Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill

47 reviews

ckraney's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

3.5 stars. I loved the format of this book—the book within a book. I thought the crimes and clues were well plotted and I was prepared for a masterful reveal. I was disappointed by the twist at the end and it felt like it cheapened all of the previous work. Such crimes seemed more intricate than how they were tied up in the end. (It’s hard to explain without spoilers!) I wish the ending had been as well thought out and crafted as the rest of the story. It would have been a 4 star book in that case.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual assault

Minor: Domestic abuse, Stalking, Medical content, Death, Gun violence, Addiction, Violence, Child abuse, Cursing, Physical abuse, Murder, and Pedophilia

linneak's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder, Violence, Blood, Death, Gun violence, Stalking, Injury/Injury detail, and Child abuse

literarypenguin's review

mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

The Woman in the Library is an exciting and thrilling mystery!

Four strangers sit at the same table in the beautiful ornate Reading Room in the Boston Public Library, all seeming ordinary and normal until a bloodcurdling scream echoes in the halls of the silent library. These four strangers are thrust into a mystery involving murder, friendship, and romance!

The choice of a novel being written inside a novel was an interesting choice and I found it entertaining and brought a bit of extra mystery to the book. I did feel like the emails from Leo were a bit annoying at times and took me out of the story at times but they weren't that distracting. The characters were unique and each had a good bit of suspicion put on them whether they were the murderer or not. I quite enjoyed Winifred, I did have to look up some Australian sayings to better my understanding of them and once I did it made what she said that much more enjoyable. The mystery did have me guessing at times and I was surprised to find out who really did do it!

I don't want to spoil too much about the mystery and how it is solved. I suggest reading this book to find out what happens and the twists it will take you on to the very end!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Child abuse

kyrstin_p1989's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

A murder mystery within a murder mystery, this is a solid thriller. The real killer was hiding in plain sight and was so painfully obvious that I didn’t even consider them as a candidate. The characters are mostly likeable and diverse. The plot is believable. The end was good but arrived to with little pomp or circumstance. There are some glaring spelling/grammar mistakes throughout that are a bit annoying but all in all a solid book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Blood, Domestic abuse, Gore, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Murder, Stalking, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Violence, Gun violence, Infidelity, Medical content, Racism, and Toxic friendship

angela005's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Murder, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Stalking, Child abuse, Medical content, Racism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

arthur_ant18's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Stalking

Moderate: Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Alcohol, and Child abuse

Minor: Rape, Sexual content, and Incest

vicwaltz's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Sexual assault, and Drug abuse

booksnbones13's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Incest, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Death, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

jupiter_01's review

funny mysterious medium-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

I would've read this in one day if I could, but I also didn't want it to be over! The novel features a group of oddball people who become friends, all while keeping secrets from each other. It continuously kept me guessing, and in the end I wasn't right!

I enjoyed the two narrative structure. I laughed and smiled and genuinely thought some moments between the couples were cute, which made it even more suspenseful to know someone/s was hiding the truth.

The only thing that didn't quite work for me was the ending. It was abrupt and I was left unsure how to feel.

I read one analysis that Leo is ultimately a mirror of his real life counterpart, which I can accept and like, but even so, it felt ill-paced.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, Murder, and Stalking

Minor: Racism, Sexual content, and Child abuse

greatexpectations77's review

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

This book wasn't really my thing. I didn't love the formatting of the one-sided letters, and I really didn't prefer the mansplaining coming from Lee and the weird mentions of the social justice movements. And I didn't really wanted to be reminded of the pandemic. The plot felt kind of like a video game - the points a little clunky. Just not really my cup of tea. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Murder, Blood, and Death

Moderate: Drug abuse, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Stalking, Grief, Gun violence, Confinement, Classism, and Sexual assault

Minor: Domestic abuse