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talonsontypewriters'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Racism, Kidnapping, Body horror, Hate crime, Grief, Murder, Violence, Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Stalking, Blood, Gore, Child death, Gun violence, Death, and Classism
Moderate: Physical abuse, Death of parent, Sexual content, Child abuse, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Alcoholism
Minor: Suicide, Bullying, Eating disorder, Sexual assault, Fatphobia, Pedophilia, Rape, Racial slurs, and Vomit
Misogynoir. Missing person/child. Descriptions of corpses (human and animal).minimicropup's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
- A New Yorker returning to their PA hometown for their childhood best friendās wedding and staying with their Haitian mother, with whom they have a complicated relationship. Thereās a reluctance about returning due to trauma, shame, and fear from the past and a recent relationship break-up.
- An unknown narrator describing the circumstances of each of the missing Black girls over the townās history.
- Set in Johnstown, Pennsylvania in different eras, with the main action being present day
- Realistic IRL horrors from our world merged with those of another realm.
- Can we please have everyone describe characters the way this author does from now on? I loved getting the descriptions of the charactersā skin, hair, and style. It wasnāt overly detailed, and it helped bring the characters to life.
- The writing was jarring at times in a way that knocked me out of the story. I wasnāt skimming and yet I found that I had to re-read lines or go back a few pages to figure out what was going on occasionally. I especially struggled with this during the final action fight-for-your-life scenes.
- I have biases Iām not even aware of. This book helped me with that. I identified so much with our MC because of the authorās skill at gradually placing you in someone elseās mind and body. I donāt know how to say this in a way that isnāt cringey, but I came away from this story having more empathy about the pressures and experiences unique to young Black men and women in America. Like, insight into those subtle paper-cut-type wounds from how one is treated because of appearance and ancestry, and how they accumulate and harm how we view ourselves and others.
- Cerebral suspense/mystery
- Occult/supernatural entities, āstay out of the woods!ā energy
- Subtle horror using metaphor, allegory, and personification to explore IRL horrors of racism, classism, and generational and regional trauma.
- Subjective, poetic type writing
Graphic: Child death, Murder, and Racism
Moderate: Animal death, Classism, and Alcohol
Minor: Fatphobia
animal deaths are not of pets and are related to hunting in the woodsmaddiearthur's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Alcoholism, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Racism, Alcohol, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Death, Murder, and Hate crime
Moderate: Fatphobia
edgaranjapoe's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Kidnapping, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Child death, and Racism
Moderate: Alcohol, Torture, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Grief, Physical abuse, Animal cruelty, Medical content, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Vomit, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual harassment, Panic attacks/disorders, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Cursing, Murder, Bullying, Fatphobia, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Excrement, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Confinement, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Body shaming, Hate crime, and Sexual assault
melodyseestrees'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
4.25
Many of the elements within the book are well done. This is including the guilty party being surrounded by equally suspicious characters. There is one character that was not fleshed out as well as most of the others. The brother of the bride. He is revealed to be violent and racist during Liz's high school years and he is sarcastic or otherwise plainly showing his distaste for Liz. Other than that he is not exhibiting any suspicious behavior and is removed from the final confrontation rather easily. It just felt like a waste for him to be so close to being a main person in this case only for him to get a quick off page redemption arc and then get written out until the wrap up.
The revelation of the supernatural element was jarring despite allusions made to it throughout the pages.
Graphic: Kidnapping, Sexual violence, Blood, Violence, Death, Racism, Body horror, Alcoholism, Child death, Gore, Eating disorder, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Fatphobia, Child abuse, Rape, Violence, and Animal death
Minor: Stalking
The rape and some of the violence happen off the page. Violence towards children is tagged as child abuse to cover bases. It is not presented as a classic depiction of child abuse.melodyseestrees's review
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Racism, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Gore, Kidnapping, Child death, Death, Blood, Violence, Sexual violence, Alcoholism, and Eating disorder
Moderate: Fatphobia, Violence, Animal death, Child abuse, and Rape
Much of the specifics within the tags happen off page but the implications can be intense. If you see your triggers listed proceed with caution. A character gets their leg broken pretty descriptively. Some of the details around hearts are visceral. At two points there is a heavily described deer carcass. One of those points involves popcorn kernels. I couldn't tag violence against children so I tagged it as child abuse.ezismythical's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Stalking, Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Child death, Gore, Hate crime, Murder, Kidnapping, and Racism
Moderate: Alcohol, Blood, Child abuse, Fatphobia, Alcoholism, Grief, Domestic abuse, and Mental illness
Minor: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Suicide
krys_kilz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I did not predict the twist, which made it all the more shocking. I agree with some other reviewers that the ending did feel a bit rushed, but I disagree that the paranormal element didn't work.
I am very excited to read whatever Erin E. Adams publishes next!
tw: anti-Blackness, misogynoir, white supremacy, abduction and targeted killing of Black girls
Graphic: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Kidnapping, Racism, Murder, and Gore
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Animal death, and Alcoholism
Minor: Fatphobia
taratearex's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I listened to the audiobook for this and it was EXCELLENT, like top best audiobooks I've listened to. There are two narrators and they are both PHENOMENAL, I was so engaged and so creeped out, and I just could not put this down. The beginning does take a bit to get the story going, but the writing and narration really kept me interested.
The social commentary on racism and the lack of care and attention to the missing Black girls is woven throughout and makes this story even more horrific as it represents a real problem, the way this true horror is woven into the story is so well done.
I found the ending to be SO SO GOOD and so satisfying. I honestly feel like that is so hard to do in a thriller and I'm so glad I knew nothing going in because the twists and turns as we got to the ending kept me engaged and guessing and wanting to know! Edit: Just want to add, I'm seeing some reviews who didn't like the ending or thought it didn't make sense, I just want to say- there are clues about the ending throughout the entire book and I think it's too big of a spoiler to say anything more :)
Incredible debut and I can't wait to read more from this author!
CW: Violence. Racism. Child death. Body Horror. Domestic violence. Gore. Alcohol abuse. Eating disorder. Animal death. Kidnapping. Off-page SA. Off-page violence against children
Graphic: Gore, Domestic abuse, Kidnapping, Body horror, Blood, Racism, Murder, Violence, Hate crime, Death, and Animal death
Moderate: Fatphobia, Sexual assault, and Alcohol
remie's review
- 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: Fatphobia, Kidnapping, Gore, Racism, Murder, Body horror, Death, Gaslighting, Grief, and Hate crime
Moderate: Police brutality
Minor: Alcohol and Eating disorder