Reviews tagging 'Grief'

The Fake by Zoe Whittall

15 reviews

liss_reads's review against another edition

challenging dark tense fast-paced

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

2.0

Quick read, storyline moves fast matching with the subject’s MO. Overall, felt it was missing some of the extreme jostling that comes with

pathological liars

Instead, read Counterfeit by Kirstin Chen. Really gets you into the con-conned relationship and makes you question what’s the truth. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness and Gaslighting

Moderate: Grief

Minor: Suicide

raix's review against another edition

emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I found the plot very compelling and I loved watching the characters realize what kind of person they were dealing with. The ending was a little harrowing but it didn't feel unresolved to me. The graphic descriptions of sex in Gibson's chapters were very off-putting to me and I almost rated it one star based on that alone, but ultimately it was a book I kept wanting to read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Grief, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Homophobia and Lesbophobia

sarahrob's review against another edition

emotional mysterious tense fast-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? Yes

5.0

I loved this book. I still feel like I’m working through what I actually think about it, but I couldn’t get through it fast enough. It was tense and thoughtful. Cammie is such a great villain, and I find myself still questioning her. 

I loved the unreliable nature of each character and how the author played into that. Using an omniscient narrator, but having each characters’ understanding of reality be untrustworthy was such a fun take on the unreliable narrator. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Grief

Moderate: Cancer, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Gaslighting

Minor: Miscarriage and Suicide attempt

rowan_369's review against another edition

challenging tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• 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: Death, Homophobia, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, Lesbophobia, and Gaslighting

laughtrack17's review against another edition

challenging sad medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Toxic relationship, Grief, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Mental illness, Miscarriage, Self harm, Terminal illness, and Medical trauma

jkar7's review

slow-paced

• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Overall it was a bit boring. There were some parts I thought were done really well, but overall I just thought the characters were flat and a bit dim. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Suicide, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Alcoholism and Cancer

bdingz's review against another edition

emotional funny tense fast-paced

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

3.5

I became interested in this book after hearing Zoe Whittall speak about it at an event. I’m glad I read it! It kept me wondering what was going to happen next. I think most of the things I didn’t like about the book came down to personal preference.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Sexual content

Minor: Cancer, Death, and Kidnapping

Moderate descriptions of OCD and hypochondria.

kelsea's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted reflective fast-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? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse and Grief

jbird_reads's review against another edition

fast-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Cancer and Death of parent

breanneporter's review

emotional mysterious fast-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? Yes

4.0

This was a short, fun read. I was hooked immediately and breezed through it. I'm fascinated by con artist narratives and I think it was an interesting set up, to have the two narrators take turns describing their relationship with the same person and slowly unravel who she is. I felt for the main characters, both grieving in different ways, and thought they were very believable. While I do like the hindsight narration format, I will say that I expected a little bit more from the story, since the author tells you the plot in the prologue and doesn't surprise you much from there, and ultimately I think it was a tad underdeveloped and forgettable. That said, I would be interested in more from this author and recommend this to anyone looking for a short read/palate cleanser. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief