Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

This Is Where We Talk Things Out by Caitlin Marceau

42 reviews

arstanley90's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

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

2.5

I was surprised at how short the book was. I was hoping for something a little bit longer than 92 pages but the story pretty much starts from the word go and drives very quickly to its climax. As someone who doesn't have a good relationship with their mother this book hit very close to home but my main issue of the story is the lack of common sense of our protagonist, Miller. She gives her mother all the power in setting up this mother-daughter trip and does nothing to ensure others known where this trip is going to be at in the first place. At least get the Find My Phone app, Mills.

Also I thought maybe the Mom, Slyvie was going to act as if she also had Alzheimer's, like her late husband, in order to garner sympathy from Miller and lure Miller into a false sense of security before revealing the trap her daughter was in, but no, Sylvie is just letting her crazy show. Not a fan of the ending either because I wanted Miller to make it out of there instead of crashing the truck and being held captive. It just feels like the book isn't finished

. I will say that I do like the constant tension and release of the conversation with mother and daughter. You can tell Miller has learned to stand up for herself and knows her mom's tricks when it comes to manipulation. Also the levels of dread that Sylvie made me feel was great. 2.5 out of 5 mostly due to the shortness of the book and the ending. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Stalking, Car accident, and Gaslighting

thegayestghost's review against another edition

dark sad tense 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Homophobia, Infertility, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, and Gaslighting

poisoned_icecream's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Miller is planning to marry her fiancée Florence. She has had to distance herself from her abusive mother, Sylvie. Unfortunately, Sylvie tracks Miller down and manages to persuade her to spend a weekend with her in a secluded cabin. Just like everything else I've read by Caitlin Marceau, this made me feel so much dread and fear each time I turned the page. Anyone who's ever had to grow up with a cruel and manipulative parent will relate to the events in this novella.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

deathbear's review

challenging dark tense fast-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

3.75

Everyone keep scrolling unless you are no contact with your narcissistic parent,



Hey friend,
Maybe skip this one.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Toxic relationship, Lesbophobia, and Gaslighting

makeitrhayne's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Confinement, Fatphobia, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Lesbophobia

hardella's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad 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

4.0

Okay so I loved this misery-esque thriller. I read it on a plane ride and it had be hooked the whole time. As someone who has worked in the anti-violence field with a focus on family violence it hit hard and nothing was surprising. 
My biggest issue with this book is the ending.

I get the goal was to be dark and mysterious. And I’m not mad at that. BUT when the main character is a good person experiencing trauma, I want a happy(at least happyish) ending. For example, the ending of Get Out is still wild and tense but the main character “wins” as he should. I wanted this for Miller too. Too many victim-survivors of domestic violence do not get a safe ending especially queer folks. I wanted to see Miller’s fiancée save her in the end.

Otherwise I think this was a great novella and the author did a fantastic job of writing a realistic and tense story.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Violence, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

vixenreader's review

dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

Note to self: listen to your gut instinct and never get into a car with your emotionally-abusive relatives. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Mental illness, Torture, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Eating disorder, Physical abuse, Sexism, Violence, Medical trauma, and Lesbophobia

Minor: Infertility and Car accident

Be warned, there is a dead body, controlling parental behaviour, dysfunctional familial relationships, and broken limbs.

cursivewolf's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Car accident, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

xwritingstoriesx's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Grief, Car accident, and Gaslighting

toofondofbooks_'s review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

3.5

This was delightfully spooky and made me feel just as trapped and confined as anyone would be in a cabin during a snowstorm. I love horror that plays with family dynamics and this really delivered. I do feel like I have some questions that didn't quite get answered that are nagging at me, and I feel that they could've been answered if this were a full length novel or even if there was an extra 20 pages, so that's what keeps me from rating it higher. overall a good time though!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Violence, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Alcohol