baraya'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
3.25
Moderate: Grief, Violence, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Child death, Murder, Physical abuse, Drug use, Sexual harassment, Death, Drug abuse, Gun violence, and Sexual assault
pagesihavenotyetread's review
- 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
Moderate: Death, Alcohol, Child abuse, Child death, Grief, Murder, Sexual assault, Cursing, Pedophilia, Abandonment, Addiction, Alcoholism, Blood, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Rape
robin_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Check TW/CW before reading this.
It’s heavy on the topics of revenge in connection with grief and sexually abused children.
It left me feeling angry and sad.
Graphic: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Child abuse
Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Murder, and Sexual assault
Minor: Cancer
cjreadstoomuch's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Grief, Sexual assault, Addiction, Death, Murder, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Drug abuse, and Emotional abuse
vincentedward16's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Alcoholism, Grief, Murder, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Drug abuse, and Child death
Moderate: Death, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Car accident
violabaldwin's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Pedophilia, Drug abuse, Violence, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Murder, Addiction, Rape, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Child death, and Cursing
nikkiahaley'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
5.0
This is the type of book that makes you want to scream for the characters, many got dealt a bad hand and are dealing with the aftermath of their choices and many are pieces of shits who deserve to get curb stomped. I think that is something that full cast audiobook adds. The podcaster we follow we get to know, we learn his motivations, the things that he is struggling with. We hear Sadie's inner monologue and her pain for her sister. We hear maybeth saying "not another dead girl".
This book is going to put me in a book hangover. Everyone should read this.
Graphic: Murder, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, and Violence
cdelgado88284's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Death, Child death, Cursing, Grief, Sexual assault, Alcoholism, Blood, Child abuse, Addiction, Murder, and Rape
sarah_shelf's review against another edition
4.0
This book is described like a mystery, but it’s really not about that at all. At least not in the way I think of traditional mysteries. The narrative is told from the perspective of Sadie searching for her little sister Mattie’s killer and from Wes McCray a podcast journalist who has picked up Sadie’s story after she has gone missing. The general whodunit and why that I was expecting isn’t really a part of it. Sadie knows what happened (even if it takes a while for her to explain that to us) and Wes’ investigation is largely parallel and two steps behind Sadie’s journey. Rather, the focus is on the sisters’ relationship: how much Sadie loves Mattie as well as the things she is willing to do for that love because no one else will.
I was not prepared for the monster Keith/Darren/Jack was. (Seriously check the content warnings. I was caught off guard and even more unsettled because of it). So much of Sadie’s journey involves the effects and reactions to his abuse, which is never fully described on the page. Instead we get disturbing flashback scenes of creepy behavior, the emotional turmoil of the evidence he and Silas kept, as well as testimonies from a host of characters who thought they were great guys. All of that makes this so much more real because “girls go missing all the time” but rarely are we forced into the true aftermath of these stories.
There was no other way to end this book. Apparently the ending is contentious, and I get that because usually such an open-ending feels unfinished and unsatisfying, but it would have hurt the story to do things differently.
Moderate: Grief, Death, and Child death
Minor: Sexual violence, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Alcohol, Murder, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
michelle_my_belle's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Murder, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Violence, Ableism, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Child death, Death, Death of parent, and Grief
Moderate: Drug abuse and Drug use
Minor: Bullying