Reviews tagging 'Suicide attempt'

Just Like Mother by Anne Heltzel

27 reviews

erickaonpaper's review

dark 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? Yes

3.5

i'm forgetting how this book was put onto my radar, but nonetheless - i was drawn to it, and now, here we are. i think there was something about this title, and wherever it was recommended to me, that had me interested in motherhood and cults. although this wasn't as horror-driven as i was hoping, it was still a decent read. i will say: someone had criticized maeve's naivety and gullible attributes - my argument against that is that while that was a very frustrating character choice, i think ultimately it is a reverting to a childhood trauma where she could trust the person who's never given her a reason to distrust her (in this case, her cousin). if you're into a bit of a slower-paced read with some solvable twists and suggestions of motherhood and its affects on the matriarch, i'd suggest this one!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Drug use, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Sexual content, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Rape, Torture, Murder, Addiction, and Alcohol

Minor: Infertility, Car accident, and Child death

marselise's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Child abuse, Blood, Child death, Murder, and Rape

Moderate: Mental illness, Infertility, and Car accident

ksuazo94's review

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Murder, Violence, Suicide attempt, and Rape

Moderate: Pregnancy, Child death, Drug use, Car accident, and Abortion

gabforshort's review

challenging dark mysterious tense fast-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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Car accident, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Medical trauma, Murder, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Stalking, Forced institutionalization, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Suicide, Sexual violence, and Sexual assault

danaslitlist's review

dark medium-paced

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

This entire review is basically full of minor spoilers throughout so I’ll be hiding the majority  just in case.

A. Waste. Of. Time.

This book really holds your hand where the plot is explained. From the jump you know what’s happening and where it’s going. You know who the bad guy is, you know what’s happening to Mae is gaslighting and trickery, there’s not one moment of disbelief or “what ifs”.  And that’s one of the huge fundamental flaws within this book. By knowing from the get go that Andrea isn’t trustworthy and that she truly doesn’t care for Mae, this book that hypes it’s self up the crutch of their “bond” being so important, we are not going to feel that bond one bit.

The  book fails to use the opportunity to have us relate to and understand any of Andrea’s motives beside her “being crazy”. It would have been so much more impactful and effective to use Andrea’s mindset and cult indoctrination in a more sensitive light. Make us empathize with Andrea, especially since we are never going to empathize with the Mothers. Make us feel something other than hatred so that we are invested in the relationship between Andrea and Mae.

By far the most interesting portion of this story are the flashbacks of young Mae and Andrea which I think highlights the authors talents as a YA author prior to this. Those are the moments of insight and exposing of the terrors Mae faced growing up. This book would’ve benefited so much if we stayed in the flashbacks and allowed for the twists and turns that are presented as Andrea and Mae’s shift into “womanhood” within the cult.

I understand Just like Mother is supposed to be a commentary focusing on equating a woman’s power and importance to her being a mother. This is real life conversation that has been around since the beginning of time and it’s important to discuss. However this boom failed to really deliver on that portion as well.

Once again leading back to the flaw of not portraying Andrea as anything other than cruel, there is no nuance here. The violence against women (mainly against Mae and Emily, our one woman of color) felt diminished. The horror of them losing their own  agency isn’t focused in on enough and instead glossed over by the revelation of the Mother Initiative still being around.

And for what? Because by then we have 50 pages left and that’s not enough time to handle the topic of forced pregnancy, of the sexual assault, or the cult itself. We’re left with “the Mothers have eyes everywhere” as if that is meant to placate any questions we might have as readers. 

And the ending. The ending made all of this pointless. Why did I read this entire book only for the torture porn to continue? 

The twist isn’t good and I called it from the moment we discovery Mae is pregnant but I was holding hope I was wrong. I wasn’t and it left me in a rage. Tada! All of this work to be free and to see Mae maybe be happy and guess what?! She’s still being hunted and tortured by Mother Initiave!! All of her hard work especially over the last 3 chapters has been for nothing, thanks for reading!!</spoilers>

This book was a bad execution of a decent idea and I think that’s what makes this review and one star rating so much more disappointing.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Kidnapping, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Rape, Stalking, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Suicide attempt, and Murder

Moderate: Drug use and Alcohol

mccalab's review

dark tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Infertility, Toxic relationship, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Rape, Suicide attempt, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Alcohol, Drug use, Torture, and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Abortion

corpseparty's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

2.5

Maeve is unrealistically trusting. Story is too predictable.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Abortion, Child abuse, Child death, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Blood, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Infertility, Pregnancy, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse

onewoman_bookclub's review

dark reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape

Moderate: Medical content, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Suicide attempt, Medical trauma, and Car accident

thesouthwestkindle's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense slow-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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Sexual assault, Murder, Emotional abuse, Child death, Child abuse, Rape, Pregnancy, Infertility, Gore, and Confinement

devynvictoria's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

I don’t entirely know what to say about “Just Like Mother” right now, I’ll have to think on it. I do know that this is my favorite book I’ve read so far this year.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Child death, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Grief, Infertility, Rape, Death, Confinement, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Medical content, Murder, Abortion, Blood, Body horror, Death of parent, Mental illness, and Gaslighting

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Vomit