Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins

48 reviews

saraavowlerr's review

adventurous dark mysterious slow-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

1.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Cursing, Death of parent, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Drug use, Gore, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Violence, and Car accident

cassidy_rain's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious fast-paced

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

4.0

I support women’s rights… and wrongs! 

I really enjoyed this! It feels like The White Lotus meets Lost. You get all the vacation vibes with mystery added in; a perfect beach read. 

This book follows a group of young adults as they sail out to a remote island for a seemingly relaxing and unplugged vacation. The island has some unpleasant history, but what could go wrong in paradise? 

It hooked me in right away and I never lost interest. I finished this practically in one sitting. I thought the pacing was good. It jumps back and forth between past and present. The flashbacks are short and sweet, they give just enough information (about each of the different characters) each time to keep the reader intrigued. All of the flashbacks and present day scenes piece together at the end for a final conclusion. There are a few twists and tense scenes, but nothing overly crazy or shocking. The story mixes in the vacationing and partying with the mystery, so don’t expect to be on the edge of your seat the entire time. 

I loved the main character Lux. All of the characters are kind of likable and unlikable, but you need all of them and they fit into the story perfectly. The ending was not what I expected but I wasn’t mad at it! Perhaps a little rushed, but it didn’t really bother me. 

Though I did actually think it would have been fun to see Lux, Brittany, and Eliza end as a team.

There’s one plot hole that really bothers me

Why didn’t Amma recognize Eliza/Chloe? I don’t think the timeline of the last time they saw each other in Australia to the time they saw each other at Meroe was that far about so she should have recognized her. Perhaps she was faking it and did recognize her? It could explain why she was always in a foul mood towards Eliza? That theory doesn’t sit well with me either since Amma was able to open up to Lux, I feel like she would have also shared that info. Idk!

I also feel like Lux hooking up with Jake was out of character. I get that she was hurt and sorta getting back at Nico, but I didn’t think it was needed.

Overall, enjoyed it a lot and would definitely recommend!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Blood

Moderate: Grief and Infidelity

anne_reader's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Violence, and Blood

Moderate: Vomit, Violence, Alcohol, Toxic relationship, Cannibalism, Abandonment, Cursing, Cancer, Medical content, Death of parent, Grief, Drug use, Terminal illness, Sexism, Car accident, Toxic friendship, Death, and Classism

greatexpectations77's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense fast-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

4.0

I liked this story and really any one where the girlies fight back. I liked how the story all came together, and I was really interested in the fictional island. Lux is a wild name for a character, though haha

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Bullying, Gun violence, Infidelity, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Drug use, Abandonment, Alcohol, Murder, Sexual content, Death of parent, Blood, Grief, and Death

Minor: Car accident, Classism, Terminal illness, Chronic illness, and Emotional abuse

elzibub's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious 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? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Bullying, Grief, Death of parent, Death, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Infidelity and Drug use

Minor: Murder and Abandonment

lauren_shilling's review

dark 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? It's complicated

3.0

This was a very solidly average thriller, but that's not necessarily said in a bad way! It was a lot of fun and I moved through it very quickly. Like I said, it was just a lot of fun, but nothing about it blew me away like some other thrillers. This was exactly what I was looking for it to be when I picked it up. It was just a fun time that didn't take me long to get through, and I really enjoyed it! Check trigger warnings, but overall it was just super fun and enjoyable, and I would definitely recommend it for anyone just looking to enjoy themselves reading a thriller!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Murder, Alcohol, and Death

Moderate: Grief, Drug use, and Sexual content

katrinareadsbooks's review

adventurous challenging mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I just loved this. The perfect mix of summer time island vibes & murder mystery. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Drug use, Grief, and Abandonment

c100's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence and Murder

Moderate: Alcohol, Toxic friendship, Grief, and Infidelity

Minor: Car accident and Death of parent

amanda_reads13's review against another edition

adventurous tense fast-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

2.5

Lux and her boyfriend Nico are hired by two women, Brittany and Amma, to sail the to the deserted Meroe island in the South Pacific. There they meet Jake and Eliza. The arrival of a creepy stranger changes everything as secrets are revealed and lives are changed. 

Majority of the book follows the 6 people while they run amuck on a deserted island. All of the mystery/thriller elements are left to the very end. 

I did like the bits of flashbacks we got, it helped to shed light on everyone's motives. 

There are some gigantic plot holes...

 I had a feeling early on that Eliza could have been Chloe, but dismissed this idea because Amma has MET Chloe, she knows what she looks like. There is no way that Amma didn't know that Eliza was Chloe. This made no sense at all. 

Also, how did Lux get off the island by herself? She didn't have a radio and she doesn't know how to sail? Again, makes no sense.

I don't think that the epilogue added to the story. We are just meant to believe that Lux has continued what Brittany and Chloe schemed? It makes sense for her to make off with the cash and start new, but not this vigilante thing.  

The narrator for the audio is very good. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gaslighting, Hate crime, Infidelity, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Car accident and Death of parent

kimveach's review

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-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

4.0

A quick-paced thriller with a couple of surprises.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Classism, Cursing, Death of parent, Chronic illness, Death, Infidelity, Cannibalism, Sexism, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic friendship, Drug use, Gore, Grief, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Blood, Murder, and Panic attacks/disorders