Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley

40 reviews

a_alves00's review

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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, and Alcohol

tojtwl's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

And here is another book I begrudgingly give 5 stars to—for its story, the way it was written, the many plot twists that kept me reeling and gasping for breath. Despite the fact that it is a story of a darker nature

murder, brothels, you name it

, it is told in a way that will keep you reading on and on, wanting more. You have to pay close attention, however, because you are jolted from present moment and thrown into the past, sometimes without a moment's notice, so don't get confused with the sequence of events.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Cursing, Death, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, and Alcohol

starsbyname's review

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment

kassidypf13's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Death, Violence, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, and Toxic friendship

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.

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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

kimveach's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-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

2.0

I almost didn't finish this book because it was so slow during the first half. But reviews said there were "great twists" so I kept on reading.  The twists were not great enough to make up for the incredibly slow burn of the book.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

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

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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

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

what_heather_loves's review

challenging dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

3.5

"...Shit. I'm an idiot...after hearing that voice note I should have taken extra precautions. I should have out something in front of the door. Should have known that someone might come in here, poke around. Because they wouldn't need to break in. If it's the same person, they already have a key."

Fleeing poverty and a predatory boss, Jess escapes present-day London for Paris, to stay with her journalist, older half-brother, Ben. Charismatic and outgoing, shy Jess longs for Ben's luck to rub off on her. When she arrives at his apartment in a large, grand and spooky, old building she discovers Ben is not there. The next morning he has still not appeared. As Jess meets the building's unwelcoming occupants, Sophie, Nick, Antoine, Mimi and the mysterious Concierge, (none of whom are as they seem) and more time passes, she suspects foul play. With the help of a journalist contact of Ben's, Theo, they begin to investigate Ben's disappearance to discover what it has to do with the building's unnerving residents. Can she trust anyone and will she find Ben in time? 

A dark and creepy thriller, this is a side to Paris tourists don't see. Initially from Jess's perspective the reader also gets chapters from each of the building's residents, even Ben, as the author slowly but surely drops little bombs of information, cleverly drip-feeding the uneasy atmosphere. It's pacy and takes place over a few days, until there is a resolution, of sorts. There are plenty of clever twists and turns, some I foresaw, others I did not, as the grim tale unfolds. A claustrophobic and dark plot for fans of domestic, psychological thrillers.

I read this digital ARC courtesy of the publisher Harper Collins and NetGalley. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, Trafficking, and Kidnapping

moiralyle's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Suicide