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hal00alex's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Cursing, Death of parent, Stalking, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Dementia, Infertility, Vomit, Violence, and Murder
linnea1801's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Gaslighting, Murder, Kidnapping, Mental illness, and Abandonment
Moderate: Eating disorder, Confinement, Infertility, and Death of parent
emsbookishness's review
- 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
5.0
This book was absolutely amazing and kept me guessing until the very end. It had a really interesting premise that left me not really knowing what to expect. I loved the messy family dynamics and how unhinged everything played out. I had some suspicions that were partly right, but I couldn’t have predicted how everything played out. In true Holly Jackson fashion all the random clues she dropped now tie together perfectly and make so much sense looking back, I was trying to keep track of all the random details and still kept missing them.
The main character, Bel, was an interesting one. She could be hard to read about at times as she purposefully drove people away, but it was interesting to see how the disappearance of her mom when she was young affected her life and psyche. I did love her growth and that she realized she was wrong about things. I obviously loved Ash, the golden retriever camera assistant, who was all too willing to go along with Bel’s crazy antics.
Totally recommend if you want a good mystery to read, once you reach the second half of the book you won’t want to put it down!
Moderate: Abandonment and Kidnapping
Minor: Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Eating disorder, Violence, and Murder
alicia_g's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Death, Cursing, Murder, Confinement, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Alcohol and Eating disorder
phoenixlovesbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I will be recommending this to everyone I know!!
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Dementia, Confinement, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Body shaming, Eating disorder, Kidnapping, and Infertility
Minor: Deportation
jaimeeleigh_'s review
- 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
Graphic: Abandonment, Gaslighting, Violence, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Infertility, Toxic relationship, Fatphobia, Body shaming, and Eating disorder
Minor: Pregnancy and Slavery
jocelyn62013's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Abandonment and Kidnapping
Moderate: Gaslighting, Eating disorder, Dementia, and Stalking
Minor: Infidelity, Murder, and Pregnancy
sophiesometimesreads's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
I didn't pick much of the nitty gritty details (and most of the time when I did it was two pages before it was revealed in text). Some of the overarching details I did get, but I was questioning myself the whole time, and there was one reveal that really shocked me but made sense when looking back, so that was fun. I was hoping for a little more of a shocking reveal for a five star read, but there were components that shocked me so I wasn't disappointed, just felt like there was a little room for more shocking details or a big twist to the overarching narrative. In saying this, all the loose ends were tied up one way or another which is something I really appreciate about Holly Jackson's novels. Even the red herrings were explained away.
A lot of the characters are unlikeable, so if that's not your think you might not enjoy this, but I thought it made for an interesting dynamic between them all. Bel did get a bit frustrating at times, but it wasn't enough for me to hate her or to feel as if I didn't want to keep reading. I did feel like her character development happened a little quickly at the end though, and could've been fleshed out a little more, particulalry given the length of the novel, but it was still good to see how her character changed and grew across this novel.
Overall, I really enjoyed my time with this and if you like HJ's other novels, I'm sure you'll also like this one!
Graphic: Death, Kidnapping, Abandonment, Stalking, and Dementia
Moderate: Pregnancy, Emotional abuse, and Murder
Minor: Eating disorder
dcnireads's review
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Confinement, Kidnapping, Murder, and Stalking
Moderate: Abandonment, Death, Death of parent, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Minor: Eating disorder, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Pregnancy
alyssamhartley's review
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Eating disorder and Violence