Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
3.5 stars.
Interesting look into the slow descent of someone who has experienced horrid trauma.
Fast-paced and makes you wonder what is going to happen next, and want to carry on to find out.
Interesting look into the slow descent of someone who has experienced horrid trauma.
Fast-paced and makes you wonder what is going to happen next, and want to carry on to find out.
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
*2.5 stars* is the author ok???? Like wth was this book
someone tried really hard to be edgy and I cringed with every page I read. don't waste your time.
[3.5 stars rounded up.]
Big content warning for abuse, sexual assault, violence, and animal cruelty.
This story opens with a sister and brother and their abusive mother. The first four chapters of this story are brutal. The depictions of abuse on page are uncomfortable and hard to read; it definitely requires being in the 'right' head space to read. Things happen, the siblings flee, murder ensues.
My overall 'issue' with this story is that it felt like the substance (what it was trying to say and do emotionally) got lost in the shock value. There are horrific, graphic things here; the commentary on the way men (and the world) treat women and girls is an important conversation to have, but I felt sometimes it got lost in the horror. This isn't to say that the things that happen in this book don't happen. They do. But it needed more space to really stick the landing. The main character sort of repeats these one liners about how she views women's roles in the world without moving past that repetition. I also thought this could have connected to the MC's love of true crime magazines a bit more smoothly.
What I did love was the tone and atmosphere. This very much gave The Devil All the Time vibes in tone. It's bleak. It's violent. It's cruel. I also liked the main character; she very much needed a therapist. I kind of liked that I couldn't get a sense for what time period this story took place in, but no matter the time––someone should have gotten her a therapist.
I'd hesitantly recommend this to folks if they think they're in the right headspace to read it and the blurb sounds interesting. Just know it's a time.
Big content warning for abuse, sexual assault, violence, and animal cruelty.
This story opens with a sister and brother and their abusive mother. The first four chapters of this story are brutal. The depictions of abuse on page are uncomfortable and hard to read; it definitely requires being in the 'right' head space to read. Things happen, the siblings flee, murder ensues.
My overall 'issue' with this story is that it felt like the substance (what it was trying to say and do emotionally) got lost in the shock value. There are horrific, graphic things here; the commentary on the way men (and the world) treat women and girls is an important conversation to have, but I felt sometimes it got lost in the horror. This isn't to say that the things that happen in this book don't happen. They do. But it needed more space to really stick the landing. The main character sort of repeats these one liners about how she views women's roles in the world without moving past that repetition. I also thought this could have connected to the MC's love of true crime magazines a bit more smoothly.
What I did love was the tone and atmosphere. This very much gave The Devil All the Time vibes in tone. It's bleak. It's violent. It's cruel. I also liked the main character; she very much needed a therapist. I kind of liked that I couldn't get a sense for what time period this story took place in, but no matter the time––someone should have gotten her a therapist.
I'd hesitantly recommend this to folks if they think they're in the right headspace to read it and the blurb sounds interesting. Just know it's a time.
Too much animal cruelty for me - gave up pretty early.
dark
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Incest, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Fire/Fire injury
This was dark. It reads similarly to the Netflix show The End of the F**king World, while also having some very nice quotes about abuse and the female experience
i'm not entirely sure what it says about to me to admit the fact that i related to suzy on so many levels. not just the abuse part, but goddamn that feeling where you feel like you are a monster and nobody around you recognizes it.
i'm not saying that i'm an actual monster but it's so frustrating when you have negative thoughts and everybody around you is just like wow you're so sweet. and you are like bitch i am an onion with lots of layers. don't underestimate me. it's this weird thing where you want to be recognized for the darkness inside of you because it's the part that feels victorious and feels like it belongs to you.
oh gosh it's also kind of like how you have all of these people around you that are doing these horrific things and your whole life you can't really understand why people are that way. but then like maybe you do a bad thing too and you get this power you never knew you had. or even just a bad thought feels like you're taking some of your life back.
I don't know if that makes any sense.
what a strange thing.
anyway.
i'm not saying that i'm an actual monster but it's so frustrating when you have negative thoughts and everybody around you is just like wow you're so sweet. and you are like bitch i am an onion with lots of layers. don't underestimate me. it's this weird thing where you want to be recognized for the darkness inside of you because it's the part that feels victorious and feels like it belongs to you.
oh gosh it's also kind of like how you have all of these people around you that are doing these horrific things and your whole life you can't really understand why people are that way. but then like maybe you do a bad thing too and you get this power you never knew you had. or even just a bad thought feels like you're taking some of your life back.
I don't know if that makes any sense.
what a strange thing.
anyway.