Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

The Babysitter: My Summers with a Serial Killer by Jennifer Jordan, Liza Rodman

10 reviews

mstjohn813's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Physical abuse, Rape, Murder, and Emotional abuse

myantigone's review against another edition

dark sad fast-paced

1.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Drug use, Gore, Murder, Sexual assault, Addiction, Body horror, Child abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Death, and Drug abuse

Moderate: Physical abuse, Rape, Gun violence, and Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Infidelity, Pregnancy, and Cannibalism

foreverinastory's review

challenging informative slow-paced

3.0

This was interesting.

CWs: child abuse/neglect, murder, drug use/abuse, addiction, rape, sexual violence, emotional abuse, sexual assault, parental abandonment, domestic abuse, gore, dismemberment, violence, alcoholism, death, physical abuse, suicide, mental illness, adult/minor relationship, toxic relationship, blood, homophobia, f-slur, misogyny, sexual content. Moderate: animal cruelty, kidnapping, pedophilia, suicidal thoughts, torture, suicide attempt, injury/injury detail, fatphobia, body shaming, self harm, abortion, vomit, excrement.

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Violence, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Child abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Suicide, Death, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, and Sexual content

Moderate: Self harm, Abortion, Excrement, Animal cruelty, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Body shaming, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Injury/Injury detail, and Fatphobia

tarynwanderer's review against another edition

challenging dark sad slow-paced

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Alcoholism, Blood, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Suicide

nellkristen's review against another edition

dark informative sad slow-paced

2.5

It started pretty interesting but I got pretty bored pretty fast. Once I lost interest, I couldn’t get it back. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, and Murder

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Blood, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Minor: Abortion, Death of parent, and Excrement

taiy's review against another edition

dark sad slow-paced

4.0

Interesting format and perspective to tell this story. Definitely a dark one all around. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Violence

saldre's review against another edition

dark informative reflective sad slow-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Incest, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Violence

molsreads's review against another edition

dark sad tense medium-paced

3.5

Part memoir, part serial killer true crime novel--The Babysitter: My Summers With a Serial Killer by Liza Rodman & Jennifer Jordan is told through Liza's first-person recollections of her summers spent in Provincetown often spending time with the local hotel handyman, Tony Costa, who, years later, she learns was a sadistic serial killer known as The Cape Cod Vampire.
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 What's heartbreaking and shocking about this story is that Tony, despite his brutal crimes,  is not portrayed as the only villain in this story. Liza's own mother is physically and emotionally abusive and deliberately cruel. 
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It's heartbreaking when one of the few people from Liza's childhood that showed her the most kindness is revealed to be a serial killer-- who was likely grooming her to be a future victim.
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I had never heard of Tony Costa so his story and gruesome crimes were completely new to me. It's not the best true crime book I've ever read, that honor is still held by American Predator but it is definitely worth a read for any true crime fans. 
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Thanks to @netgalley and Atria Books for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. 
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Since @jobis said true crime counts for the #50states50horrorbooks challenge; this is my choice for Massachusetts.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicide, and Violence

lilacsandliterature's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

5.0

Thank you to Atria books for the advanced copy!

As a huge fan of true crime, I’ve heard of many cases but for some reason had never heard of Tony Costa, The Cape Cod “Casanova” or “Vampire.” This book was my first introduction to the serial killer, and now I’m scrambling to learn everything abut the case.

My two favorite genres are true crime and memoirs, and this book exceeded all expectations on both fronts. Told as a dual perspective between a young girl growing up on Cape Cod with a difficult mother and secrets of her own, but also following along with Tony, a young man newly married with many demons. I was enamored with this story from the very first pages and couldn’t put it down. It’s written so smartly, and keeps you engaged with every page as you clean motel rooms with Liza, jump in a truck with “Tony the handy man” to head to the dump, and dive deep into the life of a horrific serial killer.

If memoirs aren’t exactly your favorite genre but you devour true crime, you won’t be disappointed. The book tells of the graphic crimes of a seriously deranged man. This isn’t written for those who don’t want to know details, as every single one is described to the letter. There is also graphic sexual violence and drug use.

This will be a true crime novel I recommend to anyone interested in the subject. Informative but not written dry or like a text book in any capacity. I applaud both writers for diving deep into secrets and sharing so much with the audience.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, and Violence

charisma_reads's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

3.5

While I am completely intrigued by true crime (books and tv aspects) this book wasn’t what I thought it would be entirely. Yes, the title is “the babysitter” in regards to the serial criminal being one of the authors babysitters it is a bit misleading. The book included the author (Liza) time growing up with her emotionally and physically abusive mother and how her mother found babysitters left and right so her mother can go out and find herself a husband. I truly disliked these parts because of course her mother was vial but it really had nothing to do with the true character of this book, the serial killer Tony Costa. If the chapters about Liza had nothing to do with Tony, but about her abuse w her mother at the end of the chapters she would say something along the lines of “I wondered what Tony was doing on nights like these” ...... which honestly had nothing to do with Tony or the premise of this book which was his crimes. 


Reading about Tony’s chapters were very interesting, graphic and well written. He was truly a disturbed individual who seemed to have multiple personality disorders IMO while reading the book. 

The book was interesting, well written and the research well done. 


Obviously this is true crime so all of the TW: Rape, Drug Abuse, Sexual abuse and rape, Emotional, verbal and physical abuse, suicide and murder. 


Thank you to the publisher for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Suicide, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Drug abuse, Child abuse, and Adult/minor relationship