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metaphorsandmisc's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
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? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Gaslighting, Child abuse, Bullying, Mental illness, Kidnapping, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Child death
Moderate: Sexual assault, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Violence
Minor: Car accident, Suicide, and Vomit
sophievansickle's review
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A thoughtful but haunting YA story about trauma and its aftermath. I don't typically enjoy thrillers but this was a quiet character-driven thriller heavily focused on the main character's journey through a traumatic event and how his life is affected after, rather than a story driven by action and plot, and I think this book is better for it. I read Robin Roe's debut shortly after its release and it stuck with me for a long time. At first I wasn't sure how I felt about the resolution, and kind of wished it had involved clinical therapy and had more resolution with Luke beyond seeing the text messages, but the more I think about it, the more I think it's important to reflect the reality that recovery from trauma is going to be messy and people won't get professional help on the timeline we think they should and people should be allowed to make their own choices on how to move forward because actually it's none of our business Regardless, I am so pleased that she has delivered with another masterpiece of a story on the topic of trauma and resiliency and if she wasn't already an auto-buy author, she sure is now.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement and Kidnapping
Moderate: Bullying, Murder, Drug use, Gaslighting, and Suicide
Minor: Sexual assault
bimenace's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- 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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Cursing, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Bullying, Grief, Dysphoria, Domestic abuse, Toxic friendship, Suicide, Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Panic attacks/disorders, and Mental illness
Moderate: Classism, Sexual assault, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Child death, Death, Violence, Vomit, Hate crime, Murder, Death of parent, and Drug use
Minor: Gun violence
avidreaderandgeekgirl's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
medium-paced
- 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? It's complicated
4.5
This book was very dark, but also hopeful. And I really enjoyed it. I honestly really disliked Sayers at first, as I think you were supposed to. But he really grew throughout the book and ended up a much better person for the adversity. Though obviously, no one should suffer that, he really needed something drastic to course correct him. Overall a great look at trauma, how people deal with it, and mental health overall.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Car accident, Child abuse, Drug use, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Bullying
Moderate: Death and Suicide
Minor: Child death, Murder, and Sexual assault
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- 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
4.5
Sayers Wayte has grown up never wanting for anything. Living in a wealthy family means that everything has come easy for him. Until one day, he gets kidnapped. Kidnapped by a man who tells him that his entire life up until then has been a lie. According to this man, he's not who he thinks he is.
Now trapped in a cellar, Sayers has to go along with everything his kidnapper says. If he doesn't, things could end up even worse for him. But as Sayers pretends to be someone else in order to survive, the lines between imagination and reality start to blur. Sayers is no longer sure who he really is. And if he's ever going to get out of the dark room.
Thanks to NetGalley, Robin Roe, and HarperTeen for an advanced copy of Dark Room Etiquette to review! It's the perfect time of year for this kind of dark, gritty story with a hint of hope. Roe's writing in this hooks you from the beginning; once you pick up the book, it's difficult to put it down.
The first thing that hooks you is the characters. While Sayers is not the most likeable person at the beginning of the book, that changes. A lot of this story is about trauma. How trauma changes you, how we process trauma, how there's hope at the end of the journey. This isn't just a book about Sayers's kidnapping; it's also about the healing. It's a heavy book to read, but all of the emotions and the changes Sayers goes through feel grounded in reality.
Outside of Sayers, there are a lot of other well rounded characters as well. After his kidnapping, Sayers gets to see the real side to some of his friends. Which allows him to truly see himself as well. If you're a fan of mostly character driven stories, with a little bit of plot, you'll definitely love this aspect of the story.
All in all, this is a harrowing book about survival. About overcoming trauma. Check the trigger warnings before reading, but if you're in the right place mentally, I highly recommend it!
---------------
This book is dark, tense, but also full of hope. Stay tuned for a full review!
Now trapped in a cellar, Sayers has to go along with everything his kidnapper says. If he doesn't, things could end up even worse for him. But as Sayers pretends to be someone else in order to survive, the lines between imagination and reality start to blur. Sayers is no longer sure who he really is. And if he's ever going to get out of the dark room.
Thanks to NetGalley, Robin Roe, and HarperTeen for an advanced copy of Dark Room Etiquette to review! It's the perfect time of year for this kind of dark, gritty story with a hint of hope. Roe's writing in this hooks you from the beginning; once you pick up the book, it's difficult to put it down.
