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gwenswoons's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
lcm_xo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Blood, Grief, and Death of parent
mallory10100's review against another edition
- 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
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
shelfofunread's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Kidnapping, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Death, Violence, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Drug use, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
bookishgoob's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
readsandrants's review against another edition
4.0
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Drug use, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Minor: Vomit
theidlereader's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Death, Violence, Grief, Murder, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent
Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, Blood, Medical content, Car accident, and Fire/Fire injury
johneepixels7's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Riley Sager does a great job of transitioning from flashbacks to the present state, weaving them into the story in a natural manner. As a movie buff, I particularly enjoyed all the references to movies and 90s pop culture. The 90s setting is also important because smart phones aren’t a thing in this time, which means no “Find My Phone”, no easy way to call 9-1-1, and well, you get the idea.
The trope of the potential unreliable POV of the MC is alluded to early, which I unexpectedly welcomed — I think this trope is better upfront and known than to serve as a twist later on.
Even though it’s told in third person from Charlie’s perspective, you still feel her tension, her neurotic thoughts and fear. The revelations had me gasping aloud many a times. And sure, there are moments when her emotions can be over-the-top and back-and-forth, but I truly felt that this only enhanced the fact that it's who Charlie is as a person.
Other than the main plot, the author introduces some backstories and occasionally POV chapters from other characters, which I think helps mix up the otherwise straightforward storyline and also adds a needed depth to the reason why the characters react and do what they do, which I appreciate.
I loved how the book kept me guessing, and at the edge of my (car) seat (I can say that since I read this while at a cottage and couldn't put it down when we would take trips to pick up food!). I would definitely recommend it to other thriller readers, people who like horror tropes, and anyone who enjoys a good trip back to the 90s.
The ending was alright. I won't reveal much because of spoilers but I felt like I wanted a little more and it fell just a touch short. It wasn't terrible but it was enough to bring my otherwise 5 star rating down to a 4. Still, it was an awesome and fun read!
TW: Gaslighting, Murder, Parental Death, Medicine/Drug Usage, Suicide
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Death, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
Minor: Drug use