Reviews with content warning for Child abuse - Sharp Objects

i felt like the plot slowed in the middle but i was definitely interested throughout. i couldn’t really put it down by the time i reached the last third of the book. the narrator isn’t perfect but you definitely felt bad for her and could understand why her judgment was clouded and she kept making poor decisions.

i do feel like it took Camille too long to come to terms with her mother’s abuse when it was so overt to the reader. the twist of it being her sister at the end was really good though. i felt like it was done when her mother was arrested but i was completely shocked it was Amma and her friends who killed those two girls! i thought she was simple apathetic from her own trauma from their mother.

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onyxem's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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? Yes

2.75

Hmm… how do I explain what I feel about Sharp Objects?

First of all, this is my second Gillian Flynn novel, the first one I read being Gone Girl- which I very much enjoyed. What made Sharp Objects less enjoyable for me personally was the setting and the characters. This setting was, for me, an extremely unlikeable town with extremely unlikeable and sometimes unbelievable/unrealistic characters. For example, Amma, who is 13 in the story, doesn’t act 13 at all- and neither do the other children in the story- so much so that I had to remind myself how old they were. The southern atmosphere filled with selfish, deplorable, disgusting characters led me to not being able to relate and in turn, not deeply connect with ANY of the characters in this story. I realize Flynn’s intent was most likely what I’m describing- to disgust the reader and unsettle- which I most definitely was. However, the more I think about it, the more I feel that if I was able to connect with the characters more or the setting more, I’d be more affected by the thrilling aspects of the story or more invested in the ending. Instead, I was rather just left with a bad taste in my mouth. Personal preference here- but I felt the romance was rather unnecessary as well as the sexual aspects of the story.

I realize I’m being rather critical in this review, so I don’t want to downplay Flynn’s magnificent, descriptive writing style. Part of the reason I am able to feel so disgusted and impacted by this story is because of her detailed writing and descriptive nature. I feel like she has a talent for getting readers invested, even if they might not like the setting or characters. Finally, I was able to pretty much guess the plot twists at the end- but I was invested enough to be entertained on the journey. Overall, I land on 2.75 stars ⭐️.

I’ll still most definitely check out Dark Places, because I’d like a chance to once again enjoy Flynn’s writing while also enjoying the characters and setting more than I did in Sharp Objects.

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andrea_lachance's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Sue me I think the show is a smidge better. Thoroughly enjoyed this book, can wait to buy a copy and annotate it on second read.

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vistacanas's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

“She’d always been one of those types of girls who wanted what anyone else had even if she didn’t want it.”

Gone Girl was a favorite so I was excited to read this book. It was good, but not as good as Gillian Flynn’s masterpiece.

This one was a bit overdone, I thought. And, definitely more predictable. That being said, “more predictable” for Gillian is still far less predictable than other authors. This was still a fun romp on the dark side that pulls you in and keeps you there!

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