Reviews tagging 'Schizophrenia/Psychosis '

The Overnight Guest by Heather Gudenkauf

2 reviews

zoiejanelle'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? No

1.5

this is a contemporary murder mystery that places the victim at the center of the story. the premise is cool and the triple timeline/POV was a concept that definitely piqued my interest... but...
 
listen, if you like predictable thrillers with plot points that scream "cheap shock value," this is a fine book. actually, this was a good book! until what was supposed to be the big plot twist. kirkus reviews got it right this time: "Tense, taut, and terrifying—until the reveal. Read the first 43 chapters and be satisfied."

spoilers: the murderer is mentioned once in the beginning of the book, and the reveal leaves you asking, "wait, what the hell? who is this guy?"

instead of a well-done whodunnit, the author closed her eyes, spun around, and pointed at the first character she saw. the suspense immediately deflated, and there was no closure or compelling explanation to why the crime happened whatsoever. it was extremely amateur, and very disappointing. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Car accident, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Death, Domestic abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Animal death, Gaslighting, Grief, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Blood, Violence, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, and Sexual assault

brookey8888's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I really enjoyed this. I liked that it was duel timelines because I find it easy to get engaged because you want to know what going on in the time lines. I did think this was going to be like an isolated thriller and it was to an extent, but not as much as I hoped. I also liked the true crime aspect to this because I honestly had no clue what this was about so that was a fun surprise. That being said I did guess everything because I thought it was obvious, but it didn’t take away from my enjoyment. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Child abuse, Cursing, Gaslighting, Gore, Alcoholism, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, Abortion, Car accident, Confinement, Violence, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Stalking, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Sexual violence