Reviews tagging 'Death'

Bad Things Happen Here by Rebecca Barrow

10 reviews

chelseamayxxx's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

3.0

Such a fast paced book with such a good story line thought out the whole book. I went into this book without reading the blurb of the book and am so glad I did as I enjoyed the story a lot more and I really got into the story as well as I was only focusing on the story and not the blurb and thinking when this bit going happen or this bit. The characters were really well told and the character’s relationships with each other are told so well and are described really good. The ending of the book I found a bit boring as it went on for ages about how one of the killings happened but it didn’t tell you about another characters death at all and how she was Murdered it just seemed to skip past that part and the other thing I found a bit non interesting is that it’s a YA book and I don’t read many of them. I would be happy to read the authors other books they have written. Xxx

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Death

Moderate: Sexual content and Suicidal thoughts

emily_mh's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

This was entertaining enough to be a three star read, and it was refreshing to see sapphic rep in a YA thriller in the MC Luca. Luca, along with most of the other characters, is unlikeable. But I didn’t find this to be a flaw as I honestly thought her behaviour was a realistic reaction to losing her sister in such a violent way as a teen. I also loved the OCD-coded rep in her character.

Unfortunately that’s where my good things to say about this book run out. Ultimately my major criticism comes down the the fact that if you’re going to use cold cases to draw a reader in, you should probably solve those cold cases in your book, especially if you’ve repeatedly made the point that they are connected with the current case. This was not what happened in this story. To be absolutely clear: the only murder that is solved by the end is Luca’ sister’s death. It was such a colossal disappointment and really undermined the quality of the book, as all it boiled down to was a really basic rich-town thriller.

I also think the third-person POV was jarring, because the narrative voice sounded like it should be first-person, if that makes sense. It really took me out of the book when I was expecting to read “I” or “we” or whatever, and it was “Luca” instead.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Death, and Murder

Moderate: Self harm, Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, Mental illness, Cursing, Racism, Child death, and Violence

Minor: Ableism, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Fire/Fire injury, Suicidal thoughts, Abortion, Vomit, Pregnancy, Gore, Lesbophobia, Addiction, Sexual assault, Homophobia, Rape, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Suicide, Drug abuse, Classism, Infidelity, and Sexual content

Major: loss of a loved one Moderate: drowning Minor: missing loved one, menstruation, divorce

avidreaderandgeekgirl's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense

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

3.5

This book was pretty depressing I'll be honest, but at least with a semi-hopeful ending. I didn't see the murder coming. It was a good book overall. Just very dark. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Mental illness, Blood, Death, Murder, Medical content, Alcohol, and Self harm

Moderate: Lesbophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Car accident, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Addiction and Vomit

caidyn's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional fast-paced

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

4.0

A complex, twisty novel about a town that's "cursed" and the families in it. I didn't expect the ending at all. I had an idea but it wasn't fully in line with the book. I also loved how queer the story was with the sapphic storyline.w

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Grief, Death, and Murder

Moderate: Sexual assault

kristiannaleigh's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Death, Drug use, Self harm, Murder, and Suicidal thoughts

debussy's review

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

2.5

This was a mostly solid mystery until that unacceptable resolution. It makes sense from a standpoint that the MC and most of the rest of the characters are selfish and entitled rich people, but from a story standpoint it’s unsatisfying and feels like the author and book simply gave up. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Alcohol, Blood, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, and Murder

Minor: Car accident and Drug use

bookish_paws's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad fast-paced

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

4.25

A dark YA thriller by Rebecca Barrow that follows the story of Luca Laine Thomas as she investigates the murder of her sister, Whitney.

A playground for the rich, wealthy and elite, Parris Island is an idyllic paradise, until you dig away at its history and find a string of unsolved murders - all involving young women. Luca believes that the island is cursed, and that if she doesn't solve her sister's murder, then she will be next.

If you're looking for a book to get you out of a reading slump over summer, then Bad Things Happen Here is the perfect read for you. With short, snappy chapters, you'll find yourself hooked in no time as you join Luca in her investigation. An incredibly addictive read, this book will leave you trying to connect the dots and you won't want to stop reading until you find out who the real murderer is.

My favourite thing about the book? The portrayal of mental health themes. Barrow doesn't hide Luca's mental health, with each chapter revealing just a little bit more about her depression and intrusive thoughts as she tries to process her grief. There's no sugar-coating here; it's all incredibly realistic and honest, and as someone who struggles with my own mental health, I found it refreshing to read a book that is so truthful in its portrayal of mental health themes.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Death, Murder, Grief, Mental illness, and Sexual content

Moderate: Alcohol, Blood, Drug use, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Classism

sadiefc's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Blood, Cursing, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Mental illness

Moderate: Fatphobia, Alcohol, Car accident, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Sexual content

bookishsapphicshay's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Grief

Moderate: Classism, Car accident, Drug use, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Fatphobia

hayleygray's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

[Thank you to Bonnier Books UK & NetGalley for sending me a digital proof of this book before the publication date!]

This book had intrigued me from the start: murder mystery, curses, female friendships, and diverse characters. Overall, I really enjoyed this story and the progression of investigating alongside Luca about what happened to the women of Parris. It was a fast read and I felt very engrossed in the majority of it. However, I think the plot twist wasn’t surprising enough – I had guessed what had happened pretty early-on in the story and I was hoping that I was wrong and would be shocked at a surprising reveal. But, it felt anti-climactic with quite a few plot twists that ultimately didn’t add up to anything super shocking. 
However, the ending did help bring me back around to liking this book more as Luca finally feels free and powerful. But, I just think it needed a little bit more of something to make it a great read, instead of a good one. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Blood, Body horror, Murder, and Self harm

Moderate: Classism, Addiction, and Alcoholism