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wondernaut55's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Strong Points: Characters, compelling setup, intrapersonal relationships, and themes
Weak Points: Not really many stakes to stick to the mystery until we got to a little past the halfway point - if we’re breaking this up into 4 acts, act 2 bogged down pretty quickly, and act 3 started strong but like a rollercoaster it dropped hard. I also felt like our villain’s motive was pretty weak and didnt unravel the mystery in the most satisfying way. However, the theme carried that on its back, and I loved the wrap-up for it.
Graphic: Violence, Drug use, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Kidnapping, Confinement, Torture, Cursing, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Dementia, Stalking, Death, Alcoholism, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Body shaming, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Murder, and Physical abuse
kassidyreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Gaslighting
Moderate: Kidnapping, Dementia, Violence, Abandonment, Murder, and Confinement
Minor: Body shaming and Stalking
thevanessa's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Violence, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Murder, Abandonment, Cursing, Emotional abuse, and Stalking
Moderate: Blood and Violence
Minor: Death of parent, Body shaming, Injury/Injury detail, and Alcohol
sophiesometimesreads's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
I didn't pick much of the nitty gritty details (and most of the time when I did it was two pages before it was revealed in text). Some of the overarching details I did get, but I was questioning myself the whole time, and there was one reveal that really shocked me but made sense when looking back, so that was fun. I was hoping for a little more of a shocking reveal for a five star read, but there were components that shocked me so I wasn't disappointed, just felt like there was a little room for more shocking details or a big twist to the overarching narrative. In saying this, all the loose ends were tied up one way or another which is something I really appreciate about Holly Jackson's novels. Even the red herrings were explained away.
A lot of the characters are unlikeable, so if that's not your think you might not enjoy this, but I thought it made for an interesting dynamic between them all. Bel did get a bit frustrating at times, but it wasn't enough for me to hate her or to feel as if I didn't want to keep reading. I did feel like her character development happened a little quickly at the end though, and could've been fleshed out a little more, particulalry given the length of the novel, but it was still good to see how her character changed and grew across this novel.
Overall, I really enjoyed my time with this and if you like HJ's other novels, I'm sure you'll also like this one!
Graphic: Death, Kidnapping, Abandonment, Stalking, and Dementia
Moderate: Pregnancy, Emotional abuse, and Murder
Minor: Eating disorder
theoceanrose's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Moderate: Kidnapping and Gaslighting
Minor: Death, Murder, Blood, and Violence
siennaflynn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Violence, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Murder, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Death, Cursing, Stalking, Kidnapping, Gaslighting, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Abandonment, Pregnancy, Grief, and Blood
Minor: Infertility, Death of parent, Torture, Misogyny, Medical content, Mental illness, and Bullying
s_green217's review against another edition
- 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
2.5
Graphic: Death, Violence, Grief, Murder, and Dementia
rhiwind93's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Abandonment, Kidnapping, Murder, Violence, and Emotional abuse
fuzzy_fairy's review against another edition
- 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
3.25
Graphic: Kidnapping, Confinement, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Moderate: Dementia and Murder
bridget_magpie's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Gaslighting
Moderate: Cursing, Abandonment, Death, Kidnapping, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Dementia, and Murder
Minor: Bullying, Grief, Physical abuse, Violence, Stalking, and Pregnancy