Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

When No One Is Watching by Alyssa Cole

44 reviews

morganeua's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-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? Yes

4.5

This book was so surprisingly good. I don't usually give a thriller more than 4 stars, but this book really had it all. It took a LONG time to develop the thriller aspects and I actually really appreciated that. Because when we finally figure out what's going on, it feels really impactful and heavy. The information withheld from the reader felt purposeful and was not annoying. I really didn't know which direction they plot was going to go in, but everything wraps up so convincingly. I'm amazed that this book doesn't use any magical realism or sci-fi, etc. but pulls off such an intense central conflict grounded in science, politics, and social issues. And the central romance was worth reading alone! The twists and turns in the romance were better than some actual romance novels I've read. I also felt like I learned something about my own world and society. Definite recommend!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Racism, and Murder

bringitona's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Racism, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Alcoholism, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Slavery, Terminal illness, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and Alcohol

Minor: Addiction, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism

callidoralblack's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infidelity, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Cancer, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Slavery, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Stalking, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, and Deportation

brennahbrown's review against another edition

informative 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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racism, Violence, and Police brutality

Moderate: Domestic abuse

katelynprice's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

I really think this would be most enjoyable if you go into the book completely blind. I knew too much to appreciate it at its fullest, but that is not the fault of the author. The first 40% was steady, if not slow, but the pace really picked up toward the end. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Sexual content

Moderate: Gun violence

Minor: Cursing, Domestic abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Forced institutionalization, and Medical content

yourbookishbff's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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

4.0

When the reality of gentrification is a horror story, it makes a compelling premise for a thriller. Cole weaves together a story that should feel impossibly evil and calculated, but every time the reader is tempted to think so, she points again to history - it happened here, and here, and here. I enjoyed the dual POV, and Cole's use of Theo's narrative helps to highlight the advantages white people - even in abject poverty - have over Black people and other people of color. Sydney's narrative, meanwhile, is the haunting reminder that the abuse of - and gaslighting of - Black women is far from fiction. My only challenge in this was the pacing in the first half - I struggled to stay invested - and some dialogue that felt flat toward the end and lessened the emotional impact. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Murder, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Classism

legs_n_chins's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The foremost praise — not the only, of course, just the first that popped into my head — I can give this book is that the first person POV wasn’t jarring at all. I haven’t read first person in so long that normally it takes me a while to get used to, or sometimes unfortunately turns me off entirely, but I barely even noticed with this book. It’s so thoroughly engaging, and the POV works really well for the story.

I think this was a very well done mystery-thriller. It kept up a good pace, rolling out all the information steadily without leaving me hanging or feeling like too much was dumped at once all of a sudden. It wasn’t exactly about trying to figure out the answer so much as how everything was connected and what exactly was happening, and I think the author did a good job with that. We know from the start there’s something sinister, but I liked how she gave it more depth and clarity as the story progressed. I liked the characters, though Theo felt a little less explored (and a little more fantastical - some suspension of disbelief required on my part, I felt) than Sydney, and I think even the side characters were really written well and given a lot of thought and care. The story itself was compelling and very freaky, especially with the interplay of the real lived experiences of black people in America. I also really liked the real pieces of history the author worked in, I thought that was very cool.

While I think it’s a very solid story with a good wrap up, I did feel that the final quarter of the book was a bit weaker. I felt like there were a few too many “gotcha” scenes that were tense for all of a few pages before smoothing out very quickly. I get why they happened, to help finish explaining things or tie a couple final events together, but they took me out of it a little because it felt like artificial tension made up just for an extra jolt in the last few scenes. A couple stylistic choices in the writing also didn’t always work for me, but I think that’s down to preference. Some word choices or phrasing took me out for a sentence or two, but very easily looked past as the writing style was overall very good and engaging.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Gun violence, Racism, Violence, and Police brutality

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, and Alcohol

clarkg's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.75

When No One Is Watching is unsettling, grotesque, and and believable. Drawing from the real-life horrors of gentrification and medical abuse, this thriller is a stomach-churning exploration of how Whiteness and corporate greed act as predatory forces in marginalized communities. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Gun violence, Racism, Torture, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Stalking, Murder, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Death of parent, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Colonisation

Minor: Infidelity and Fire/Fire injury

helloiloveyellow's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

engrossing thriller rooted in history, Get Out meets gentrification 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Addiction, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Classism

vaguely_pink's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Racism, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Murder, Gaslighting, and Classism

Moderate: Addiction, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, and Alcohol

Minor: Animal cruelty, Cancer, Chronic illness, Confinement, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Medical content, Dementia, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, Abandonment, Colonisation, and Deportation