Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

The September House by Carissa Orlando

251 reviews

hanj12's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

3.5


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dev921's review against another edition

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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? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75


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throwback682's review

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dark funny mysterious 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

3.5

This would’ve been a 5 star for me except for the stigmatizing of mental illness/painting mentally ill people as violent. There’s even a passing remark that mentally ill people aren’t typically violent but it rings hollow given the context. I find it really upsetting and tired. So, minus 1.5 stars for that oppressive nonsense. 

As someone said on Reddit, “I think that it’s an entertaining ghost story that is better as a deconstruction of abusive relationships.” and I couldn’t put it better myself. If you’re not reading this book as allegory then you’re fucking up. Part of me thinks the comparisons were laid on a bit thick, but given the amount of people who didn’t seem to read it this way, maybe not. I also thought it was very funny, especially the early chapters, but again many folks don’t seem to see the humor. 

Yes I guessed a twist way ahead of time but it was also sort of not the point - a slight red herring for a bigger twist. 

In short: it was a funny, spooky book, that dealt with very heavy and potentially triggering subject matter in a novel way. 

I think everything people complained about in other reviews (the annoying, infuriating daughter; the repetitiveness) all served a purpose. I think it worked really well. 

I just wish it hadn’t relied on ableist stereotypes/stigmas against mentally ill folks, is truly my only real complaint. 

Read with caution if you’ve been a victim of intimate partner violence. 

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maggie_falk's review against another edition

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

5.0


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kjnavillus's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced

3.75


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tew_11's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

holeeeyyyshite. best final act of a book i've read in a while. truly horrifying in some aspects. really enjoyed this 

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stacym's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0


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mznomer's review

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dark tense medium-paced

3.75

This was a really interesting take on the haunted house story.  While the plot was a bit predictable (maybe just because I have read too many haunted house stories?), the psychology of the MC is where the book is really unique. It also made me deeply uncomfortable reading it - it was a sickening look into how and why people stay in abusive relationships and I did not like it. But I suppose it's better to experience that discomfort from a book rather than real life. I will absolutely never read it again, but I do appreciate the novel take on the genre.

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briannajlittle's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


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friedfae's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Really enjoyed this book and I think it fits the horror genre well. I was second guessing myself and really thought
she was crazy and needed major help. I do wish that the mental health family history was expanded upon a bit better, as well as how she was able to get messages outside of her home.
 

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