kamrynkoble's review
4.5
I know this is a personal preference, but I liked that this focused on an active narration and witness/victim perception. I prefer this style to true crime that’s mainly comprised of court docs, police records, and criminals’ journals. This still summarized the police and court case, but it’s not the focus. It was organized well, wonderfully paced, and struck the right balance of being thorough without being laborious to read.
Some of the other reviewers commented that this was too much “what” and not enough “why.” I, for one, prefer not to have authors inject their own personal opinions and speculations. I appreciated the afterword which spoke more to psychology, and a bit more analysis of Shelly specially would’ve been interesting. But for someone who reads a lot of true crime, I liked the author’s “position” in telling the narrative—telling, without injecting himself.
It’s so evident that the three children of the abuser were highly involved in this project. I was invested in these girls, and had real emotional reactions to what they and the other victims faced.
This includes heavy trigger warnings for abuse/torture of all kind against adults and children. If you’re sensitive to these elements, I’d recommend checking out a more thorough warning.
If you’re looking for a riveting and perfectly executed true crime book, I recommend this one!
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Torture, Murder, Death, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Blood
gellyreads's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Sexual content, Child abuse, Death, Vomit, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Child death, Torture, Murder, Violence, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Bullying, Body shaming, Slavery, Cursing, Confinement, Gaslighting, Mental illness, and Blood
emilyrosebooks's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Gun violence, Mental illness, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Blood, Murder, Torture, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Toxic friendship, Violence, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Sexual harassment, Bullying, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Child death
reneeschauer's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Blood, Gaslighting, Cancer, Death, Physical abuse, Violence, Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Murder, and Suicidal thoughts
asmokeybear's review against another edition
3.75
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Suicide attempt, Bullying, Death, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Cursing, Confinement, Drug use, Torture, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Child abuse, Excrement, Mental illness, Murder, Self harm, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship
megansreading's review against another edition
4.25
Graphic: Death, Confinement, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Body shaming, Child death, and Murder
Moderate: Cancer, Excrement, Gun violence, and Suicide attempt
kimmykelly's review against another edition
3.0
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Grief, Mental illness, Excrement, Outing, Bullying, Animal cruelty, Blood, Death, Emotional abuse, Torture, Vomit, Gaslighting, Gore, Violence, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, and Physical abuse
twistykris's review against another edition
3.75
I understand how difficult it must have been to compile all of this information from multiple people, but at times the book felt very repetitive and used a lot of unnecessary metaphors.
Also, I have
Spoiler
VERY little sympathy for Dave. Yes, he was abused by Shelly and being a victim of someone so terrifying can alter your mentality, I know. But you CANNOT tell me he didn't know that what she was doing was so fucking wrong. He literally shot and killed his own nephew because she told him to. He watched his wife abuse her children and grown adults. He says he didn't know bleach was bad for the skin and thought it was fine that Shelly made Ron soak his feet in boiling water and bleach?? HUH?! And the fact they're both OUT AND FREE? Disgusting.Graphic: Child abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Self harm, Slavery, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Physical abuse, Torture, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Excrement, Gaslighting, Gun violence, and Murder
Moderate: Ableism and Animal cruelty
cfarron's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Physical abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Body shaming, Cursing, Death, Hate crime, Blood, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Fatphobia, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Homophobia, Child death, Gore, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, and Murder
chloeraye's review
5.0
Graphic: Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Murder, Mental illness, Body shaming, Blood, Physical abuse, Torture, Child death, Grief, and Bullying