Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

The Project by Courtney Summers

18 reviews

bri_lliantlybookishef669's review

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Torture, Abandonment, and Car accident

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Violence, Suicide, and Sexual content

Minor: Pregnancy

lilacs's review against another edition

challenging dark sad slow-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? It's complicated

3.0

Courtney Summers may be one of my favourite authors, but she can also be kind of hit-or-miss. I was all but ready to abandon this book half way through, bored out of my mind, but because it was Courtney I kept reading. It's actually a shame that the book gets good near the end, because it makes you think of what it could have been all the way through. In the end I'm glad I made it to the climax but I am also disappointed because I know that the author is capable of much more, and she's always showing it in her worst books even (here, and Fall for Anything) but sometimes just fails to take it all the way home.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Murder, Medical trauma, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Death, and Car accident

sunsetcity's review

adventurous dark mysterious 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? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Confinement, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Torture, and Toxic relationship

melaniereadsbooks's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• 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

4.5

Told from dual-POVs and dual-timelines, this story explores what happened to two sisters after one was in a tragic accident that killed her parents, and the other joined the mysterious religious group, the Unity Project.

This was a very high-intensity thriller.  This deals with some really tricky subjects, and does a good job expressing the feelings of loss, grief, and loneliness that are preyed upon by Lev and his cult. Though I can't really say I liked the characters, I did enjoy reading about them, and I was on the metaphorical edge of my seat while racing through this book! I really enjoyed the way this ended, as well.   I'm definitely scoping out this author's other books to read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Car accident, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Kidnapping, Medical content, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Stalking, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Pregnancy

hestapleton's review

dark emotional fast-paced

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

5.0

SADIE gripped me and wrecked me and Summers’s latest followed in the same vein. I’m a sucker for a good cult story and I love how well Summers can put together a believable and yet, unresolved, ending. She’s officially an auto buy author for me. I can’t remember the last time I devoured a book like this. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #netgalley

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Cursing, Torture, Suicide, Pregnancy, Medical trauma, Medical content, Infidelity, Grief, Death of parent, Death, Car accident, and Blood

libraryluna's review against another edition

dark tense 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

1.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse

joceraptor's review against another edition

mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

a bit faltering, a bit muddled. this book doesn't seem to commit to much - even the age of the character and writing put this in that gray area between traditional ya/adult stories. there are some solid ideas, but poor pacing and underdeveloped characterization. i just wanted more on every front. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Suicide

a bit faltering, a bit muddled. this book doesn't seem to commit to much - even the age of the character and writing put this in that gray area between traditional ya/adult stories. there are some solid ideas, but poor pacing and underdeveloped characterization. i just wanted more on every front.

danielghurst's review

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

The Project by Courtney Summers tells the story of Lo Denham, an aspiring journalist who wants to expose the cult that took her sister. To do so, she'll have to get close to the very people she's trying to destroy and question everything she believes.

I enjoyed this book quite a bit. Summers' writing is vibrant and gritty, the story is intriguing, and the characters are complicated. I could appreciate Lo's cynicism and bluntness that she uses to mask her trauma and pain. If you enjoy stories about cults, questioning faith/religion, or sisters, you might just love this book!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Torture, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Blood, Suicide, Domestic abuse, Grief, Kidnapping, Child abuse, Death, Religious bigotry, and Sexual content