Reviews tagging 'Grief'

The Return by Rachel Harrison

24 reviews

um_nic6's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.5

Just too slow, but incredibly creepy. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Blood, Grief, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Confinement, Death, and Gaslighting

randilion28's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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? Yes

4.0

I would rate this a 4 star simply because I haven't read anything like it before. It was a quick and easy read. It is really a story of friendships and how beautiful and tough to navigate they are. One of four friends goes missing for two years and shows up without remembering the last two years, so she says, and her friends notice she isn't the same friend they lost two years ago, even though she has a lot of the same qualities, they know something is wrong. The only complaint I have is when you find out what happened to her, they just don't give enough of an explanation and you're left thinking, well WTF. Maybe that was on purpose? It is set in October so definitely a fun read for this month, and again, it has plot that I've never read before so I thoroughly enjoyed it minus the details in the end. If you want something quick, easy to read about friendships and monsters - definitely recommend picking this up. 

Also, because I didn't recognize her name at first, this author wrote "Such Sharp Teeth" and I've read great things about it and have had it on my TBR for a while now. Enjoy! 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Death, Eating disorder, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Cannibalism, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

jillaay_h's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

aparker89's review

dark emotional 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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Cancer, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Stalking, Murder, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

freemakd's review

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Eating disorder, Gore, Toxic relationship, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

shaunashares's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad fast-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Blood, and Alcohol

Moderate: Animal death, Death, Eating disorder, Vomit, and Grief

atmissv's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror

Moderate: Death, Violence, and Grief

Minor: Toxic friendship

cursivewolf's review

dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

actually had me weeping.
grief and guilt are both monsters

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Eating disorder, Gore, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism, Car accident, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Vomit

Minor: Cancer and Eating disorder

heypretty52's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror

Minor: Cancer, Death, Eating disorder, Gore, Infidelity, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, and Death of parent

slimepuppy's review against another edition

dark 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

4.5

Oh, this one was a gut punch, simultaneously scary and so, so sad. The definitive "sometimes dead is better" book.

The body horror is genuinely disgusting and disturbing, and I'm not someone who is usually fazed by it. The beginning of the book builds such an oppressive atmosphere, you can't help but start to feel like Elise's growing paranoia is spreading to you, too.

The characters are complex, multidimensional and flawed while still retaining enough of a charm that shows why they're friends.

My only complaint really is the very ending of the book - I wish we got more of an exploration of everyone's feelings and a real conversation between the characters instead of them simply acknowledging that they do, in fact, have feelings - it doesn't really seem like things changed between the girls, even if they say it did.

Also wtf did the authorities do about the hotel L O L ?????? 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Blood, and Grief

Moderate: Addiction, Cancer, Eating disorder, Gore, Vomit, Death of parent, and Alcohol