The first thing that hooks you is the characters. While Sayers is not the most likeable person at the beginning of the book, that changes. A lot of this story is about trauma. How trauma changes you, how we process trauma, how there's hope at the end of the journey. This isn't just a book about Sayers's kidnapping; it's also about the healing. It's a heavy book to read, but all of the emotions and the changes Sayers goes through feel grounded in reality.
Outside of Sayers, there are a lot of other well rounded characters as well. After his kidnapping, Sayers gets to see the real side to some of his friends. Which allows him to truly see himself as well. If you're a fan of mostly character driven stories, with a little bit of plot, you'll definitely love this aspect of the story.
All in all, this is a harrowing book about survival. About overcoming trauma. Check the trigger warnings before reading, but if you're in the right place mentally, I highly recommend it!
---------------
This book is dark, tense, but also full of hope. Stay tuned for a full review!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Bullying, Child abuse, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Child death
sarasreadingnook's review
4.5
4.5 Stars
When I sat down to start this book, I knew a couple of things: this is about a sixteen-year-old kidnapped boy told that his former life was all a lie and that he needed to adapt to his new environment to survive. I thought I came prepared for the emotions I would feel along this journey - I was not.
First, the book is unsettling. Even before the kidnapping, I felt uneasy due to conflicting emotions. Sayers is a highly complex character; you see his weakness, strengths, and humanity. Presented as a teenager from an incredibly wealthy background, I appreciated how his privilege impacts his behaviour at school and with his family and friends.
Secondly, Sayers has to adapt to survive, and how he does so impacted me immensely. As the plot progressed, I could appreciate how a knowledge base and background research would be essential to write this story. The book presented some theories in psychology that impacted Sayers in the story, some he recalls later on.
Third, many characters were multi-dimensional - you could see a clear contrast between their personalities at the beginning and end of the book. In fact, some characters were almost unrecognizable by the end and others, such as Garrett, were static. Sayers' personality experienced many changes; some of the directions his mind went brought me to tears.
Finally, I like that this was a story not just of the event - the kidnapping, but responses to trauma and the aftermath. Learning to cope in an abusive environment was Sayers' key to survival. Sadly, the intense trauma he faced hindered him in some very unexpected and heartbreaking ways. At several points, I desperately wanted to plead with Sayers on what he should do - I can imagine other readers having the same response.
Please review the content warnings before reading this book. This book is such a memorable, emotional, and intense read. It is my first time reading the author's works and I look forward to reading many more!
Thank you to NetGalley, Robin Roe, and HarperTeen for providing this review copy. All opinions are my own.
When I sat down to start this book, I knew a couple of things: this is about a sixteen-year-old kidnapped boy told that his former life was all a lie and that he needed to adapt to his new environment to survive. I thought I came prepared for the emotions I would feel along this journey - I was not.
First, the book is unsettling. Even before the kidnapping, I felt uneasy due to conflicting emotions. Sayers is a highly complex character; you see his weakness, strengths, and humanity. Presented as a teenager from an incredibly wealthy background, I appreciated how his privilege impacts his behaviour at school and with his family and friends.
Secondly, Sayers has to adapt to survive, and how he does so impacted me immensely. As the plot progressed, I could appreciate how a knowledge base and background research would be essential to write this story. The book presented some theories in psychology that impacted Sayers in the story, some he recalls later on.
Third, many characters were multi-dimensional - you could see a clear contrast between their personalities at the beginning and end of the book. In fact, some characters were almost unrecognizable by the end and others, such as Garrett, were static. Sayers' personality experienced many changes; some of the directions his mind went brought me to tears.
Finally, I like that this was a story not just of the event - the kidnapping, but responses to trauma and the aftermath. Learning to cope in an abusive environment was Sayers' key to survival. Sadly, the intense trauma he faced hindered him in some very unexpected and heartbreaking ways. At several points, I desperately wanted to plead with Sayers on what he should do - I can imagine other readers having the same response.
Please review the content warnings before reading this book. This book is such a memorable, emotional, and intense read. It is my first time reading the author's works and I look forward to reading many more!
Thank you to NetGalley, Robin Roe, and HarperTeen for providing this review copy. All opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Mental illness, Child abuse, and Bullying
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Child death
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