Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill

50 reviews

booksnbones13's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Incest, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

jupiter_01's review against another edition

funny 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

4.0

I would've read this in one day if I could, but I also didn't want it to be over! The novel features a group of oddball people who become friends, all while keeping secrets from each other. It continuously kept me guessing, and in the end I wasn't right!

I enjoyed the two narrative structure. I laughed and smiled and genuinely thought some moments between the couples were cute, which made it even more suspenseful to know someone/s was hiding the truth.

The only thing that didn't quite work for me was the ending. It was abrupt and I was left unsure how to feel.

I read one analysis that Leo is ultimately a mirror of his real life counterpart, which I can accept and like, but even so, it felt ill-paced.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, Stalking, and Murder

Minor: Child abuse, Racism, and Sexual content

greatexpectations77's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-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

3.0

This book wasn't really my thing. I didn't love the formatting of the one-sided letters, and I really didn't prefer the mansplaining coming from Lee and the weird mentions of the social justice movements. And I didn't really wanted to be reminded of the pandemic. The plot felt kind of like a video game - the points a little clunky. Just not really my cup of tea. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Death, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: Confinement, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Stalking, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Domestic abuse

totallyshelfaware's review against another edition

mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Sexual assault, Stalking, and Murder

decie's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, Stalking, and Murder

Minor: Child abuse, Racism, and Sexual assault

caseythereader's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Rape and Torture

Minor: Racism and Sexual content

toorsdenote's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

This is both a mystery/thriller, and also a book about a woman writing a book about a woman writing a book. I enjoyed trying to keep track of which level of book I was in. :-D

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Stalking, and Murder

Moderate: Child abuse and Rape

pollyhall's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, and Colonisation

cozylifewithabby's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5

This book is a mystery/thriller with two stories being interwoven. 

Story 1: There is a mystery writer and a beta reader. The beta reader seems to have his own idea of how one should write a murder mystery and gets overly attached. 

Story 2: (The story the Beta Reader is reading) A writer meets two other writers and a psychology student when they all hear a woman scream at the Boston Public Library. They bond over this experience and become friends, but do they really know anything about each other. 

Personally, I would have preferred not having the beta reader story. I think that it caused both stories to feel underdeveloped. I think the woman murdered in the library story with it's twists would have been interesting enough on its own and the beta reader story seems like an updated Misery and would have made a good short story. 

The writing was strong though, the author kept me guessing, and I will definitely be reading more by Sulari Gentill.

Also, the narrator of the audiobook did a fantastic job. 

Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Sexual assault, and Murder

thesapphiccelticbookworm's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.25

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book.

Four strangers are sitting at a table in a reading room in Boston Public Library when they hear a scream; while they wait for the all clear friendships are made.  One of the strangers happens to be a murderer.

This is the novel that an Australian author, Hannah is sending to Leo, who's in Boston and able to supply her with Bostonian feedback. This relationship is its own intriguing story in time.

A really unique structure and a fun, gripping read, never knew what was going to happen next.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Violence, and Murder

Minor: Racism