Reviews tagging 'Torture'

The Drowning Woman by Robyn Harding

11 reviews

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

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

mckinleyelle's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Loved it but felt the end was rushed, otherwise it would have been 5/5 for me!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Death, Gaslighting, Suicide, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Dementia, Mental illness, and Infidelity

michelle_my_belle's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.75

 This was a solid thriller. It was fast-paced, suspenseful, and full of twists and secrets. I did feel like the last chunk of the book took an odd turn and resolved kind of abruptly. I also didn't really connect with any of the characters. Overall, an entertaining read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Torture, Blood, Pandemic/Epidemic, Suicidal thoughts, Domestic abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Cursing, Physical abuse, Sexism, Body horror, Body shaming, Death, Violence, Grief, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, Eating disorder, Classism, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Gore, Infidelity, Stalking, and Alcohol

Moderate: Suicide attempt

Minor: Dementia, Addiction, and Forced institutionalization

meeklovestoread's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious 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? No

4.0

This book was not what I was expecting, but you know what? I'm not mad about it. Whatever you think this book is about unlearn it. Think of the plot of "The Last Mrs. Parrish" by Liv Constantine, but wilder. It was just twist after twist after twist. The things that happen in this book are a little jarring (nothing out of left or anything, but still pretty shocking). I guessed some twists. I didn't guess others. There's a specific character that I was suspicious of from the beginning and I'm glad even in fiction I can spot toxicity.😂 Overall I feel like it was a really good page-turner and I really enjoy the friendship between Hazel and Lee. It was a good book, but the writing wasn't all that spectacular. There were actually a couple of grammar mistakes that I caught and I do feel like the ending was rushed, but I still enjoyed it overall.

Glad my girls are back together! In spite of everything, I still love them and their friendship!

Like I said definitely not a bad book if you're looking for something quick and entertaining!

Note: I'd just like to mention that I admire how the author takes her time to humanize homeless people and anything else who is in a situation in which they feel trapped rather that be literally or figuratively. I also admire how she took the topic of BDSM delicately and didn't dehumanize it and prioritize that acts like those are only harmful when they're nonconsensual.  

Spice Rating: 🌶️/5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Violence, Death, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Sexual violence, Cursing, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Alcohol, and Death of parent

Minor: Car accident, Sexual content, Body shaming, Confinement, and Torture

samanthaleeshea's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

Great fast read, lots of twists and turns.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Murder, Confinement, and Torture

Moderate: Dementia, Drug use, Alcohol, Blood, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Violence, Vomit, Grief, Misogyny, and Sexual assault

Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic

redefiningrachel'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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Confinement, Lesbophobia, Death, Mental illness, Grief, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Sexual assault, Dementia, Bullying, Violence, Toxic friendship, Infidelity, Gaslighting, Classism, and Body shaming

Moderate: Torture, Injury/Injury detail, and Slavery

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Vomit

jaimiesauer's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

4.0

I liked this.  It could be a little frustrating at times,  and the characters can be infuriating, but it kept me guessing.  I couldn't wait to pick it back up and figure out what would happen. I'm usually an excellent "predictor" but this one had me stymied more than once.  I read this regularly,  so I'm not sure on the audio experience. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Addiction, Violence, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Torture, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual assault, Misogyny, Murder, and Physical abuse

savvyrosereads's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

Rating: 4/5 stars

A woman living in her car gets tangled up in more than she bargained for when she saves the life of a wealthy woman.

Another month, another great book club pick! I really enjoyed this one, which kept me entertained and on the edge of my seat the whole time. The chapters were super short (ALWAYS a plus), and the twists and turns made me excited to keep reading and find out what would happen next. I also really enjoyed the changing POVs, which I thought added a lot of layers and nuance to the story.

I did expect another somewhat more “groundbreaking” reveal at some point, but I think that is just a function of consuming a lot of thrillers and always expecting some massive shock at the eleventh hour. Overall, I thought this was really well paced and the plot unspooled pretty nicely—and while there probably could have been another left turn at the end, I’m not overly mad that there wasn’t. As an added bonus, I actually really liked the main characters (even if I questioned some of their decisions), which can be rare for a thriller and which I always appreciate!

Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: shifting POVs; psychological thrillers; short chapters

CW: Domestic violence/abuse; dementia; death of parent; discussions of suicide/suicide attempt; discussions of homelessness/poverty

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Slavery, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Death, Death of parent, Dementia, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Car accident, Suicide, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders

thatswhatshanread's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.25

Another solid domestic thriller!! This has definitely become my favorite sub-genre of mystery thrillers. And this one is heavy on domestic twists and suspenseful thrills!!

While it was a little slow to start, the intrigue never stops. It increases with each chapter (short chapters are the best) and throws in punch after punch of “WTF?!“ drama. This one is best if you go in blind, so I won’t say much else except that you will definitely have trust issues after finishing it. 

Robyn Harding is SO GOOD at what she does!! Fans of “Sleeping with the Enemy”, “Gone Girl”, “Killing Eve” and the like should flock to this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Stalking, Vomit, Torture, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Blood, Body shaming, Classism, Sexism, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Death of parent, Grief, Gore, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Addiction, Cursing, Dementia, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Gun violence, Bullying, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Suicide attempt