Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

Things We Do in the Dark by Jennifer Hillier

86 reviews

savvyrosereads's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Paris Peralta wakes up covered in blood next to her husband’s dead body, but her arrest threatens to reveal the secrets she has spent years trying to hide.

I read this as part of Love Struck Thrills Book Club and found it to be enjoyable overall. It wasn’t particularly “thrilling” (shoutout to Britni (@bitty_gets_litty on Insta) for characterizing it as a “crime drama” which I think is the best descriptor) but I was generally entertained for the entire book and that does go a long way. The characters were well-written and I thought the writing style was pretty engaging—I’ll definitely be checking out other Hillier novels.

That said, the plot was ultimately pretty predictable and I felt a bit “meh” about this one as a whole—I didn’t actively dislike it, but I wouldn’t quite say I actively liked it, either. Still, if you want a quick (and pretty dark) mystery read, this is probably worth a shot!

Recommended if you like: nonlinear stories with lots of flashbacks; slow burn mysteries; detailed character portraits

CW: Child abuse, including sexual abuse; murder/blood/gore; some discussion of depression/suicide/substance abuse; fire/fire injury.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Suicide

books_in_badgerland's review against another edition

dark emotional tense fast-paced

5.0

 “There’s a time and place for erect nipples, but the back of a Seattle police car definitely isn’t it.” The first sentence of this book.

“She was familiar with that smile; she’d seen it too many times. It was the smile monsters wore when they were pretending they weren’t monsters.” Eww.

Based on these two quotes, I can tell this book would be a hit for me.

I see why everyone raves about Jennifer Hillier. Wow! This book is hard to describe without giving too much away. The timeline shifts between past and present to discuss multiple deaths and some incredibly complex family dynamics. I love Hillier’s writing style! I felt sad, mad, creeped out, and satisfied at the end. I can’t wait to read more of her books! (5⭐️)

⚠️ Child abuse, physical/mental/emotional abuse, gaslighting, and I’m sure more. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, and Murder

jhenry's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Fire/Fire injury

blouviere4's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Dementia, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

julienicole1106's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective 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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

emilylovesgoodbooks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Drug use

Minor: Drug abuse, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

paisleypetty's review

dark emotional mysterious sad fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Dementia, and Alcohol

clevelandbookgirl's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Suicide, Vomit, Dementia, and Suicide attempt

kariereads's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense fast-paced

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

2.0

a little disappointed by this book, especially after really loving Jar of Hearts! i guess i was just expecting more of a mystery, even the twists that happened at the end didn't really shock me. the main character was interesting enough to keep reading, and i wish

we would've gotten more insight in to her & drew's relationship in the past.

overall, i wanted more from this book but it was a miss for me. still excited to make my way through Jennifer's backlist!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Racism

kshertz's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.25

I love a good mystery. I also love when I can call any part of the book. Which in this case was only 1/5 twists. But I’ll take it! It’s a page turner that I couldn’t put down. Definitely worth the read!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail