Reviews tagging 'Toxic friendship'

If You Tell by Gregg Olsen

19 reviews

emilyrosebooks's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

5.0

As far as true crime goes, this is fast paced, fascinating, and like watching a train wreck happen. I apparently don't have the stomach for true crime, at least now when it comes to child abuse, because I thought this was horrific. I am giving it 5 stars because as far as true crime goes it is a fantastic book, but you better have a strong stomach to get through the prolonged sadistic torture Shelly Knotek dispenses on her many victims. 

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Content Warnings

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

a_lyttle_book_blog's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Death, Murder, Sexual violence, Eating disorder, Torture, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Child death, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Toxic friendship, Violence, and Bullying

stephanieluxton's review against another edition

dark sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Murder, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Slavery, Gaslighting, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Grief, Homophobia, Cancer, Drug use, Death of parent, and Blood

Minor: Excrement and Vomit

mjohansson7's review

dark emotional tense fast-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Toxic friendship, Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Murder, Torture, and Toxic relationship

lisa_butler79's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

5.0

If you Tell - Gregg Olsen

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I needed a day too get over this book before I wrote a review. Quite literally WTF! I actually have no words for the abuse that Shelly inflicted on her children and best friend. I have no words for the husband that allowed this too happen and turned a blind eye because he was also so scared or her. I'm shocked to the core.

If this was a fictional novel I would actually be thinking there Is no way someone could be that vile, vindictive and manipulative to do that to another human being. However, this Is actually based on a real event which makes this even more horrific. How on earth does someone brainwash another human being to this extent. I have so many unanswered questions.

The author did an amazing job of writing this horrific story of the 3 sisters that survived. The courage they showed to report their own mother and put themselves in the spotlight was so brave.

When I finished the book I Googled the story and learned that Shelly was released last year. This is scary. I don’t believe at all that she is any different now than she was then. Anyone that can do this too another human being with no compassion will still be mentally ill and a threat to society. In my opinion.

This book shook me to the core and I will be thinking about it for a long time because no fictional story can be scarier than this woman. Not for the Faint hearted

1st photo my dog and book cover hes had a haircut 
2nd photo book cover
3rd photo back of book

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Physical abuse, Body horror, Gaslighting, Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, Slavery, Sexual content, Torture, Toxic friendship, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Murder, and Toxic relationship

jennay's review

dark medium-paced

5.0

Such a horrific true story... 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Child death, Body horror, Confinement, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Body shaming, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Child abuse, Murder, Domestic abuse, and Torture

Moderate: Fatphobia, Excrement, Homophobia, Gaslighting, Blood, Bullying, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual content, and Violence

cxxitlyn's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

1.5

The writing in this book really ruined it for me. It felt very poor for the first half, after that it just seemed I had grown “used” to it. The events described are horrific, and it’s hard to remember that these are things people truly lived through and experienced. Reading their story is really the only thing that kept me reading. Their events are told in detail though, so this book is not for the faint of heart as some of the things described are incredibly hard to read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Bullying, Death, Abandonment, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Violence, Fatphobia, Grief, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Torture, Toxic friendship, Blood, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Child abuse, Cursing, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Animal death, Cancer, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Abortion, Hate crime, Murder, and Homophobia

payt's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Torture, Violence, Domestic abuse, Body horror, Toxic friendship, Child death, Death, and Emotional abuse

nurseann7161's review against another edition

dark sad tense slow-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Slavery, Mental illness, Confinement, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Murder, Violence, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Death, Pedophilia, Gaslighting, Child abuse, Homophobia, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Torture

Minor: Suicidal thoughts

purpleshamrock's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Fatphobia, Physical abuse, Torture, Child abuse, Death, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Incest, Mental illness, Murder, Slavery, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Bullying, Cancer, Body shaming, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, and Violence