Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

The Sinner by Shantel Tessier

45 reviews

alex_bousquet's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and Alcohol

kpress15's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

2.5

This was sex with a sprinkle of plot. It also just felt like one bad thing after another happened to our FMC. I wanted to like it more. - the spice was spicy! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

mana_reads's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Pedophilia, Torture, and Vomit

Minor: Infidelity, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, and Gaslighting

hereiskyra's review against another edition

challenging 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? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.5

 Once again, off to a wild start and it barely slowed down. Sin wasn’t your typical MMC. It took a lot longer to warm up to him than I anticipated. I liked Elli a lot sooner, though. She was the definition of damaged and had a really rich, albeit traumatic, backstory. 

I felt a lot more emotionally for Elli and all the ways in which she suffered through her childhood and young adulthood. I can’t imagine a lot of women would be able to function if they had gone through some of the things she had. Not that she was “thriving” or anything, I mean she had some terrible coping mechanisms and surrounded herself with some of the most toxic people… but she was able to maintain some relationships and she still managed to live her life. 

Honestly, I feel like the way Sin handled her wasn’t what we normally see with victims like Elli. Usually we see them healing and being shown a healthy love… instead this was more toxic love and “push through the pain” vibes rather than any healing. Sin loved her the only way he could and that looked different. But I will say, he absolutely accepted her the way she was and didn’t try to change a thing about her. 

There were a lot of characters that absolutely sucked but her mother deserved a special place in hell. I love the element of revenge and that Sin made sure everyone got what was coming to them in one way or another, whether that be death or torture. 

I’m not sure how Sin and Elli got to a healthy enough place to have a family so quickly but I loved that 18 year check-in. It’s always satisfying to see a conclusion and happy ending for characters who’ve been through so much to get there. 

Tropes: 

Obsessed MMC
Stalker/Secret Identity

Best Friends Brother

College Secret Society

Touch Her and Die

Kinks/BDSM

Spice:

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

alis143's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

drjenn's review against another edition

challenging dark

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

avarlow's review against another edition

challenging mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

2.0

I feel like the series has the potential to balance smut and plot but this book did not do that very well. I fount the smut to be overly distracting in a lot of scenes as if it didn’t really belong but was just put in anyway. I did think the plot was pretty interesting and is what ultimately lead me to finishing the book. I feel with the first book kept me guessing a bit more where as this one was a bit more predictable.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and Alcohol

trikh's review against another edition

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? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Definitely a deal book but not the darkest I’ve read. Definitely check your TW when it comes to this book! but overall like Shantel Tessier’s other books amazing. But I’m not a surprise pregnancy plot kinda girl so for that I give it a 4.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug use, Gore, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Blood, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Alcohol

amanda_reads13's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

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

1.0

Sin has been obsessed with Ellie for 
years and already claims her as his.  But she is promised to another.

This book is very dark and incredibly unhinged, so check the TW before starting (it's a long list).

Ellie has been through hell and back. She is convinced that she deserves all the bad things that happen to her and eventually just accepts that this is her lot in life. I really wanted to see her get her revenge and in a round about what she does, but I wanted her to be the one to light the match. She has been groomed by most of the men in her life and is SA a lot... Even by Sin who apparently "loves" her. (It's not CNC, it's R@pe). It honestly feels like Sin is just continuing her grooming- he never using a safe word, ignores her pain, tries to control her, r@pes, and just keeps damaging this poor girl. 

Sin believes Ellie is his, yet he can never quite keep her safe. With all the cameras and stalking, you think he would be able to protect her better. He is the typical sadistic, obsessive, possessive, and unhinged MC with the personality of a wet blanket. Frankly, he is not likable or redeeming at all. 

Tropes: stalker, dark, college, forbidden, secret society

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

emptzuu's review against another edition

This book is inaccurately labeled as BDSM when it actually depicts abuse. There's a glaring absence of safe words or explicit consent throughout. Merely interpreting physical arousal as consent is not only misleading but dangerous. Physical responses do not equate to pleasure, let alone consent. The trigger warnings provided are inaccurate and incomplete. Romanticizing rape and calling it dark romance is inappropriate and trivializes a serious issue. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, and Gaslighting