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butilikeit's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Drug use, Alcohol, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Sexual content, Medical content, Abandonment, and Pedophilia
minimicropup's review against another edition
- 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
Main POVs: 👌
-a parent with a 12 and 13 year old who is kind but distracted and exhausted, dealing with the hospitalization of their spouse who has paranoid schizophrenia
-a parent with one preteen and two teens who is well-meaning in homeschooling and insulating their family from the world, but results in them letting their guard down and missing glaring red flags. They are lenient with the hopes of their children growing up to be unashamedly their true selves…but they have never considered if those true selves may be rotten ones
-a 12 year old younger sibling who is observant, intuitive, and unfailingly loyal to their family but suspicious of strangers
Reading Journey: 👌
Riding through the neighbourhood in a golf cart on a crisp, relaxing summer day.Â
Show’n’tell: 👌 Perfect show - I wasn’t just in the characters heads I briefly became them. Includes a little map of the park and houses.Â
Great match if you like:
-neighbourhood mysteries
-dark cozy mysteryÂ
-coming-of-age drama
-nostalgic summer energy
-people giving off creepy vibes behind closed doors
-teens behaving badly
Vibes: 🙂😲ðŸ¤
Format: Kindle Unlimited
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Medical content
Minor: Drug use, Sexual content, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Forced institutionalization, and Alcoholism
Medical content is related to diabetes and paranoid schizophrenia. Adult/minor relationships are inferred and suspectedgemin1reader's review against another edition
2.75
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Sexual content, Drug abuse, and Alcohol
Minor: Infidelity and Sexual assault
rinnfoskey's review against another edition
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
1.5
I did find it interesting the use of flashback so you first read of the incident that happened, then flashback and work your way to the present so it makes you consider each character with suspicion.
<Spoiler>
 The plot revolves around a 13 year old girl who is found in a communal garden in a coma with her shirt pulled up and pants pulled down. The novel then flashes back and tells you the story up to the present. There are suspicions and descriptions of inappropriate behaviour from 18 year old with 13 year old, and a father man who grabs and leers at all the women (in the past).Â
Ultimately the plot/resolution is a love triangle but with the 13 year olds. I found the sexual activity descriptions of such young characters particularly against the suspicions of paedophilia uncomfortable. The lift scene being a prime example... I don't think it was either pushing the boundary of comfort to really explore coming of age and sexual maturity, etc. I felt more like it was just used as plot tool and I think with these types of stories you really have to be careful. Â
Also the girl who is found, her sister and her mom moved to the garden because their father is schizophrenic and has an episode where he burns their house down. While it provides a compelling back story, again I don't know if it was approached in the best way. Though he is in hospital, is treated and ultimately released it does come across as "you can never really trust mentally ill folks to not try and kill you!'
Graphic: Forced institutionalization and Mental illness
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Infidelity, Medical content, Pedophilia, and Sexual content