Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Things We Do in the Dark by Jennifer Hillier

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

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

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: Violence, Murder, Physical abuse, and Emotional abuse

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

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

tiff_reads_'s review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

Hillier is a good writer — the writing is smooth, the dialogue isn’t forced — but this story just wasn’t it for me. I saw the big twist from a mile away, and the murderer felt shoehorned in. Everything was also just a little too neatly resolved for me, with a nice little bow on top. Also? Waaaaay too many depictions of sexual assault. Of course that’s a thing that happens in the world, but using it as a plot device? Distasteful. 

I’m still interested enough to read her other works, though. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Sexual assault, and Murder

Minor: Suicide and Drug use

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, Sexual assault, Death, Murder, Physical abuse, Violence, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Drug use

Minor: Drug abuse, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

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

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

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

goodgollymissmollee's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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

3.5

This was a quick, easy read that was largely enjoyable. But I think it was just average. Nothing overly exciting or shocking. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Gaslighting, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Violence, Emotional abuse, and Murder

Moderate: Dementia, Drug use, Grief, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Mental illness

haleysversion's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Classism, Cursing, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Addiction, Blood, Body shaming, Child abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, and Violence