Reviews tagging 'Ableism'

None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell

33 reviews

_chelseachelsea's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Sweet Bobby meets Making a Murderer in this thriller about a podcaster who finds herself interviewing a subject from hell.

First of all, if you’re going to read this book I CANNOT recommend enough that you listen to the audiobook. It is a PERFECT novel for this format, since the narratives are blended with clips from podcast recordings, news broadcasts, and interviews.

I was really impressed by the pacing of this book. Again, the audio format likely helped with this, but I never felt bored. The story drags a tiny bit in part two, but picks up very quickly in part three as it approaches its conclusion.

Perhaps the most impressive part of None of This is True was that it actually surprised me - not an easy feat when you’re a seasoned thriller fan. Though the tale of two women crossing paths and finding themselves irreversibly intertwined isn’t necessarily a - forgive me - novel idea, the podcast-host-turned-podcast-subject concept really adds a fresh twist. This is a story that would absolutely grip the nation if it really happened, but where a book about a true crime podcast could easily feel like a sermon on America’s obsession with violent programming, this one just feels fun. The protagonist is likable, but not perfect. The antagonist is diabolical, but difficult to loathe entirely. The twists are wild, but manage to stay just grounded enough. And the slightly ambiguous ending is intriguing, but doesn’t rob us of the closure we earned.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse

Moderate: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, and Abandonment

emmy_readz's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

2.0

What did I just listen to? Way too many uncomfortable handlings of sensitive topics like child grooming, sexual assault, mental disability, mental health, the list goes on and on. It's like Jewell was trying to be edgy by including certain aspects but instead came across with him victim blaming energy. Alix's kids were an afterthought, honestly not even sure why they were included other than to make the two MC kids go to the same school and connect them. I think we were supposed to be unsure of who to believe with the dual POV and making Josie have a semi sympathetic voice but it came across as pathetic and selfish. Whether you believe Josie or not her motivations don't make sense regardless. The multimedia aspect of the podcast made it interesting and the pace was great. The audiobook is definitely worth a listen as it has a full cast and gives you the full multimedia experience. With the hype this book and Jewell as an author has, I'm pretty disappointed.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Medical content, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

kayrenee521's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Alcoholism, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Stalking, and Murder

zaziitronik's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, and Murder

aphill27's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Stalking, and Murder

Moderate: Ableism

jmiles758's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Pandemic/Epidemic

nbreezy17's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Violence, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Murder, and Pandemic/Epidemic

judassilver's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective 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: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Moderate: Ableism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Sexual violence

Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic

candaaaace's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Murder

Moderate: Ableism and Rape

migalu23's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• 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

3.5

This was a cleverly told thriller, excellent pacing and the narrative structure was perfect for audiobook... but I found some of the characterisations extremely troubling.

I couldn't get past the framing of a paedophile as an unwitting victim, and the author seemed to let this character off the hook in the effort to convince the reader that the main antagonist was an evil sociopath. Similarly, the open ending was an interesting twist but it came at the cost of hinting towards harmful stereotypes about people with cognitive disabilities. And that's not to mention the portrayal of addiction...

Overall, a frustrating read/listen but admittedly one I had to finish.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Ableism, Alcoholism, Death, Emotional abuse, Incest, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship