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mallory10100's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
oh my GOD????
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Body shaming
dollhousebooks's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-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
3.5
Riley Sager is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. While this wasn't my favorite book of theirs, I still really enjoyed it. I mean, I ended up reading this in half a day because I was so intrigued!!!
I've seen a lot of critiques on how this story didn't feel very realistic, and there was a lack of common sense in the characters, which I can see to an extent; I think thrillers/horror-thrillers don't need to be realistic to be twisty, fun, and terrifying though!
I found Charlie to be annoying, but that's because I dislike cinephiles like her. Classics don't necessarily equate to quality which is often what those film bros and movie fanatics believe, which is rather grating. But other than that, I liked her "plucky" character despite all she was going through emotionally and mentally. The end was pretty great, too. I liked the hint of romance to solidify a semi-happy ending!
All in all, 3.5 stars.
I've seen a lot of critiques on how this story didn't feel very realistic, and there was a lack of common sense in the characters, which I can see to an extent; I think thrillers/horror-thrillers don't need to be realistic to be twisty, fun, and terrifying though!
I found Charlie to be annoying, but that's because I dislike cinephiles like her. Classics don't necessarily equate to quality which is often what those film bros and movie fanatics believe, which is rather grating. But other than that, I liked her "plucky" character despite all she was going through emotionally and mentally. The end was pretty great, too. I liked the hint of romance to solidify a semi-happy ending!
All in all, 3.5 stars.
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Child death and Death of parent
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