Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

How to Kill Your Family by Bella Mackie

204 reviews

kateea7536's review against another edition

dark funny 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

This is definitely a one of a kind read! A very dark plot but incredibly funny writing, with a complicated loveable main character (somehow!). Loved the twists and turns of the plot. Would have loved for Grace’s voice to be heard last in the book, but otherwise I was gripped! Really loved the takes on feminism and social issues and class dynamics that were weaved into the book. Very powerful

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Torture, Violence, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

bellsdixon's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious tense fast-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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, and Classism

Moderate: Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Stalking, Car accident, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Classism

izzyheal's review against another edition

dark 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

2.25

This was a chore to get through - the story had promise and I was gripped at points but the charm eventually wore off.

- The main character was insufferable (I know she wasn’t meant to be likeable), her rants became tedious and annoying instead of cool and insightful, and when a character was introduced in the last few chapters who was equally rambling I could not care. 
- The ‘class’ commentary was surface level
- The final act ‘twist’ was frustrating and immersion-breaking
- The formatting and chronology was all over the place I felt lost and was often checking to see how many pages I had left.
- I did quite like the murder chapters, they felt like the most thought out sections but I hated the jumping around when

Caro

was introduced - also I feel like I missed something cos

how did Bryony die???

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Sexual violence, Violence, Car accident, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Classism

Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Eating disorder

brooklynjane's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

Grace is a totally shitty, painful and despicable human, but I was somehow rooting her her success in her plans. I found her funny, and I found her inner mind intriguing: the way that she was able to manipulate the world to fit her views, and how she was able to look at other people's wrongs and often not her own.

I didn't love the ending, I appreciated what it was trying to do but it just left me furious on Grace's behalf.

I would've liked it if her brother had given her some money at least, but I guess it really shows that the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree.

I would've rated it higher with a different ending, but it was still enjoyable.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Drug abuse, Death of parent, Murder, and Classism

sadiaa's review against another edition

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Incest, Infidelity, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, and Alcohol

inkspren's review against another edition

dark funny inspiring fast-paced

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

4.0

This was a very entertaining read, but the ending annoyed me to no ends. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Death of parent

rhiannekx's review against another edition

dark emotional funny tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Minor: Alcoholism, Death, Drug use, Suicide, and Death of parent

sharknadolover's review against another edition

slow-paced

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

0.25

I’ve just finished, and I am raging that I wasted my time on this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Murder

thebookaddict's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

Dit boek was niet wat ik had verwacht. Je leest het verhaal van Grace en hoe zij haar moorden heeft gepleegd en hoe ze uiteindelijk in de gevangenis beland. Ik vond het jammer dat je al wist dat ze al deze moorden gepleegd had, zo ging er toch iets van verhaallijn verloren. De moorden zelf waren heel goed uitgedacht en origineel. Ik heb ook nog niet eerder zoiets gelezen. Het is eng om te bedenken dat zoiets uit het brein van een auteur komt, de moorden paste zo goed bij de slachtoffers. De manier van schrijven was echt alsof je het dagboek las van iemand. Wel vond ik dat het einde nog ietsjes langer had gekund. Ik had haar reactie op "de brief" wel willen lezen en ik had willen weten hoe haar leven was na de gevangenis. De brief op het einde was ook een mooi origineel plot dat precies hij het verhaal paste. De puzzelstukjes vielen op hun plaats.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, and Alcohol

snowiceblackfruit77's review against another edition

dark funny 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

I could only finish this book because I continued reading it through audiobook. The Main character was okay, her motive for killing her family was if you see it from her point of few understandable. No one in this book is likable, that is okay a good book doesn’t need likable characters. At the End I had to read it with 2 x speed because I wanted to get it over with. I usually like these kind of books, but this didn’t do anything for me. Well the MC was funny at times. 


Even if I didn’t enjoy this book that much. I think it would be enjoyable for other readers.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Cancer, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Classism