Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

The Drowning Woman by Robyn Harding

80 reviews

werdnamich's review against another edition

mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Two women lack self-preservation. That’s it. That’s the book.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Domestic abuse, and Suicide attempt

nobodyzgirl67's review against another edition

mysterious medium-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? Yes

3.0

I have mixed feelings on this book.  I found some of the twists to be completely unbelievable which made it hard for me to get into the story.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse

killmoore_'s review against another edition

dark emotional tense fast-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

4.75

I couldn't have loved this more. Heart dropping suspense, holler-out-loud plot twists and a touch of pure insanity. This is one of my favorite books of the year so far. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Death, Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cursing, Death of parent, Grief, Stalking, Blood, Murder, Suicide attempt, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Physical abuse, Torture, Toxic friendship, Car accident, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Body shaming, Violence, Vomit, Injury/Injury detail, Pandemic/Epidemic, Sexism, and Suicidal thoughts

jeannaa's review against another edition

dark sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Murder, Suicide attempt, Infidelity, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Alcoholism and Panic attacks/disorders

heyk8burns's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-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? No

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, and Suicide attempt

katiedoesntftba's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

• 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

I haven't read a book like this in a LONG time where I thought I knew where it was going and I was completely wrong. I got whiplash multiple times and loved it! I wish I could wipe my memory and read it again. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Death of parent, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Domestic abuse, Torture, Sexual violence, Confinement, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Slavery, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Alcoholism, Alcohol, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Sexual content, Drug use, and Gun violence

Minor: Car accident

a_libraryghost's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

I absolutely loved this! One of the books strongest aspects is the two leading characters. I don’t think I’ve connected quite as much as with characters in a thriller for a while like I did with Lee and Hazel. For the most part I didn’t really guess any of the twists and honestly had no idea how it was going to end. Honestly for a long time I thought this was going to be a 5 star rating for me. 

There were some plot threads though that did feel unnecessary and like they didn’t go anywhere. I also wasn’t in love with the ending. It felt unfinished. I was surprised when I saw how little was left on the second last chapter. 

Overall still a great book though. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Confinement, Murder, Alcohol, Death of parent, Drug use, and Dementia

Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic

gigitrail's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse

Trigger for domestic violence

kayrenee521's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-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

3.75

Homeless, and running from her past Lee discovers one morning a woman so desperate to get away from her abusive husband that she’s suicidal. She says her name is Hazel and her husband Benjamin is a criminal defense attorney who controls her every move. The two become close, hatching a plan to get Hazel away from Benjamin.
       Lee soon learns that Hazel isn’t everything she seems and she may have been running from one bad situation right into an even worse one. 
     I enjoyed this book, large portions were told from alternating perspectives of Hazel and Lee. I found myself sympathetic to both women and their situations. My only complaint is things seemed too tidied up at the end and it had a little too much of a “ happy ending “
Plus I had to suspend disbelief at the way Benjamin got away with some stuff he did.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Sexism, Suicide attempt, Sexual content, Misogyny, Slavery, Murder, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Dementia, Classism, and Infidelity

gambizzy's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

I wasn’t sure where the twists and turns were going to go which is very nice in a thriller. The book wasn’t wrapped up very well at all though and felt unfinished. It was sometimes lazy/weak writing, but overall enjoyable and quick to read.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Suicide attempt, Emotional abuse, Murder, Domestic abuse, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Infidelity, Death of parent, Death, Sexual violence, Violence, and Panic attacks/disorders