Reviews tagging 'Adult/minor relationship'

Home Before Dark by Riley Sager

44 reviews

boba_n_books's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.0

This was a solid novel! Definitely one of my favorites of Riley Sager that I've read so far. 

I enjoyed the spooky atmosphere that came with Maggie fixing up the haunted house she and her family fled when she was a child. The dual timelines of Maggie in the present day and her dad's novel about their experience made for a great way for the reader to pick up on clues and try and figure out what really happened at Baneberry Hall. I was left questioning Maggie's dad's novel and Maggie's own experiences wondering whether the house was truly haunted. 

Definitely a fun read for spooky season! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Child death, and Murder

Moderate: Death of parent, Grief, and Suicide

Minor: Adult/minor relationship

brittishliterature's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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

3.75

Started listening to the audiobook because I'd caught snippets of it while my husband had it playing on the way back from our honeymoon. It sounded interesting, and then I needed to know what happened haha. 

I think listening to it on audio had its pros and cons. The narrators were good, but I also think it kept me from being fully absorbed in the spooky/creepy/thriller aspect of it all, which isn't all bad because I was able to listen and find out what happened but also not feel too scared.

I enjoyed the switching POV between Maggie and excerpts from her dad's book. It kept me guessing at what was real or not. I thought the ending was very interesting, I thought I had suspected it but then it still had some twists. I didn't feel that all the loose ends were tied up as nicely as I'd hoped, but I still thought it was good.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Murder, and Death

Moderate: Suicide

Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Alcohol

dev921's review against another edition

dark slow-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

2.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Medical content, Murder, Cancer, Injury/Injury detail, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Stalking, and Violence

amris'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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Child death, Suicide, Murder, and Death

Moderate: Dementia, Chronic illness, Terminal illness, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Vomit

Minor: Adult/minor relationship

deanchaudhri's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

Classic mystery-thriller. Enjoyed some of the horror elements but felt *very* tropey at times. Probably one too many plot twists & that made it less effective, but overall was a fun read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Death

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Suicide

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Terminal illness, and Grief

meeklovestoread's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.25

Honestly this book was such a fun time! The back and forth between chapters work so well. And I love how each chapter correlated with the present events that the main character was going through. I personally found the whole book entertaining. Even the twist at the end, even though it was pretty messy. I still enjoyed it. And it did spook me a little bit too!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Death, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Stalking, Child death, Suicide, Alcohol, and Body shaming

Minor: Cursing, Cancer, and Adult/minor relationship

islesbiyana's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

1.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, and Murder

Moderate: Suicide, Death of parent, and Grief

Minor: Adult/minor relationship

cole_gwyn's review against another edition

5.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Pedophilia and Adult/minor relationship

kfquarium's review

dark mysterious 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Murder, and Child death

Moderate: Cursing, Suicide, and Grief

Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual content, Dementia, Alcohol, Blood, Death of parent, and Infidelity

thevioletfoxbookshop's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

Riley Sager is dependably good when it comes to thrillers! I had so many sticky notes marking clues and theories written down while reading this book and that made it even more enjoyable to read. This is a fast-paced read that will keep you turning those pages and keep your mind working. The setting is also really fun to sink into - you really get to know the house, room by room, as well as the people who inhabit it. Sager does a great job of both dropping hints and leaving you red herrings so you might think you know what's coming, but there are almost definitely a few surprises in store. Highly recommend for anyone who is looking for a good thriller!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Murder

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Death of parent