Reviews tagging 'Misogyny'

The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley

60 reviews

jenn_reads's review

dark mysterious 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Blood, Murder, and Alcohol

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Sexual content, Trafficking, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Miscarriage

internalized homophobia

lavxna's review

dark hopeful tense slow-paced

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

4.75

it's really slow and i almost dnf'ed it after reading 50 pages, but i trudged through. and it turned out to be more rewarding in the end. such an expected twist!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny and Violence

Moderate: Death, Trafficking, Death of parent, and Murder

itsheyfay's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-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

3.0

It took a while for me to get into this book due to the clunky prose and stiff narration, but I did get hooked at the end.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Blood, Trafficking, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Addiction, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Kidnapping, and Death of parent

Minor: Pregnancy

criticalbooks's review

dark mysterious 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? No

2.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Classism

alexisgarcia's review

mysterious tense 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

3.0

I don’t really know how to feel about this book. I really expected and wanted to love this but it kind of fell flat to me. I liked the concept but so many other factors were disappointing to me. I didn’t like any of the characters, the plot “twists” weren’t really surprising at all, the backstories between the brother and the other people were unrealistic, some parts of the book are mentioned once and never given further explanation, and the ending didn’t really sit right with me. Despite this, I absolutely loved the multiple pov’s which allowed us insight to each characters minds. It was also a quick and overall fun read. A part of this book reminded me of knives out. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Biphobia, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, 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

---

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

savvyrosereads's review

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Down-on-her-luck Jess heads to Paris to stay with her half-brother Ben—only to discover his apartment is empty and there is a building full of suspects who seem determined to keep her from finding the truth.

The Paris Apartment is my favorite thriller of the year so far! The setting was fun, the characters were a good mix of lovable and hatable, and, once again for a Lucy Foley novel, the twists were on point. While I figured out some of the reveals a little early, the main twist totally took me by surprise, to the point where I actually stopped reading and flipped back a few chapters to try and find the breadcrumbs I had missed.

I’ve seen a few reviews calling The Paris Apartment a slow-burn thriller but I actually disagree—I felt there was a lot going on from the very first page, and I appreciated the way Foley’s pacing allowed for multiple small reveals over the course of the novel. I did think there were a few forgotten plot threads, which is what ultimately kept me from giving this a full five stars, and the book also fell prey to one of my personal pet peeves, scattering foreign language phrases without always translating them. But, nitpicking aside, I read this one in a day and a half and thoroughly enjoyed it…and I’m already counting down the days until whatever Foley writes next.

Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: multiple (sometimes unreliable) narrators; family drama; lots of secrets.

CW: Sexual assault; domestic violence; some discussions of infertility, pregnancy/childbirth, alcoholism/drug use, and suicide.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Homophobia, Infertility, Sexual assault, Suicide, Police brutality, and Pregnancy

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. 

---

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

bookshelf_of_jess's review

dark 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

3.0

I was really looking forward to reading this book but sadly it fell slightly short of my expectations. This is the first Lucy Foley novel I have read and I had heard such amazing things of her previous books. I thought this would be right up my street - a suspenseful thriller set in my favourite city - however, despite the well thought out plot, the writing felt a little stilted to me. 

The story is told from the perspectives of several of the apartment’s residents and they are all unreliable narrators. I usually enjoy this but in this book I just didn’t believe in any of the characters and there was no one I was rooting for in the end. The plot was somehow suspenseful and yet still a bit slow. It was an enjoyable read, and I would recommend it, but it is definitely not one of my favourites.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Blood

Moderate: Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Homophobia, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

mayr3adsab00k's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Blood, and Alcohol

Moderate: Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Police brutality, Trafficking, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Vomit