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A review by egbella
No Accident by Laura Bates
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
I'm giving this a generous two stars because the first 50-75% was genuinely interesting to me. I enjoyed the survival/thriller/mystery focus, and wanted to know what was going to happen to the teens. My desire to learn more about them kept me listening (I listened to the audiobook) even though the language and some of the content made me uncomfortable.
That said, the ending ruined this for me. I started listening to this audiobook because I needed something available right away and free to listen to while cleaning, and this was one of the first intriguing ones I found on Libby. Had I done any research into the author, I would have realized this probably wasn't my cup of tea. That's on me. Now knowing the author is a non-fiction writer that focuses on sexual assault and other such topics makes so much sense.
The entire ending made me feel icky. All of a sudden, the story's focus turned almost completely away from the thriller/survival aspect, and turned into a long, preachy last few chapters about women and their sexual trauma at the hands of men. I understand the heart behind it, I really do, but this was not the right backdrop for it at all. I felt cheated by the set-up and the following way-too-easy ending, and no longer cared for a single one of the characters. Instead of taking away a powerful message about assault, I carried away from this story disjointed messages about revenge, not taking accountability for causing others (intentional and unintentional) pain, abuse, and refusing to stand up for others and yourself.
Overall, super disappointed in how this turned out, especially after the beginning left me with high hopes. I can't recommend this.
CW: frequent strong language, sexual innuendos and topics (r*** was a major, much-discussed one), fairly descriptive injuries and wounds, mentions of abuse, "off-screen" death.
That said, the ending ruined this for me. I started listening to this audiobook because I needed something available right away and free to listen to while cleaning, and this was one of the first intriguing ones I found on Libby. Had I done any research into the author, I would have realized this probably wasn't my cup of tea. That's on me. Now knowing the author is a non-fiction writer that focuses on sexual assault and other such topics makes so much sense.
The entire ending made me feel icky. All of a sudden, the story's focus turned almost completely away from the thriller/survival aspect, and turned into a long, preachy last few chapters about women and their sexual trauma at the hands of men. I understand the heart behind it, I really do, but this was not the right backdrop for it at all. I felt cheated by the set-up and the following way-too-easy ending, and no longer cared for a single one of the characters. Instead of taking away a powerful message about assault, I carried away from this story disjointed messages about revenge, not taking accountability for causing others (intentional and unintentional) pain, abuse, and refusing to stand up for others and yourself.
Overall, super disappointed in how this turned out, especially after the beginning left me with high hopes. I can't recommend this.
CW: frequent strong language, sexual innuendos and topics (r*** was a major, much-discussed one), fairly descriptive injuries and wounds, mentions of abuse, "off-screen" death.