Reviews tagging 'Eating disorder'

The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley

33 reviews

sfeldmann's review

SPOILERS

I think my soul just died before the new year. My lord, I try not to rant too hard on author’s works because they are someone’s blood sweat and tears, but this book was just not good. 

You meet the characters and honestly, none of them are people I’m invested in or want to root for. They don’t have any redeeming qualities about them. I got to the 60% of my audiobook and called it. Like after Ben kissed Mimi and then later he reveals he was listing after her mother?! I just could not continue that weirded me out more than any bloody gore ever could. I was just so uncomfortable. 

I just can’t with this book. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Sexual content, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Sexual assault

inkdrinkermal's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-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

3.0

The good: The setting was perfect: creepy, old, steeped in eerieness. The big twists were shocking and unexpected, and the little twists were obvious enough I was able to figure them out a few pages before the reveal and feel smart. 

The bad: Not quite enough twists to fully captivate me, the first 250 pages were really slow, some of the trauma the characters experienced before the story didn't have enough of an impact on the story to the point that I felt the inclusion diminished the story itself

The ugly: I hated the characters. Reading their thoughts was painful. Lots of eating disorders and body issues discussed too casually.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, and Murder

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Suicide, Death of parent, and Alcohol

Minor: Homophobia, Infertility, Misogyny, Vomit, Stalking, and Deportation

escullin's review against another edition

mysterious slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Stalking, Death of parent, and Murder

themoodreader's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense 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? Yes

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Sexism, Sexual content, Blood, Police brutality, Stalking, Murder, Gaslighting, and Alcohol

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Sexual content, Blood, Vomit, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

uranaishi's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Infidelity, Blood, Death of parent, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infertility, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Gun violence, Homophobia, Rape, Medical content, Abortion, and Pregnancy

odrib's review

dark mysterious 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Infidelity, and Blood

Moderate: Sexual violence, Suicide, and Trafficking

Minor: Eating disorder, Infertility, Terminal illness, Vomit, Police brutality, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

jessgreads's review

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense fast-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? It's complicated

3.25

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⬜⬜

Title: The Paris Apartment

Author: Lucy Foley

Genre: Mystery / Thriller

Setting: Paris, France

Month Read: March 2022

Book Type: Hardcover

Publication: 2022

Publisher:  William Morrow

Pages: 360

*March Book of the Month Selection

TRIGGER WARNING- 

Death / Grief / Sexual Content / Assault / Alcohol / Drugs / Abuse / Verbal Abuse / Prostitution / Kidnapping / Rape / Blackmail 

"I could not explain that I simply wanted someone to love. Wholehearted, unreserved, requited."

No Spoiler Summary:

Jess shows up in Paris to visit her brother, Ben, after she needs to get away after an incident at her job in England. She arrives to his apartment only to find out that her brother has seemingly vanished, and she quickly starts to try to unravel where he is, and why it has happened.

As hours and days go by, Jess starts to meet the other inhabitants of the apartment building. Each seemingly having their own secrets, and own motivations to get Ben out of the picture. As more secrets start showing up, and Jess starts to realize Ben was writing a story about something that could be big, the suspect list only grows larger.

Will Jess find Ben? Alive? Will she uncover the secrets people tried so hard to keep hidden? You'd have to read to find out.

Review:

I really loved The Guest List and had high expectations going in for this after the hype that has been building steadily the last few months, and I thought the book was okay. The twist was more unexpected than I thought it would be, and some parts of this book reminded me of my favorite Agatha Christie novel, And Then There Were None. Overall, glad I read it but it certainly is not a book of the year contender, but a nice thriller to read in a day or two if you so choose.

The Characters were interesting, for sure. I did love that Lucy gives you just enough information to keep you wanting another page, and then another, and then another until you finish. I was pleasantly surprised the motivations some had, and the ties that are bind throughout the read. 

Paris is a great backdrop for a good thriller. I loved the mood, and the attitudes, and the posh vs poor dynamic in the apartment building. I loved the subplots, and the callbacks to England for some of the characters. I think it was super believable, and the seedy underbelly of such a romantic, beautiful city did a lot for me.

"It’s not about where you came from. What kind of shit might have happened to you in the past. It’s about who you are. What you do with the opportunities life presents to you."

See more reviews at: https://jessgreads.wixsite.com

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, and Classism

Moderate: Addiction, Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Violence, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Murder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

shesreadthat's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder

Minor: Eating disorder and Self harm

annoyedhumanoid's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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

2.75

(adjusted from 3.25 to 2.75)
disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes really is the main character, no i will not elaborate
Ben must be a Greek god or something because why

does every character want to fuck him

.  this man is constantly described as unbelievably charming, emphasis on the "unbelievably"—where was the "show, don't tell"? if he was that brainwashingly charismatic, shouldn't i as a reader also fall for his charm? but he was just like, there, which at least makes me admire Jess for going to all this trouble just for him.
speaking of Jess, sometimes she was irritating too when she's supposed to be our protagonist—like when she walks into a riot because "it sounded like a street party 😊" and just stands there as people run away from the approaching tear gas. come on now.
it's prob because i'm queer & we gotta look out for each other & i crave positive representation, but i wish

Nick

was a better person and had a better ending.
characters aside, the plot had some unexpected twists and was generally interesting, but i was mostly unimpressed. it had such a promising, atmospheric concept: murder in Paris, ooh la la, and all the apartment tenants are suspects; i think i heard it described as a locked room mystery, though i may be confusing it with another book. and then it just, wasn't and my hopes were let down.
cover design review: ★★★★☆. i like the background image, the symmetry, the colors for the most part (i think the background could be less green and more blue), and all the text, but other than that it's kind of bland. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug use, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Police brutality, Grief, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Confinement, Gore, Infertility, Self harm, Vomit, and Abortion

wildlifelane's review

adventurous 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Blood, Trafficking, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcoholism and Vomit

Minor: Confinement, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Infertility, Self harm, and Classism