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kaylee_kale's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Confinement, Kidnapping, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Mental illness, Kidnapping, and Abandonment
Minor: Grief, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting
....HOLY SHITfanboyriot's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Bullying, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Dementia, Stalking, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
Minor: Body shaming, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, and Kidnapping
itshrewsbury's review against another edition
3.0
Graphic: Animal death, Kidnapping, Murder, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Mental illness, Stalking, and Abandonment
Minor: Alcoholism
kitfkat's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Violence, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Body shaming, Mental illness, Dementia, Stalking, and Injury/Injury detail
karinreadsalot's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Kidnapping and Abandonment
Moderate: Mental illness and Toxic relationship
Minor: Death of parent and Murder
annamwallace66'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
4.25
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Dementia, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
stellabyproxy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Rachel Price has been missing for sixteen year and suddenly makes a reappearance, just as her daughter, Annabel Price — known as Bel — and family are filming a documentary about her disappearance. this reappearance brings with it many emotions of anger, sadness, joy and grief from Bel, who was abandoned in a car at only 2 years old on the day her mother was kidnapped. the shadows of family secrets and mysteries is a difficult place to grow up in, and as the lights (camera, bitch smile) are shone on this family, what seems to be a happy conclusion is only the beginning.
i enjoyed every second of seeing Bel messily navigate having her mother back, the scepticism surrounding her return, and the drama that came with it. from the shadows, she found her light, and beautifully blossomed. and her sleuthing similarities to Pip (AGGGTM) were nothing like i’d expected and more than i could’ve hoped for.
as a gnostic theist, i rarely bring religious lore into things, however to truly sum up this novel:
Luke 8:17
“For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light.”
Graphic: Kidnapping, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Dementia, and Murder
Minor: Infertility, Mental illness, Stalking, and Pregnancy
linnea1801's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Mental illness, Kidnapping, Murder, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
Moderate: Confinement, Eating disorder, Infertility, and Death of parent
bookcheshirecat's review against another edition
3.5
“Shit, yes, now you mention it, I’ve just suddenly remembered everything and solved the entire case, can you believe it? What a plot twist.”
➽ The Reappearance of Rachel Price is an intriguing mystery all about the reappearance of a missing person. Normally, it's all about someone disappearing and the characters chasing clues to find them. It was a nice subversion to have the person - in this case, Bel's mother Rachel Price - reappearing and causing a mystery about their whereabouts. Just when her family was filming a documentary about Rachel Price's unsolved disappearance, Bel is confronted with the reappearance of a mother she barely knows. She was still young when her mother vanished, so she barely remembers her. What's supposed to be a happy incident for the whole family quickly sours as Bel suspects her mother is lying about where she was and who took her.
➽ I loved the ominous atmosphere of having a practical stranger living in your house and uprooting your entire life. Bel doesn't trust Rachel and keeps carefully watching her for any slip-ups. She wants to believe her, but can't shake the insidious feeling that something isn't right. I loved the deep dive into Rachel's relationship with her daughter and her behavior after having been 'supposedly' abducted for years. The focus was on Bel's personal turmoil and complicated feelings toward her mother, whom she barely has any memories of. The atmosphere was good, as I felt Bel's unease and efforts to investigate Rachel without alerting her. She starts digging deeper into Rachel's past with the help of Ash, a part of the documentary's crew. I loved their interactions and investigation! Bel has issues trusting anyone to stay in her life, but Ash can be disarming and is willing to help her when most people believe she's grasping at straws.
➽ Unfortunately, the story was slow-paced and it took me a while to connect to the characters. I debated giving this a higher rating, but this paled in comparison to A Good Girl's Guide to Murder. The book felt like it could have been shorter, especially as it took a while for everything to fall into place. Some plot points like Bel and Ash's investigation were interesting, but I wish we'd seen more of their dynamic. In between their interactions, I felt like the story stagnated at times and the ending was suspenseful, but a bit rushed. It also took me some time to fully understand and connect to Bel. Some secondary characters like her cousin Carter and other family members remained one-dimensional. In the end, the book could have focused more on the documentary and Bel's investigation with Ash, as I felt like this was pushed into the background after some time.
Graphic: Confinement, Mental illness, Violence, Dementia, Kidnapping, Stalking, and Murder
Minor: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting
caitlinspeachyreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Miscarriage and Pandemic/Epidemic