Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill

9 reviews

justagir1's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Toxic friendship, Violence, Murder, Toxic relationship, and Death

Moderate: Gaslighting, Stalking, and Gun violence

Minor: Sexual content, Abandonment, Blood, Racism, Pandemic/Epidemic, Cultural appropriation, Alcohol, Grief, and Sexual assault

bumblero's review

adventurous hopeful mysterious medium-paced

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

4.25

I thought the meta-narrative was intriguing. It helped me appreciate some of the subtleties that I missed but also made me question the three layers of story going on at once. Definitely kept me on my toes!

Would recommend! Likeable cast of characters, a decent sense of place, and I enjoyed how self-aware the book was. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape, Injury/Injury detail, and Gun violence

Minor: Medical content, Police brutality, Blood, Violence, Sexual violence, and Gaslighting

badmom's review

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.75

Interesting structure that blurs conventional expectations of storytelling - an author’s fan writes to her and is soon invited to give feedback on her newest novel about a murder uncovered in a library that four strangers decide to investigate. 
Switching back & forth from the increasingly outspoken letter-writer and the presumed novel chapters was sometimes a bit jarring, and a few details felt too-quickly thrown into place by the end. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, and Stalking

trippyotter's review against another edition

emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

5.0

I absolutely love all the layers to this story! Once you have an idea of what's happening, a new detail is added, and you're left wondering what will happen next. This was my first book written by Sulari Gentill, and I can't wait to read her other books.

The story begins in the reading room of the Boston Public Library, where our strangers hear a scream, a scream that will terrify and unite them in their curiosity to unravel the mystery. A mystery that has no simple answer and will test their newly developed friendship. 

As the secrets unravel and their bonds are tested, ties will strengthen between the couples that will begin to divide their loyalties to each other. 

Over the course of several weeks, as details are discovered, you'll begin to question the agenda of several of the strangers. Was the chance encounter between them, on that fateful day, just happenstance or was it orchestrated? 

As the mystery starts to unravel, will their friendship survive the truth of what happened? 

Will they survive the truth?

I'd also like to mention that besides loving the story, the foodie in me couldn't get enough of the food tour of Boston, real or fake!

But, I think my only complaint, if any, would be how little time is actually spent in the library. After the murder, there's very little time spent in the library, majority of the time will be spent in Freddy's apartment, local eateries, or walking about the city. It all meshes wonderfully with the story, but I do wish more time was spent in the library.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Gun violence, Gaslighting, Racism, Medical content, Confinement, Death, Homophobia, Sexual violence, Medical trauma, Sexual assault, Stalking, Child abuse, Physical abuse, and Murder

laura_keoski's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.75

This was one of the more creative murder mysteries I've read this year! I thought the plot-within-a-plot device was used in a really clever way, and allowed space to explore some interesting topics about the genre itself. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Torture, Mental illness, Death, Violence, Gaslighting, Stalking, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder

Discussed in the book: COVID-19 pandemic, characters experiencing homelessness, prison incarceration

This book contains depictions of a serial killer, including some graphic descriptions of violence and murders

purplepenning's review

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Classism, Blood, Gore, Grief, Mental illness, Murder, Sexual assault, Gun violence, Medical content, Stalking, Toxic friendship, Violence, Addiction, Death, Cursing, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

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

liblibby's review

adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.5

I was completely enamored with this book! The structure was so fascinating and cool. It’s the story of a woman writing a story of a woman who is writing a book about the events that are currently unfolding around her. It sounds so complicated but the author does an amazing job at keeping things sorted and organized. 
Even though I saw the two main plot twists coming, they were laid out in an exciting and surprising way! 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder, Blood, and Gaslighting

Minor: Gore

theoceanrose's review

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Gaslighting

Moderate: Gun violence and Murder