Reviews tagging 'Adult/minor relationship'

Things We Do in the Dark by Jennifer Hillier

31 reviews

cj_mo_2222's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

This is the first book I've read by Hillier and I liked it so much I plan on reading more. This book includes a couple of different timelines and points-of-view - a young girl surviving life with an abusive mother, that same mother about to be released early from prison, the podcaster who wants to remind everyone of what kind of person that woman is, and a young woman accused of killing her wealthy older husband. It was never confusing and the switches between timelines and narration were smooth. Some of the scenes are intense but I was captivated by the clever writing and pleased with the satisfying ending. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship and Child abuse

Moderate: Blood

Minor: Dementia

sarahsny19's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Suicide, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

doku's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

1.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Murder

miratio's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

amygjessie's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Blood, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Suicide and Alcohol

pookiee's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Drug abuse, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, and Xenophobia

Minor: Fatphobia

yvo_about_books's review against another edition

4.0

 Finished reading: July 24th 2023

"While you can reinvent yourself, you can't outrun yourself. The common denominator in all the terrible things that have happend to you is you. Everywhere you go, there you are."

I loved Jar Of Hearts back when I read it in 2019, and I'm still not sure why it has taken me this long to pick up another of her titles. Especially since I've also had her previous psychological thriller on my TBR since it was published in 2020... Things We Do In The Dark won out in the end; mostly because the premise of this story intrigued me more. And I can definitely understand why it has been receiving so much love now! Things We Do In The Dark has only reconfirmed the fact that I highly enjoy the way Jennifer Hillier writes her stories. I wasn't expecting the two different POVs, because I was already so invested in Paris' story and the death of her rich husband. BUT. I loved what Drew's POV added to the plot, and I always have a weak spot for a podcast angle in a story (although the podcast itself only played a minor role). The building up of the plot is very well done, with the different parts complementing each other and adding more suspense. The dive into the past of main character Paris gets darker and darker as you continue reading, and what might seem to be a fairly simple murder case in the present turns out to be so much more... There are a lot of twists and secrets to unravel, and I really enjoyed how everything was woven together. A little warning: Things We Do In The Dark was a lot darker and twisted than expected, and it features topics including child abuse, pedophilia, suicide and violence. That said, the plot itself was well developed and the writing itself brought everything together. I did guess one of the final big twists, but as a whole Things We Do In The Dark was a very satisfying thriller. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Dementia, Trafficking, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

_terah_hansen_'s review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad slow-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, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Incest

Minor: Drug use and Dementia

shesreadingagain_'s review against another edition

dark mysterious 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

2.5

So convoluted. I had high hopes for this book. It’s all over the place and there are many murders spoiler and so many false identities galore /spoiler. 

I needed a damn flow chart for this book. I will try another book by this author because I did like the pacing and writing but the content was not ideal. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Dementia, Grief, and Murder

gabigabful's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, and Sexual assault