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saintmaud's review against another edition
- 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
2.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Suicide, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcohol
marpaige's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Child death, Death, Suicide, and Murder
mstall_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Until I finally did. (See what I did there?)
I absolutely loved Home Before Dark. This story was exactly the kind of twisty, turny, ghosty book you find yourself craving on a chilly night. The story is about a family of three who buy an abandon mansion in the Vermont woods that was the sight of
If you dream of fixing up an old Victorian with "good bones", despite the probability that it already has some spectral residents, you'll absolutely love this book.
Moderate: Child death and Death
Snakes are mentioned frequently, just in case you had a phobiakirstyyreadsbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Minor: Child death, Death, Violence, Murder, and Alcohol
chasingpages1's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Child death, Death, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Cancer, Chronic illness, Cursing, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, and Alcohol
amyyp's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Child death, Death, Suicide, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Dementia
bookcheshirecat's review against another edition
4.5
“Grief is tricky like that. It can lie low for hours, long enough for magical thinking to take hold. Then, when you’re good and vulnerable, it will leap out at you like a fun-house skeleton, and all the pain you thought was gone comes roaring back.”
➽ Home Before Dark is among my favorite Riley Sager books! The story follows Maggie Holt whose family got famous for living in a supposedly haunted house back when she was a child. Her father wrote a bestselling book called House of Horrors about their ghostly phenomenon and Maggie's been dealing with its popularity for years. She's not thrilled to be famous in ghost-hunting circles and doesn't remember much of what happened. The only hints are in the book and Maggie's convinced her father made it all up. Her parents have never talked about it with her and Maggie got tired of being shot down. Now her father has passed away and left her the house ... and a lot of unanswered questions. She decides to renovate the House of Horrors and confront her past once and for all!
➽ I love haunted house stories and I liked the fine line between truth and fiction! We get alternating chapters of Maggie renovating the house and experiencing suspicious phenomena and excerpts from the book told by her father when they last lived in the house! I loved how we were left guessing how much of it was true, especially as Maggie lacks any concrete memory of the time. Strange things are happening in the house, but she's never sure if it's supernatural or simply bad vibes. After all the house had a dark past, as it was the scene of a brutal crime. I loved all the twists and turns! I also liked the exploration of Maggie's grief and complicated relationship with her father. Now that he passed away, she can never directly ask him for the truth!
Graphic: Child death, Death, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Violence, Dementia, and Grief
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Cancer
spookychelle87's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Child death, Death, Suicide, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Cancer, Blood, and Dementia
meaghanelizabook's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Child death, Death, Suicide, Dementia, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Car accident
melissa_l_mcabee's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Moderate: Child death, Death, and Suicide