Reviews with content warning for Sexual content - The Grown Up

A short and creepy horror novella making for a quick read. Interesting characters and great writing; Flynn is an expert at writing disturbing stories that make me uncomfortable. The last 5-10 pages gave me whiplash with all the plot twists!

I don’t always enjoy open endings but in the case of The Grown-Up, it works. And although I did thoroughly enjoy this one short story, I prefer Flynn’s novels (and novels in general) for more developed characters and plot. But for a 67 page story, it’s definitely one of my favorite novellas!

Content Warnings

jackiemcguire's review against another edition

Go to review page

graphic sex from line 1 of book

Content Warnings

cakearson's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Content Warnings

nabaraditi's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious tense fast-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

3.25

I wish this book wasn’t a novella but a full-fledged novel. It felt like my partner came before I could reach a climax. I was about to, but I didn’t get to come.
Nevertheless, this book horror-mystery thriller. Like you have no clue what’s going to happen to the main character just like they don’t know what they’ve gotten into. It’s amazing!!!!

Content Warnings

jackbifrost's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

Content Warnings

maisiemoo's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious tense fast-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

3.0

Content Warnings

nrogers_1030's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging 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? It's complicated

3.0

Content Warnings

marthadude's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

I half read this, half listened to the audiobook, and I think both formats are great. I think the general consensus is that the first 2/3's of the book are excellent, which they are. The protagonist and premise are both interesting, and the pacing is great for such a short book. Not to mention the elements of foreshadowing are masterful. However, the last half/ ending really brings down the rest of the book.

The first twist was shocking and well done, but, once there were a few contradictory twists proceeding the first, things got too convoluted. While I like the idea of a con artist taking on a protege but it wasn't well executed here.The ending was too abrupt, confusing, and was ambiguous but not in a fun way. The conclusion wasn't satisfying to me and felt like sort of a cop out. I wish she had just stuck to one of the twists.

I would say that the shortness of the book and the first two thirds really save it, but the ending made it drop from a 5 star to a 4 star.

Content Warnings

More...