lemelyjerry's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I highly recommend listening to "The Lolita Podcast" by Jamie Loftus before reading this book as it give so much context to reading this and helped me to pick out some of the more subtler themes throughout.
I tried, and failed, to read/listen to this book 3 times, but am very happy I finished it on my fourth attempt. 
The subject matter is really difficult and Vanessa as a character is sometimes hard herself but the way the author engages with how we all internally rationalize and add meaning to events in our lives is very impactful. It delicately addresses how grooming relationships can be terrible and confusing and filled with need and longing and shame. It also did such a good job of presenting how complex Vanessa's internal world and how she understood herself both in the past and in the present.
Many scenes are very hard to get through and the spots where Vanessa describes her disgust at Stane I viscerally felt that. I found the parallel storylines really emphasized the thought patterns of Vanessa and expressed how she viewed her life through the lense of what Strane told her and how that seeped into some of her deepest believed truths and then when these truths begin to shift in the modern day storyline you can see how that takes time. There are also some beautiful aspects to the language of the book.


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ayladdy's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.5


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plainjanethebookworm's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


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ziggypop's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-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

5.0


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matildaesandell's review against another edition

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

4.25

This book is so fucked up, which is the whole point. Definitely read with caution and a lot of trigger warnings. This book had me feeling actually sick and making facial expressions of pure disgust in public. Please proceed with caution, this is a story of grooming, manipulation and trauma. This book honestly deserves 5 stars but I never want to read it again or recommend it to anyone because it is deeply traumatic, maybe an important one to read if you haven’t experienced these things, to help you better understand the lifelong damage and how hard it is for a victim to even grapple with the truth

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joaura's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • 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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cecilialau_'s review against another edition

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5.0

I am in awe.
This book was frustrating to no end with how human and inhuman it was. Such brilliant storytelling that keeps you turning page after page until the very end. I’ve just put it down, and I honestly feel it was a masterpiece. Heartbreakingly raw and with incredibly crafted ambivalence in the feelings of guilt on Vanessa’s part. I could go on in praising this book. It really is a tough read while a read that I think, if you can, it offers a unique insight to sth that we as a society simply cannot ignore. It’s so nuanced and insightful and all-encompassing and, yeah, wow.

It goes without saying that Strane is a manipulative pos. To put it mildly. I was also horrified by Mrs. Giles, a truly terrible person who lack any and all sense of empathy and care and compassion and integrity. I could go on. Absolutely disgusted with her as well. Again, speaks to the great writing bc we all know that her behaviour is fully unacceptable. 

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laurathebookhermit's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


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anonymous_traveller's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5


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sharlapeggy's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad 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? Yes

5.0


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