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cyndi1966'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
4.0
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Murder, Alcoholism, Death, Death of parent, Violence, and Addiction
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Alcohol, Terminal illness, Car accident, Pregnancy, and Rape
thestarsaligned's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, and Violence
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Sexual assault
jillianalice's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I didn’t like the paranormal aspects of the book and found that portion unbelievable. Otherwise, I love the author’s writing style and the atmosphere she creates.
Graphic: Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Drug use, Sexism, Terminal illness, Abandonment, Death, Addiction, Cursing, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Misogyny, Gun violence, and Mental illness
Moderate: Kidnapping, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Sexual assault, Violence, Pedophilia, and Rape
thelassinlinen's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Death, Violence, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Murder, Rape, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Car accident, Suicidal thoughts, Gun violence, Mental illness, Alcoholism, and Child abuse
elysedc's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Car accident, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Child death, Cursing, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Gore, Blood, Death, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Car accident, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, and Toxic friendship
art_books_chemistry'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? Yes
3.0
First off this book is classified as a mystery as well as horror or paranormal. Although there is some of the latter (no horror in my opinion), it is used as a device in certain spots to further the plot in such ways that would be unnecessary if the sequence of events was simply thought about a bit more. This book would have been much more suspenseful and mysterious if the paranormal bits were more vague. Some people will laugh but some of the paranormal instances in the book don't fit in with the typical standards for such things making it feel forced.
There were a variety of other details that felt forced, as if the author was trying to meet a page count and didn't have enough ideas left to develop the plot further. I love the cat, but it's storyline was thrown in as if we needed to see that Shea's life is perfectly-normal-thank-you-very-much-look-she-has-a-cat. However, Shea has an incredibly rich back story that could be delved into a lot more. We barely scratch the surface of her trauma, instead focusing on her fear of cars. Maybe a psychologist would disagree but it felt very flat and unrealistic. And I don't mean in the sense that someone can't have a pathological fear of cars or strange ways of dealing with trauma; I mean the way she acted and reacted in the book felt like how someone without trauma thinks people with trauma are.
I liked the base storyline and thought the mystery components were well thought out. Some of the characters were likeable. I wouldn't go out of my way to recommend this to anyone.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death of parent, Gun violence, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Child death, Cursing, and Drug abuse
Minor: Kidnapping, Adult/minor relationship, Rape, and Terminal illness
toofondofbooks_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I have so many conflicting feelings on this one so let's go:
Positives! I liked the dual timelines, but I definitely liked the 1970's timeline better. I think that Simone St. James' strength is definitely in period pieces, and while I know that the present day perspective is necessary for the book to work, I just liked the past timeline better. I thought that the spooky scenes were extra spooky and often made me scared to turn my light out, and that addition to the plot made things way more interesting and tragic to me. There was one character who I thought was absolutely terrifying and interesting and I enjoyed every scene with her, but I'm not going to say more than that because spoilers. I thought some parts were predictable, but not in a way that angered me, more in a way where I was glad to have my suspicions confirmed.
That's kind of where my positives end? I feel torn, because there were parts of this I really enjoyed, but then there were so many parts that I thought could've been done better if someone else had written it. Before page 140, I was considering a DNF, but I wanted to give it a chance to redeem itself, and it did, but not as much as I would have liked it to.
Also....why does every book this woman publishes have a romance with a cop??
Overall, I think people who liked The Haunting of Hill House or Haunting of Bly Manor will like this one, but it wasn't my favorite.
Graphic: Murder, Stalking, Kidnapping, Sexual assault, Gun violence, Misogyny, Abandonment, Blood, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Death, Child death, Death of parent, Drug use, and Drug abuse
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, and Pedophilia
Minor: Infertility and Miscarriage
becksreadsbooks'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
4.75
Graphic: Death of parent, Alcoholism, Murder, Death, and Gun violence
Moderate: Drug use, Kidnapping, Adult/minor relationship, and Forced institutionalization
taria's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Death of parent, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Murder, Sexism, and Suicide