of a true-crime movie starring Zac Efron, and some of Bundy's presumed real-life victims (Caryn Campbell and Georgeann Hawkins) are referred to by name. If the purpose of the book is to focus on the victims and not glorify the misogynist murderer, why base the story so obviously on what he did? The book was extremely well-written, and the story would have been equally as compelling if the author had changed certain details or avoided certain references so it wasn't basically a play-by-play retelling of Bundy's crimes. This was the same complaint I had about Eliza Clark's Penance, which I also read recently. I understand and appreciate the necessity of literature that criticizes the true-crime industry and the way victims of violent crimes are treated, but I sometimes wonder about the ethics of essentially fictionalizing horrific things that happened to real people. 

To Knoll's credit, it seems like she did speak with a survivor of Bundy's violence; putting aside the ethics of the basis for the book, it really is a powerfully written story with an important message. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Sexual violence, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Forced institutionalization, Dementia, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Lesbophobia

Minor: Eating disorder

hannahnj17's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Lesbophobia, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child death, Death, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Dementia, Kidnapping, and Murder

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Physical abuse, and Sexism

Content is severe, but handled thoughtfully and respectfully, in a way that I personally did not find triggering

betag1013's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Biphobia, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Lesbophobia, Outing, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail