Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

The Good Samaritan by John Marrs

16 reviews

gnarlykaitlyn's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Violence, Self harm, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Suicide, and Gaslighting

meg_pethxx's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

Did really enjoy this book, and deffo would’ve read quicker if life didn’t get in the way! 
Amazing plot twists, was kinda giving Freida vibes! Deffo gonna give some of his other books a go!
Couldn’t have guessed what was going on, although had a slight feeling she was a lot more crazy than we thought. 
Extremely dark, but kinda loved it, very much intriguing!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Grief, Death, Child abuse, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, and Adult/minor relationship

tspice24's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, and Suicide

keriseabby's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.75

 Though it is a different book from my usual reading preferences, I was pleasantly surprised by this book, which marked my first experience with this author. It reveals an entire genre of literature that I have been missing out on. The story revolves around Laura, a woman who works as a suicide helpline operator, but instead of providing assistance, she manipulates and convinces callers that suicide is the only solution. The novel is a thriller, evoking feelings of anger, frustration, and intense emotion. The plotline is captivating and engrossing, making it a perfect pick for those who enjoy the genre. I read it in a short span of time and cannot wait to explore more of John Marrs's work, as this book was exceptional. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Pedophilia, Gaslighting, Grief, Abandonment, Drug abuse, Drug use, Suicide, Death, Self harm, Violence, Child abuse, Mental illness, Murder, and Suicidal thoughts

eveling_99's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Grief, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Grief, Mental illness, Gaslighting, Sexual assault, Chronic illness, Bullying, and Eating disorder

jlcannon's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad 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

3.5

This book is depressing… there is absolutely no brevity in it and it feels very one note. That being said, after about 150 pages of thorough reading I switched to skimming and actually enjoyed the rest of the book. If you can get over the soul-crushing subject matter and events, there’s some fun twists and turns in it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

Moderate: Self harm, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Addiction, Murder, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Mental illness

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Animal cruelty, Rape, Drug abuse, and Bullying

tealightfultomes's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

It took me a few chapters to get into this one, but I'm so glad I stuck with it. Initially it creeped me out massively, as I share a name with the main character and used to volunteer on a helpline, but once I got over that mental block I could barely put this down. Side note: I can tell an actual volunteer has contributed as it was very accurate when it came to describing how these helplines work behind the scenes, apart from the part where a volunteer agreed to turn the cameras off in the face to face room. I couldn't help but shout "no, what are you doing?!" at that part. That being said, I know some vols really do see the absolute best in everyone, so it's plausible that someone as manipulative as Laura could persuade her to do it. 

Laura is absolutely, hands down one of the most repulsive characters I've ever read about. Even with her past, I struggled to feel any empathy for her, but I couldn't wait to see how things turned out. It's also the first time in a while that a book has made the bottom drop out of my stomach - this one did it a few times. Highly recommend but please don't read it if suicide is a trigger, it was rough going at times. I'll definitely be looking at this author's other work, amazing story.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Suicide, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Injury/Injury detail, and Gaslighting

toniibelle's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Murder, Death of parent, Child abuse, Child death, Grief, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Bullying, and Animal cruelty

kernamalia's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No

3.75

Sebenrnya idenya bagus banget gila. Volunteer layanan yg seharusnya mencegah penelponya bunuh diri tapi tokoh utamanya malah menggunakan itu untuk bujuk orang bunuh diri.

Cuma aku ga suka cara penulisannya. Terlalu bertele tele dengan detail yg kurang terasa penting. 

Enggak deh.. Mungkin detail nya penting tp penulisannya ga bisa buat aku attach sama detail detail tersebut. Sehingga setengah buku pertama tuh bosen banget. Apalagi pov dari Laura, rasanya mau skip aja tp penting detailnya, ya tapi kok ngebosenin. hufthh 😞

Baru mulai seru ketika setengah buku terakhir. Plot twistnya juga ga gimana gimana cuma memang membagongkan.
Dan Ending yg aku ga puasssss. Huhu.

Tapi memang thrilling bnget sih baca buku ini tuh, berhasil buat aku gedeg sendiri, gregetan sendiri dari awal ampe akhir. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Murder, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Mental illness, Death, Blood, Gaslighting, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Grief

janbee's review against another edition

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Blood, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship