A review by emilyepew
Those Girls by Chevy Stevens

dark emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

While this was a good book, I don't think it is responsible of me to give it more than 3 stars. The main reason for this is that even though it uses the whole "past coming back to haunt them" trope, the way this is done feels somewhat irresponsible and exploitative. The past that comes back to haunt our three main characters is
murdering their abusive father, then being captured and brutally sexually assaulted. Eventually, one of the sisters and her niece end up being re-captured and assaulted by the same men in the same town, which ends with the sister being murdered by one of the men
. 

All of this feels extremely like an irresponsible way to use this typical thriller trope. Their victimization history should not be used this way. It should not be framed as something that will catch up with them eventually. And to put them in a situation to make the same decisions and lead them back to that situation feels like a lazy way to engage with the idea of being re-victimized. 

Overall, while I understand what the book is trying to do, I feel like it was done irresponsibly.
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