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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
A very captivating read. I read it quickly because it keeps you wanting to find the ending.
Some situations and characters were muddled with details that felt weird for the sake of being weird, not for the story line.
But it was a good story and I loved the underlying theme of being the mother you deserved.
Some situations and characters were muddled with details that felt weird for the sake of being weird, not for the story line.
But it was a good story and I loved the underlying theme of being the mother you deserved.
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest, Rape, Suicide, Pregnancy, Abandonment
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Exceptionally written! Lacey Mae is a great main character, she's intelligent, interesting, and you really want to root for her. Her inner dialogue and thought process as she slowly deprograms is fantastic. The references to Quiverfull culture and the way Bieker utilizes cult mentality are fascinating - i'd love to see the research she did for the novel. Definitely will look into Bieker's other work!
3.5 stars rounded down. There were parts of this book that punched me right in the gut, but those moments were often mired in a lot of generalized detail, If that makes sense, so that I couldn’t connect with anyone besides Lacey (and perhaps that was the point). As someone who has always had a very strained and complicated relationship with my own mother, albeit nothing like the one in this book, that ending kinda knocked me for six.
challenging
dark
emotional
This is one of the darkest books I’ve ever read. Chelsea Bowler’s prose is great, but I would not suggest it unless you are in a really healthy state of mind.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Incest, Rape, Sexual assault, Pregnancy
Minor: Suicide
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Did I enjoy this? Simple answer, no. Absolutely not. Was it intriguing enough to finish, yes. I kept going, hoping beyond hope for some sort of decent, if not happy ending...but it just kept getting worse. The end did not make up for the rest. I need a shower now. Trigger warning: rape, rape of a minor, incest, cult stuff, drugs, etc...