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keijiwolf's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Medical content, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Self harm, Stalking, Physical abuse, Suicide, Abandonment, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Confinement, Excrement, Abortion, Car accident, and Dementia
reddeddy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Body shaming, Abortion, Sexism, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Blood, Dysphoria, Grief, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Body horror, Child death, Miscarriage, Murder, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Bullying, Car accident, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicide, Cursing, Pregnancy, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Sexual violence, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Addiction, Alcohol, Drug use, Eating disorder, Excrement, Alcoholism, Confinement, Vomit, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Stalking, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexism, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Incest, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Pedophilia, Racism, Sexual violence, and Dementia
rchristine11's review against another edition
3.25
Edit: as time passes, I find myself fixating on one scene that I particularly disliked and have lowered my rating because of it.
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Child death, Self harm, and Abortion
Moderate: Suicide
hillarydanielle's review against another edition
- 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
Dragged a bit for me with the long recurring descriptions of grief and motherhood, I think I wanted more thriller aspects and maybe a bit more from the other timelines. Loved that they included the multi-generation storylines though.
Graphic: Abandonment, Abortion, Child death, Confinement, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Grief, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Self harm, and Vomit
dramaqueentears's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
After ages of back and forth, Blythe and Fox finally have a baby. Their first child, Violet, is immediately loved by Fox and Blythe just can’t seem to connect with her. What Fox (along with everyone else, honestly) believes to be postpartum depression, Blythe believes is a problem with Violet. She is ultimately convinced she’s right when she has another baby, Sam, and she bonds with him immediately. When Sam dies unexpectedly, everyone believes it’s an accident but Blythe swears that Violet did it.
What makes this such a wild ride is that throughout the story, you learn about Blythe’s family and how her mother and grandmother were raised by their mothers. You see a cycle of abuse that really makes you stop and question whether Blythe can be trusted as a narrator. It was everything I love about books: mystery, suspense, family drama.
If I were going to take off points for anything, it would be that the plot really leaves nothing untold. It was all very predictable but I couldn’t put it down, so it’s keeping all 5 stars for me.
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Car accident, Death of parent, Self harm, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Grief, Emotional abuse, Confinement, and Blood
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Alcohol, and Bullying
rishel's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Pregnancy, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Abandonment, Bullying, Confinement, and Self harm
jezebelligerent's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Gaslighting, Grief, Pregnancy, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Child abuse
caties_books's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Abortion, Addiction, Alcoholism, Blood, Bullying, Car accident, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Grief, Infidelity, Medical trauma, Medical content, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Stalking, Torture, Violence, and Vomit
linesiunderline's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
What worked:
• It’s compulsively readable. This is a book everyone says you will read in one gulp, and it is. So if you are after that kind of propulsive experience, this will do it for you.
• Audrain is a strong writer. Her prose is sharp and clear and there’s an economy to it that is satisfying.
• There are several genuinely goosebump inspiring scenes - truly creepy. I could see this translating to film or TV (and I imagine it will).
• The feeling of dread and claustrophobia is palpable. I kept thinking about The Perfect Nanny by Leila Slimani, another book that is deeply unsettling and so hard to put down.
Howevers
• I am uncertain about what the author is trying to say. Is it that generational trauma will continue to disrupt lives unless someone is brave enough to see it and name it and initiate a process of healing? Is it that difficult, troubled children exist and that no one wants to see that even when it’s right in front of them? Is it that we need to listen to mothers, and realize that there are many ways to experience and be a mother? I feel like I was reaching for meaning and not sure if I landed where I was intended to.
• I can’t decide if this is simply another thriller that sensationalizes a difficult female experience. Some reviews have said it shines light on difficult topics around motherhood and mental health, but I’m not sure it leaves us in a greater place of understanding or helps to break down existing stereotypes.
• The ending definitely felt gimmicky, like the author / editor decided it would be a gasp-worthy conclusion so why not go for it.
So there you have it. One thing I can say with certainty is that this is a book you want to talk about. It’s ideal for bookclubs. And I will want to read more by the author.
See below for a million content warnings.
Moderate: Bullying, Car accident, Child death, Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Medical content, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Stalking, Sexual content, and Physical abuse
acbrandt's review against another edition
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Child death, Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, and Mental illness