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lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
"Girl A" follows Lex Gracie, a woman who has spent the majority of her life trying to forget about her family. Lex was one of the siblings that grew up in the infamous House of Horrors, and she was the one who escaped and finally brought the torment to an end. Her father did not make it out of their home, and her mother has been in prison ever since. Her siblings were all adopted by different families and do not see much of each other anymore. But, when Lex learns that her mother has died and left her the rest of her possessions, including the house, Lex feels compelled to finally face what happened all those years ago.
I was so pleasantly surprised with this novel. This is not a thriller in the traditional way, but it definitely is mysterious. We know what ultimately happens to most of the characters, but we do not know how and we do not necessarily know how they are doing in their adult lives as they try to cope with the fallout from their childhood. There is one big "reveal" that I did anticipate, but I was not left feeling let down that I figured it out early on.
Lex is an interesting point of view to read from. Her life was irreversibly altered by the decisions her parents made, and it is difficult to read about the horrors she has faced, but she seems so strong. Some of her siblings have really struggled ever since their escape, and although Lex is clearly affected, she manages to seem the most levelheaded.
Each sibling gets a dedicated chapter, and we get to learn what their life was like in childhood and then what it was like trying to overcome their trauma. Each sibling handled things very differently, but it was still so interesting to see. There was one sibling in particular that made me very angry. They knew much more than they let on back then, and even contributed to the abuse in their own way. They seem so put together now, and I think it was because they did not face the same fear as their siblings. They do not deserve the beautiful life they have created, and I was angry learning of the transgressions against their siblings they committed.
The pacing of this book felt slow, but there was always so much happening, and we were learning so much about the characters that it ended up feeling very appropriately paced.
Overall, I was content with the resolution. I think the siblings are all moving on the best they can, and I think Lex made the best decision she could about the house.
I definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a quiet mystery laced with family drama.
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Blood, Toxic relationship, Murder, Mental illness, Bullying, Self harm, Domestic abuse, Confinement, Suicide, Death of parent, Torture, Child death, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, and Physical abuse
carmencolette's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Kidnapping, Domestic abuse, Death, Addiction, Violence, Suicide, Torture, Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Religious bigotry, Drug abuse, Child death, and Child abuse
kelseygrachek's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, and Violence
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Self harm, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Body horror, and Misogyny
becksreadsbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
Graphic: Death of parent, Child death, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Child abuse, Confinement, and Pregnancy
annabulkowski's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Alcoholism, Confinement, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Infertility, Medical content, Miscarriage, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Vomit, Child death, Excrement, Injury/Injury detail, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Torture, Violence, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Gore, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicide, Stalking, and Sexual violence
caitmcv's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Graphic: Child abuse, Physical abuse, and Self harm
Moderate: Alcoholism, Eating disorder, and Suicide
laurenipsum's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Gaslighting, Grief, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Sexism, Slavery, Suicide attempt, Torture, Violence, and Vomit
roselouisa's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Torture, Toxic relationship, and Violence
suzyh5317's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Torture, Child abuse, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Alcoholism, Excrement, Child death, Mental illness, and Pregnancy
Minor: Vomit, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Religious bigotry, and Murder
dayday_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Problem#1: the characters
I never understood what people meant about enjoying character-driven stories until now. I couldn't connect with ANY of the characters. I didn't care about them or their plight and I was uninterested and unmoved by them. This has never happened to me where there wasn't at least one character I liked. I hated all of them, including Girl A (Lexi) herself. She has issues with a capital I and although she had tons of therapy, so much i still unresolved. I won't even get in yo my issues with the rest of the siblings.
Problem #2: character development (or lack thereof)
You got no sense of who the siblings really were as people because we saw everything through Lexi's lens. So they don't have the nuance that fully developed characters do. You get glimpsed in to them but not the why's and wherefore of it all. They do provide some context and help the story along but that's about it.
Problem #3: the chapter lengths! OMG. It was like they were never-ending. At first, I thought that I had missed something but nope. They really are one great long chapter. This probably would've been okay if the perspective of the actual character the chapter was about had been presented, but no.
Problem #4: the "twists"
They actually aren't bad per se. I felt dumb for not immediately seeing the first one as it was kinda in your face all along and I had QUESTIONS that the twist answered. Should've seen it coming and when it did I flipped back through the book and went; OH. Now these things make sense. Except there's no real resolution for them. Also the last twist (at least that I noticed) just solidified my feelings regarding a certain character.
***Note: I understand that 1 & 2 are very similar and related but I feel like in this case, they are two separate issues***
Now for the good: I didn't enjoy my time with this book so I don't have much good to say. It is a character study in trauma, grief, PTSD and family. So there's that.
Overall, I don't think that I'd personally recommend this to anyone although lots of people have enjoyed it. Trgger and content warnings abound so be sure to check those out before reading.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Torture, Toxic relationship, and Violence