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inhale_exhale_read's review
dark
reflective
tense
slow-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
4.5
Guess what my biggest fear is? Someone breaking into my house while I'm home alone. Guess what this book is about? The most terrifying home invasion ever. Hey, at least I was reading it with the lights on and my husband nearby. This book was a little hard to rate because it was super gripping, I couldn't put it down, and I flew through it, but it also featured a particular theme that I personally dislike. So I ended up rating it my usual way (using CAWPILE) and then taking a 1/2 point off for the theme I disliked. Also, I should mention that there is not very much plot for most of the book. Even though something scary is happening, there is a lot of internal reflection, so it's more of a slow burn.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting
camillessi's review against another edition
Don't misunderstand me marking this book as DNF: I only stopped reading around 60% of the way through because the content became triggering for me, and I felt it was safer to stop. But the book itself is wonderful and I felt I owed it a review for those will not be bothered by what bothered me.
This is the strongest debut I've read in a long, long time. Every sentence was pitch-perfect, the pacing was great, the tension had the perfect balance. For the chunk of the book that I read, the chapters alternated between the real-time home invasion and flashbacks of the main character's life. I held my breath almost the entire time I would read a chapter of the break-in, and then felt just slightly relieved during a flashback. Not that the flashbacks were any happier or more pleasant—but they provided a break from the urgency. I think in a book this intense, the flashbacks were exactly what it needed to keep the pacing steady.
One thing I was not expecting from this book was for it to be, for lack of a better expression, an "issue book." Plenty of topics are addressed here, mainly through the flashbacks: misogyny, sexism, abuse, sexual violence. They were all handled with care, while still being just as blunt yet subtle as it can be in real life.
I've recommended this book to everyone at my library that I can.
Personally, however, I needed to stop reading about 60% of the way through for my mental health. Around that point in the plot, there are elements of forced institutionalization, gaslighting/not believing someone, separation from family, and other things along that line, which unfortunately are incredibly triggering for me. Every once in a while I am able to power through, but this book is written so well and draws out tension so heavily, that it was a little unbearable. This is nothing against the book, however: I believe most people will love it, particularly because of how real it is.
Eventually, I plan to skim till the end to discover how it ends, because although I can't bear it, I do want to find out the truth!
All in all, this is a tense thriller with relevant themes, and I think it will appeal to readers of literary thrillers.
ARC received on NetGalley through the publisher. Thank you!
This is the strongest debut I've read in a long, long time. Every sentence was pitch-perfect, the pacing was great, the tension had the perfect balance. For the chunk of the book that I read, the chapters alternated between the real-time home invasion and flashbacks of the main character's life. I held my breath almost the entire time I would read a chapter of the break-in, and then felt just slightly relieved during a flashback. Not that the flashbacks were any happier or more pleasant—but they provided a break from the urgency. I think in a book this intense, the flashbacks were exactly what it needed to keep the pacing steady.
One thing I was not expecting from this book was for it to be, for lack of a better expression, an "issue book." Plenty of topics are addressed here, mainly through the flashbacks: misogyny, sexism, abuse, sexual violence. They were all handled with care, while still being just as blunt yet subtle as it can be in real life.
I've recommended this book to everyone at my library that I can.
Personally, however, I needed to stop reading about 60% of the way through for my mental health. Around that point in the plot, there are elements of forced institutionalization, gaslighting/not believing someone, separation from family, and other things along that line, which unfortunately are incredibly triggering for me. Every once in a while I am able to power through, but this book is written so well and draws out tension so heavily, that it was a little unbearable. This is nothing against the book, however: I believe most people will love it, particularly because of how real it is.
Eventually, I plan to skim till the end to discover how it ends, because although I can't bear it, I do want to find out the truth!
All in all, this is a tense thriller with relevant themes, and I think it will appeal to readers of literary thrillers.
ARC received on NetGalley through the publisher. Thank you!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Stalking, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Pedophilia
msbarnesela's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
The real horror in this book isn’t the monster. It’s the patriarchy. At the midpoint of the book, you think you’re dealing with an unreliable narrator (of the delusional variety), but you find out at the end that the only unreliable characters were the police.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Sexism, Violence, and Misogyny
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