Reviews with content warning for Rape - Magpie

Great first third - really built the tension before an early twist that caught me off guard. Slightly disappointing in the second half though - I was waiting for another shocker but the final confrontation didn't feel that satisfying (after something so extreme early on). Might've been interesting to switch back to Marissa's POV at the end because her character didn't develop much once the perspective shifted

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hodgeonlucy's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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bgoodbookclub's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious tense medium-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

4.0

I enjoyed this one a lot more than I expected! I went into it having the mindset of 'getting through it' but I actually really enjoyed the story. It had a very unique storytelling process of having you root for two people who had every reason to be against each other. It did an awesome job of giving perspective and backstory that fully rounded the characters.

There is a decent chunk of this book that is about trying to conceive, IVF, miscarriages, etc. so if that is something that you are sensitive to, I suggest reading some reviews. That is not something that I have personally gone through so I don't think I'm the best person to speak to it but I think it could be pretty heavy to those going through that.

I would definitely read another one of Day's book! The twist was definitely unexpected.

A big thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this one!

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mayadawe's review against another edition

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tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
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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wordswineandwitbookclub's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious fast-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

3.25

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tysuckz's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful informative sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Love love love the way this book is written. I do think that it could've been much shorter but also the way it's written is kind of what keeps you reading, if that makes sense? Like it isn't the plot but just the way the experience is?

The fertility struggles weren't something I thought I would be reading when I picked up the book to be honest, and it was nice to read something I've never really touched based with before even if it was a little bit on the heavy side.

Just wanted to stick in this part of the book, cause it was one of my favourite pieces of it:
"___ found it extraordinary how much ownership strangers felt they had over her uterus. People she had only just met would imagine they knew her age, her sexual proclivities and her maternal urges. There was an assumption, implicit in the question, that all women should want to have children and that those who didn't were somehow lacking. It used to infuriate her. Now it just left her hollow."

Anyways, I do fully think it is worth the read. The plot is a lot thicker than I feel like you initially imagine and you can't really get a sense of which way is up or down at the start. Not a clue what is going on . And then suddenly it all starts to make sense!

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xbernadette's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
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

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arifahmalik's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful reflective tense slow-paced

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

4.25

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