Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

Does It Hurt? by H.D. Carlton

32 reviews

mjdedevis24's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense fast-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

2.0


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orangeaiya's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I enjoyed this book though I definitely should’ve read the warnings first. I knew it was dark but the smut was even darker! The mystery in this was amazing! Kept me wanting to read more. I think the romance was a little toxic but I was down for it anyway. (Some of the things he said / did would be unforgivable in my book.)
Happy ending for the MC! It was looking bleak but that made it worth it!
 

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auburn_phoenix_15's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense fast-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

5.0

Well H.D. Carlton has done it again and written a fantastic novel. I know most people find her stories to be strange and very disturbing but I like that her novels all show that everyone of her characters is slightly broken and how they fix themselves.

It felt like a little bit of a murder mystery in some places and it was definitely a psychological thriller in the majority but the characters and ending was spectacular.

Read this if you have strong stomach and want a little bit of horror/thriller and also mystery but otherwise keep away from this book!

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nogutsnostory's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5


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nerveblockreader's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

3.5

⭐️:  Enzo is Italian and what he says just sounds delicious. 10/10 swoon
⭐️:  4/5 spice 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️, of course it got a little repetitive but still enjoyed reading it
⭐️: Overall plot was engaging, and the rollercoaster of a plot had me coming back for more.
0.25 ⭐️:  Enzo’s reaction towards identity theft is 100% over the top. Identity theft just takes a couple daunting phone calls to credit agencies and puts an extra security measure to combat it from happening again. It makes your financial life a tad bit inconvenient, it does not ruin your life because banks protect you against fraudulent transactions nowadays. killing someone over it is not the answer?!?) overall this man is a walking red flag 🚩🚩🚩 
0.25 ⭐️: This book is problematic on so many levels. Their relationship, albeit it works, is trauma bond and Sawyer is so broken that forgiveness comes easily. This is my first HD Carlton book and I had high expectations since so many people had high regards for Haunting Adeline. The middle portion is dragged out for way to long and the hot/cold of Enzo and Sawyer’s relationship had me pulling my hair from frustration. The trauma both MCs have endured was glossed over and could have been explored to deeper levels instead of ‘this old man is creepy’ and ‘this lighthouse/island is odd’ sentiments expressed time and time again. Enjoyed the read, wouldn't read again. 

Side note: 
- Who is Troy and why do we trust him other than being told we can trust him??? 
- what is up with hooking fingers in the jaw/teeth?? I find this mannerism peculiar and don’t see a reason for its repetitiveness. I can see this happening behind closed doors but on a day to day basis?? I have questions 
- Sylvester is coo-coo and demented, what he does is sickening 🤮
- we must protect Simon at all costs 

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anyakdh's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
🎶Fuck it I love you - Lana del Rey 
Tbh idk this book was average to me I thought I liked dark romance bc I read haunting Adeline and LOVED IT but this one just didn’t do it for me 

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rza1002's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


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icieri's review against another edition

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

1.75


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hq_reads's review against another edition

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challenging dark 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? No

2.0

I really wanted to enjoy this as I enjoyed the Haunting of Adeline duology by the same author but I just couldn’t. I didn’t like Sawyer or Enzo and despite me being intrigued by the “ghost in chains” storyline, everything else was just bad. 

The spicy scenes were not hot. At all. Why does he keep hooking his fingers over her bottom teeth and dragging her about like that?!?! Why does he “grab her jowls”??? JOWLS! So unflattering 😂 This book also romanticises abusive behaviour and sexual assault. 
The sex scene on the boat with the sharks was rape. Literally rape. And  I know he apologises for it eventually, but they don’t call it like it is. Plus she continues to be attracted to him before he apologises and acknowledges it was wrong.
I appreciate there were trigger warnings, but I didn’t enjoy the romanticising of Enzo’s behaviour.

The ghost storyline reveal was what I thought, but the details were horrific. I think HD Carlton is excellent at writing horror/thrillers. I genuinely felt the tension and fear at moments. I genuinely believe that if this were just a thriller and not an erotic romance I would have enjoyed the book so much better!! 

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bedtimesandbooks's review against another edition

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dark medium-paced
  • 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? Yes

1.0


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