Reviews with content warning for Homophobia - Pieces of Her

This wasn’t the book for me. I genuinely did not care what happened to the characters in this, and it seemed very drawn out. It was hard to keep track of the characters and the book seemed very disjointed to me. The concept was interesting, I just didn’t connect with the story enough. I also thought the AIDS representation was a bit troubling.

Content Warnings

applejacksbooks's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0

As far as a thriller goes, this does its job, especially toward the beginning and the end. Overall, I think it was too long. The chapters are so long and I feel like the book could have been structured differently and it would have been a better impact. There was a good chunk of the book in the middle that was super bland compared to the rest of the book so I just have to rate it in the middle ground.

Content Warnings

bleepbloop's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous tense

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

4.0

pretty fun and cinematic

Content Warnings

cady_sass's review against another edition

Go to review page

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

Go to review page

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

Go to review page

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

dilani's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

This is the fourth book I’ve read from Karin Slaughter and she still manages to amaze me. The writing, characters, and plot always seem to suck me in. Like I’ve done before with her other books, I teared up at certain parts. Finding out Laura’s past was rough.

Are Slaughter’s books kinda messed up? Yes, but I keep eating it up. And I’ll continue to do so.

Also fuck Nick and Paula.

Content Warnings

rbblue's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Content Warnings

More...