Reviews with content warning for Gaslighting - Nightwatching

Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

booklvrkat's review

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.5

Setting: Winter, New England, Massachusetts, an older farmhouse purchased with her husband.

Time of day: Night, bedtime for her young children.

Senses Used: Touch, it’s suffocatingly dark so she’s going to have to escape with her sense of direction and small touches. Hearing, she knows the sound of her home like the back of her hand, every creak, rumble, and click. Sight, not much since the farmhouse is old and the corners hold shadows darker than ink. Smell, is that fire?

“Easier to believe a woman’s lying than that bad things happened on your watch. Easier to believe the simplest thing is always correct. And it’s simple to say a woman is crazy.”

From a first-time author, this psychological thriller is mind-boggling. Tracy Sierra knows just what to describe to notch up the tension as the mother is grabbing her children, trying to keep them quiet, all the while eluding the shadow-man she’s just seen in her house. While the tension is extreme throughout the story, and as the past to present timelines intersect, we learn that all is not as expected, and to be believed she’s going to have to take matters into her own hands. I listened to this story in one day, the narrator, Emily Ellet (she’s fabulous, and I will be looking for her voice again). I was breathless and thunderstruck in the blizzard of this story.

Fun fact: Tracy Sierra used her own house and the mystery behind it for the description of this story.

CW/TW: misogyny, gun violence, kidnapping, stalking, gaslighting, pedophilia, chronic illness

Content Warnings

readergirl_87's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

The first half of this book was really interesting, but the second half fell flat. The thoughts in my head, wondering what was happening were way more entertaining than the actual book. Not bad but not good either.

Content Warnings

yvo_about_books's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

4.75

Finished reading: April 16th 2024

“Easier to believe a woman’s lying than that bad things happened on your watch. Easier to believe the simplest thing is always correct. And it’s simple to say a woman is crazy.”

I kept seeing this debut everywhere and the premise sounded delightfully creepy, so of course I ended up giving in and decided to add Nightwatching to my priority TBR. It's true that hyped books can go both ways for me, but I'm SO glad I listened to my intuition here... Because the fact is: I was completely bowled over by this claustrophobic and simply spine-chilling story. WHAT a read! It's funny how part of me absolutely hated my time with Nightwatching, while I was also completely hooked and in awe at the same time. This sounds completely contradictory, but I think that if you have read this story you will probably know what I'm talking about. I absolutely loved the chapters set in the present, which were both intense, daunting and had that perfect ominous atmosphere. The setting itself is simple, as most of the story is set at the house... But in only worked in this story's favor for me. I initally wasn't a fan of the flashbacks at all, but as soon as you start to understand the importance of those same flashbacks all is forgiven. I absolutely loved the writing style, which I admit won't be for everyone... But if you are able to connect with it, it will truly take this debut to the next level for you. The way the plot is built up and how you start questioning everything that you are reading is also extremely cleverly done, and it only made me want to turn those pages even faster. I simply HAD to know what really happened that night! All in all a fantastic debut and I already can't wait to see what Tracy Sierra will come up with next.

Content Warnings

lmcarr0314's review against another edition

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challenging dark 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

2.0

This book is okay, Parts of it made me angry and constantly want to put the book down. In a sense this book is a good thriller, it is just not for me. I had to force myself to read it.

Content Warnings