Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

Dark and Shallow Lies by Ginny Myers Sain

11 reviews

siennabea's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

2.75

I think this book was good, I just wish it had a bit more description on who the characters actually were. 
It dealed with grief okay, but the last few chapters where it all came together was truly my favourite part.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Mental illness, Toxic friendship, Child death, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Cursing, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Domestic abuse, Child abuse, and Blood

izzyvioletgrace's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Blood, Domestic abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Violence, Child death, Death of parent, Alcohol, Death, Gore, and Sexual content

hollyheartless's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

3.0

I have very mixed feelings about this book. This is quite fast paced and I was very hooked on finding out what happened. Part of me loves the dark atmosphere and the absolute rollercoaster I was on in trying to solve the mystery I did not trust any of these characters apart from MC Grey. The history of the characters and world building was clearly really thought out and clear while reading. There are some very clever snippets of writing using small visions of text to build a whole scene which I thought was brilliant!! However, I will say I didn’t feel fully satisfied with the ending of the book as a whole in the epilogue, I feel like I have a lot of questions still unanswered. Also there are a lot of triggers with this book, including child death, abuse, alcoholism and brief mentions of self harm. It is a dark and more mature book, one that I would read again but I wouldn’t be in any rush to 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Gaslighting, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Addiction, Alcohol, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Blood, Gore, Murder, and Vomit

Minor: Suicide, Suicide attempt, Cancer, and Fire/Fire injury

micaelamariem's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

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

4.0

I’m not much of a thriller reader but this YA thriller with magical elements kept me on my toes. In it, Grey returns to a small Louisiana town known for its psychic powers. But this is the first summer since her best friend’s disappearance and she’s determined to know what happened. I loved the beautiful descriptions in this book. If you ever wanted Southern Gothic with a touch of magical realism, this is it. I especially loved how the place of this town was a character in itself, showing how there was rot under even what was pretty, just like the festering secrets people kept. The twists were also satisfying. I was only partially correct in my original guess of who the killer was. I also liked the portrayal of grief and how trauma can affect mental health and the way a character interacts with others. I do agree that the characters acted stupid and selfish often—though they are teenagers so that could be realistic. I also agree that the pace was a bit slower than it needed to be. Still, I really enjoyed this book and if you like gothic fiction and thrillers, this is the perfect mix. But beware of trigger warnings: murder, domestic violence, death of children, alcohol. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Suicide, Alcohol, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Child death, Cursing, Violence, Vomit, Death, Death of parent, and Physical abuse

jadehusdanhicks's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad 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? Yes

5.0

Truly shocked by how much I wound up enjoying this book. Nothing was predictable and each twist shocked me more than the last. 

Harts tempted should’ve been a dead giveaway but knowing the summer 10 had lost three before adulthood allowed the reader to excuse it as grief. He shouldn’t have kept the secrets he did, but even then he was not the worst … no one could’ve seen Evie’s plot twist coming. 

I fell for her being the victim, haunted both literally and by grief for those of their group who passed. Finding out it was her literally being haunted by guilt and by Elora for killing her left my jaw on the floor.

Overall, I loved the magical aspect of all these psychic abilities those in  La Cachette had. The intrigue that followed decades of murders, guilt and lies. Ginny is a beyond talented author, truly having my heart beat for all the

summer 12

while I devoured this book whole. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Alcoholism, Blood, Alcohol, Violence, Death, Toxic friendship, Child death, Abandonment, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Gun violence, and Murder

laneysix's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Child death, Murder, and Blood

Moderate: Death of parent

Minor: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Child abuse, Adult/minor relationship, and Alcohol

courtney_1's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Child death, Suicide, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Murder

Minor: Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Alcohol

powellki's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

2.5

I enjoyed the premise of this book, I enjoyed the beginning mystery. I wanted to know what had happened to Elora as badly as Grey did. There were a few twists and turns in the book I didn't see coming, especially the last hour of the audiobook. I am very disappointed with the ending because it turned into a very twisted love triangle (that had been hinted at throughout the book), and ends with the unnecessary death of multiple characters. I was also unhappy with the epilogue because it ends ambiguously. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Murder, Confinement, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Gun violence, Incest, Medical trauma, Addiction, Domestic abuse, Stalking, Abandonment, Child death, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Suicide, Vomit, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Pedophilia

Moderate: Alcohol and Blood

_rowan_'s review

dark mysterious tense medium-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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Murder, Vomit, Child death, Domestic abuse, Blood, Suicide, Grief, Death, Death of parent, Child abuse, Alcohol, Kidnapping, and Suicidal thoughts

spaghettii's review against another edition

emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I'm not sure how I feel about mixing psychic stuff with a murder mystery but it was pulled off really well!

Okay so I suspected Hart because he just wasn't suspicious-- which is suspicious. Evie though?? Absolutely not that was a complete shock.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Alcohol, Death, Cursing, Physical abuse, Violence, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Gun violence, Murder, Suicide, Child death, Death of parent, and Child abuse