Reviews tagging 'Car accident'

The Drowning Woman by Robyn Harding

14 reviews

astoriareader's review against another edition

dark 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

3.5

SYNOPSIS

• Lee is currently unhoused & living out of her car. She’s waiting tables at a shady diner in Seattle, and she’s living in her car.
• Lee decides to start sleeping in car in a secluded park with a beach area in an upper class neighborhood. One morning, she wakes up when she hears a woman drowning, and she saves the woman. The drowning woman, Hazel, and Lee become friends.
• Hazel confides in Lee that she’s in an abusive marriage, and basically, she came out there to end her life that morning. As their new friendship begins, Hazel asks Lee if she will consider helping Hazel disappear & start her new life.

MY THOUGHTS

• Harding is a talented writer. 
• Short chapters.
• Structured in different parts. We begin with Lee’s POV, then shift to Hazel’s POV.
• I thought the first half was a much stronger than the second half, and I really loved Lee’s part. It started off very strong.
• Some plot holes and inconsistencies that don’t make sense. Also, the story generally requires suspension of disbelief.
• This one had a lot of potential, and I was let down in some ways. It was an awesome beginning, a blah middle, and an okay ending.

TL;DR: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫3.5 stars. Really awesome beginning. Execution wasn’t really up to par for middle & ending. Still enjoyed the read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Infidelity, Dementia, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Violence, Death of parent, Physical abuse, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Vomit, Body shaming, Blood, Sexual content, and Alcoholism

Minor: Car accident

sstewart89's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Abandonment, Car accident, Pandemic/Epidemic, Violence, Suicide, Blood, Confinement, Dementia, Panic attacks/disorders, Infidelity, Murder, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

daniofthewood'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: Classism, Suicide attempt, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Car accident, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Blood, Bullying, Eating disorder, Pandemic/Epidemic, Panic attacks/disorders, Confinement, Murder, Violence, Death, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Body shaming, Dementia, Gore, Fatphobia, Grief, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexual content, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Forced institutionalization

Minor: Slavery

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

lucykae's review against another edition

challenging 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Infidelity, Physical abuse, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Blood, Murder, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Alcohol, Blood, Car accident, Death of parent, Addiction, and Confinement

readingonthefly's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense fast-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Infidelity, Murder, Death, Physical abuse, Gaslighting, Suicide attempt, Panic attacks/disorders, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

Minor: Car accident and Blood

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

saraellenme's review against another edition

dark reflective sad 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Panic attacks/disorders, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Murder, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Car accident, Death, and Alcohol

Minor: Forced institutionalization

annaofjesup's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Blood, Confinement, and Infidelity

Moderate: Alcohol, Terminal illness, Abandonment, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Car accident, Cursing, Death of parent, Dementia, Classism, Drug use, Pandemic/Epidemic, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Vomit, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Addiction