Reviews with content warning for Death - He Started It

Reviews tagging 'Death'

He Started It by Samantha Downing

12 reviews

kaylasbewks's review against another edition

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3.0

the ending ruined this completely for me, uups.

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bookedbymadeline's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious 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

Really slow start, it took almost 150 pages to really get into the story. Only reason I didn’t DNF was because I desperately wanted to know the secrets 😅

The writing style was a little overly descriptive for my taste, with more telling than showing. All the characters are unlikeable and most are annoying 😅 but they’re interesting nonetheless, and I did like that none of them are trustworthy or reliable so you can never pinpoint their secrets or “guilt.”

The twists were completely unexpected and I was happy that all of my predictions were wrong! Sadly though the ending and twists felt way too rushed, all of the twists were in the last 20-30 pages which just left me with an unsatisfying ending. There was also one part towards the end that I found completely unbelievable, and a bit of a cop out.

Portia threatening Beth with a psych ward was a weak attempt at blackmail compared to her threat to Eddie. Unless the journal showed clear threats to herself or others (which in my opinion it did not), you legally can’t put someone in a psych ward especially if you’re not a spouse/legal guardian.

Overall it was an entertaining and unpredictable thriller! I really enjoyed the unreliable narrator aspect and split timelines but even the unpredictability couldn’t save the book from being a bit disappointing. But the ending really ruined it for me and just because I was surprised doesn’t make it good 🫣 If you’re looking to read a psychological thriller from Downing, I’d recommend The Lovely Wife instead!

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faesissa's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

Not a typical read for me. None of the characters are really that likeable, which makes sense given their personalities. It took me about a third of the book to actually get interested in the story.

It's all just one big game of Risk.

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riella_reads's review

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mysterious tense fast-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

This was an overall pretty good thriller. I can definitely see why some people didn't care for this one since the entire book was them on the road. This had the typical unreliable narrator but honestly I didn't trust anybody here. I also didn't really get why their grandpa was so crazy but I guess that's real life lol. This was still a fun time and I'd reccomend this to someone newer to thrillers.

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ohhthehorrors's review

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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brookey8888's review

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Bye that ending was literally crazy.
The first part of this like nothing really happened and you don’t know like anything so I kept wanting to know what was going on. Then slowly things I didn’t see coming started happening and then everything happened and I saw non of it coming. If you don’t like unlikable characters this one is t for you. But I low key kinda of liked Beth in the beginning.

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pplydm's review

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adventurous dark funny mysterious sad tense 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

4.0

Never thought I'd be reading He Started It by Samantha Downing. This book turned out to be the book I'd want to delve into.
Eddie, Beth and Portia recreated a childhood road trip experience around the U.S. Only now, their Grandpa who previously supervised their journey, died, cremated into ashes in an urn placed together near the suitcases. The only way to fathom the Morgan family is to be a part of it. They apparently don't comprehend themselves either, hence they betray and lie to each other. This was written comically despite of the sinister character personalities. A rating of 4/5 star because the story ending was utter disappointment for me. I suggest the author can redeem my frustration if she writes a separate novel dedicated to Nikki.

<i>Arguing about every little thing is what makes people hate you, especially when it comes to family.

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justkeyreads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

This wasn’t a thriller to write home about, but it was satisfactory for what it was. But it also seemed like the twists were for shock value and goodness gracious there were a lot of trigger warnings. This family was dysfunctional, conniving, deceitful and doesn’t help that they are the epitome of gaslighting. Just wow!

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soobooksalot's review

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adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-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

3.5

This is a road trip story unlike any you've read!
Three adult siblings and their spouses are travelling across the States to recreate the road trips they took with their grandfather as children.
Gradually, details are revealed relating to these trips and their motivations.
Oh, did I mention Grampa's ashes are also along for the ride?
This is a unique, slow-burn suspense story that takes turns for the dark as the novel progresses. Timeframes shift frequently throughout, dropping clues and context as to what is to come.
This was a totally different reading experience than Downing's My Lovely Wife and I also look forward to comparing to her newest, For Your Own Good.
Recommended as a twisty and different summer read.

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kamin8882's review

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.5

This was a 3.5 star book for me. I loved the whole story- 3 siblings on a road trip as a requirement to get their grandfathers inheritance—- huge one !! This story shows all the messed up things that happened on the first road trip with their grandfather and all the crazy things that keep happening during this current one. All the twist and turns were great, the secrets were shocking but the ending sucked !!! With thrillers feel like you’re supposed to be shocked at the end when all things are revealed and may things were except one thing and I NEED to know what happened !!!

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