Reviews with content warning for Emotional abuse - Pieces of Her

One of the least brutal (?) of the Slaughter's book, but nonetheless intriguing and suspenseful.

The novel goes between Jane and Andrea, who tries to discover her mother's true identity that caused her to go on the run. Andrea's growth was refreshing and cathartic to witness as it comes to light in the climax. And Jane's story intertwines with Andrea's backstory well.

The plot twists were predictable and didn't have the gut punch like Pretty Girls (rip it out of my cold dead hands that this is one of Slaughter's greatest books). However, it was done in a masterful and emotional way that I let it slide.

I was blind sided when Slaughter released a sequel to this novel so NOW I gotta go and read it. But, I am very excited for what she puts next for Andrea.

4 /5 B-

Content Warnings

triple_m's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced

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

3.75

It took me a while to get into it and I thought the first time jump to the past and the Jane/Laura perspective was confusing. I’m glad I kept going though because it was really good and a really solid thriller.

Sometimes Andy was a bit frustrating like I just wanted to shake her and tell her to make better decisions haha but she was still likable. Hated her and Alabama though.

Content Warnings

cady_sass's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.75

Another expertly written thriller from Karin Slaughter, who I think may be one of my favorite authors at this point. If you’re looking for something like “Pretty Girls” this isn’t that- so I understand why people give this a lower rating but I don’t think it’s fair. This isn’t supposed to be something that keeps you guessing or something that has a lot of very surprising twists, not that there aren’t twists or surprises, but the backstory/explanation slowly unfolds through a series of thrilling events and when you get to the climax of the story you had already seen it coming and you can’t look away.
I’m a sucker for a good true crime/cult vibe and this is the perfect mixture. The story is told between two perspectives, present day Andrea and her mother Laura in the wake of a horrific public shooting they found themselves in the middle of, and the story of Jane and a group of friends in the early 80s unwittingly recruited into a extremist activist group that spirals out of control in the wake of one of their members acting impulsively off-plan. The two stories slowly weave their way closer to each other and converge, with many twists and turns along the way.
As with every Karin Slaughter novel, the list of trigger warnings is EXTENSIVE so be mindful before picking it up.

Edited to add: I had no idea that the author was choosing to continue Andrea’s story in her upcoming novel, which I had already unknowingly ordered in my BOTM! Can’t wait to see how this story continues

Content Warnings

cassiereadsbooks_'s review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Content Warnings

booksbytheglass's review

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

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

3.0

I’ve been putting off reading this one for what seems like years (most likely approx 6 months) due to the mixed reviews floating around

and now, I can firmly say … I also have mixed thoughts 😅🙃🫣

after watching her mother take down a shooter at a diner with ninja like style, andrea is on the run and looking for answers - and honestly so was I

such as, how can I train to become such to be a badass who doesn’t even flinch when a knife goes through her hand 😨😨😨

ANYWAY the plot line moved glacier slow, and at one point, I seriously debated if finding the answers was worth 500 pages. spoiler: it’s not really.

I wasn’t expecting where the story ended up at all, but I enjoyed the natural progression of all of the characters from the past and into present day. however, the big “master mind” reveal at the end of the book seemed super cheap and predictable 😒

especially because the author spent almost the entire book claiming how brainless this character was …

while I am glad I read this one before picking up GIRL, FORGOTTEN, I definitely wouldn’t recommend it unless you’re reallyyyyy into a slow burn thriller 🫣 it was just a meh conclusion to wrap up a meh storyline

rating: 3 stars
wine pairing: montréal riesling

Content Warnings

kvoss93's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Content Warnings

erica_reads_things's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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

4.75

Really great, exciting read. Kept me guessing and ended up being a really interesting plot and much more below th surface the more you read.

Towards the end, the authors tone while discussing domestic violence themes was a bit off putting. Though I understand that it was from the perspective of the narrator, it still threw me off. I wish that the main characters talked less about the blame for their own "choices" and more about the incredibly intense manipulation and coercion that lewd to those "choices". Are they really choices at all then?

All in all this was a great read and I will be diving into more of Karin Slaughter's books in the future.

Content Warnings

bgoodbookclub's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.5

This book was decent and I think the speed is what made it a 3.5 for me. It was super dense and hard to capture my attention because the background was so dense and thick. I am very interested to watch the Netflix show because I do believe that it will be easier to watch than to read.

I feel like if trigger/content warnings for Karin Slaughter books was a multiple choice question, the answer would be all of the above.

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