Reviews with content warning for Alcohol - Pretty Girls

I rated this book a 6.5 out of 10. The descriptions of torture get to be a bit much at times. I guessed the big twists, but I enjoyed the storyline and the small reveals. The torture content makes me question if I would read it again.

I do not recommend this book if you are triggered at all by: abuse. child abduction, drug abuse, gore, gun violence, murder, parent death, pedophilia, rape, sexual assult, suicide, torture.

Please be aware that all of these topics and more are focused on at one point or another in this novel.

The characters are well developed and rounded. As a reader, you become invested in both the main characters as well as other characters (the father Sam, and Julia). I felt the pacing was steady and gave the perfect amount of time for buildup and resolution. Slaughter's storytelling is amazing.

Back to this trigger warnings bit. At some point, is this graphic torture for shock value? Kidnapping, torture, rape, and murder of teenagers... I almost stopped reading it. I can see it happening as I'm reading, so to have someone described as being raped by a machete... or the urine waterboarding. nope. Not my thing. Just the ongoing shock-value events in the second half are what knocked the rating down a bit.

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currentlyreadingandcrochet's review

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challenging dark sad slow-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

2.5

My reading experience started off really strong and then took a steep dive off a cliff. There were some twists early on that really had me intrigued but then the twists stopped coming and it just became an overly-detailed drag. This book could have been A LOT shorter.

I knew almost nothing about the storyline going into it except that it was going to be extremely depraved and dark. And it was! But it felt… pointless. Like it was just there for shock value and nothing more. Like, why? TELL ME WHYYYY.

I will say the best part about this book was the father. I’ll leave it at that.

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sarah_amy's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad 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

4.5

Loved this so much! And hated it too, but for all the right reasons. There were twists and turns in just about every chapter and I never knew what I was going to be surprised with next! I was taken surprise by each revelation, which never happens for me and I never knew who to trust. Only complaint is it was almost too graphic to stomach. If it hadn't been so well written and I didn't care about the characters, I might have stopped. Lots of very graphic torture, violence & death. Be warned. I have a headache and I've had dreams about this book. But it was so good. I'm very confused how I should be feeling haha. My first and probably not my last Karin Slaughter book, but I'll definitely be needing a palette cleaner in between.

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heatherbrt's review

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dark emotional sad 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

4.0

Twisty, but dark. Trigger warnings

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starryeyedlover's review

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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

4.5

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