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katiebella_reads'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? Yes
5.0
Trigger warnings ⚠️
Animal abuse
Dog murder
Murder
Mutilation
Blood
Mary is about to be 50, and strange things are happening to her. She is seeing things she shouldn't be seeing. Things that are disturbing. Everyone says it's "textbook " the change. Mary knows it's not. She knows she will have to return to her childhood home to learn the truth.
" I am just a story written in present tense. We all are. We are never finished. "
My Thoughts
This book is disgusting in all the best ways. Not gag me gross but disturbing and vile. The story seeped into my marrow like an infection.
What hit me the hardest was realizing the whole book takes place in the span of 13 days. April 9th - 20th. It feels like a lot longer. If you're not paying attention to the chapters' headings, you might think it was months, the way the darkness crawls around you.
Wicker Man vibes. Purge vibes. Possession and cult vibes. All the horror vibes I could possibly want wrapped up in one amazing book. Dark atmosphere cruelly contrasts the light that Mary desperately wishes she lived in.
Mary is so well written. It's not often a man can write a woman this well. Especially a woman in the throws of perimenopause. This author has! I could feel and relate to her pain and frustration. She was real in all the best and worst ways. Multidimensional and not glossed over in femal perfection, a lot of authors try to portray.
Not only did he write one female character with depth and realism, but he also wrote many. In all walks of life. Teenage angst to elderly stubbornness. The attributes of the fairer sex are not lost on him. The good, the bad, and the ugly.
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic friendship, Blood, Fatphobia, Death of parent, Gore, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Physical abuse, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Religious bigotry, Mental illness, Murder, and Violence
kchen138's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Bullying, Murder, Misogyny, Animal cruelty, Gore, Gaslighting, Grief, Mental illness, Torture, Death, Medical trauma, Violence, Dysphoria, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Animal death, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Blood, Body horror, Chronic illness, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
slashergirl90's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Gaslighting, Gore, Murder, Sexism, Blood, Bullying, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, and Body horror
augustcarter's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
It’s also, frankly, a genius book. Mary is a character that is so easy to hate and so easy to sympathize with at the same time. I found myself going back and forth with every page turn. The plot twists were so well done. There is a twist that you catch on with, and I think you’re meant to, but then there’s another that blows you out of the damn water, and it still makes sense! It makes perfect sense! It makes you go “goddammit, of course!”
A 2024 favorite so far. Read this book.
Graphic: Misogyny, Murder, and Rape
Minor: Suicide and Suicidal thoughts
kaitlouise94's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Gore, Violence, Torture, Sexual violence, Bullying, Body shaming, Body horror, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Blood
story_of_steph's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Blood, and Violence
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Fatphobia, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Medical content, Mental illness, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Torture
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Excrement, and Mass/school shootings
brea's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
Graphic: Confinement, Bullying, Murder, Blood, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Gore, Sexism, Sexual assault, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Abandonment, Death, Toxic relationship, and Rape
captainsydney's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Body shaming, Misogyny, Death, Gore, Violence, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Fatphobia, Body horror, Bullying, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Animal death
Minor: Child death
This book is super graphic and deals with a lot of heavy stuff, but I think it handles it all really well. There's A LOT but none of it felt gratuitous and all of it was handled appropriately in my opinion and worth it.dehernandez3169's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Written by a man, Nat Cassidy was able to write exactly what it is like being a woman, especially a middle aged woman. There were time where I had to put the book down just to process how he was able to capture everything so perfectly.
The horror is JUST as good as feminist points. It is a rollercoaster and I had no idea how things where going to go.
Read it. Just... Read it. (Or listen to the audio book. It just as fantastic.)
Graphic: Misogyny, Mental illness, and Body horror
Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, and Emotional abuse
_meeg's review against another edition
Graphic: Ableism, Sexism, Vomit, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Animal death, Confinement, Grief, Suicide, Death, Murder, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Alcoholism, Misogyny, Domestic abuse, Abandonment, Drug use, Addiction, Child abuse, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Fatphobia, Medical content, Medical trauma, Cursing, Excrement, Gore, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Blood, Body shaming, Bullying, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Stalking, and Suicidal thoughts