Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough

53 reviews

thecatsmum's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

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

2.75

After coincidentally running into and snogging the man who turns out to be her new boss, single mother Louise has an affair with him, and begins an unlikely friendship with his wife. This story is told mostly in alternating Louise and Adele (the wife) POV chapters as the story unfolds.

Honestly, I think it would have been a better book if it was mostly told from Louise's POV for the first half to three quarters of the book or if Pinborough handled Adele's POV chapters better. It felt like the story lost part of its momentum by allowing the reader to know too much too soon.

A bit into the book I realised I had seen the miniseries that was based on the book a few years ago, and I wasn't impressed by the ending then, and I guess I wasn't now. So, despite the prose feeling decent, there were too many problems for me to rate this higher.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Murder, Death of parent, Death, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Suicide, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Classism, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Ableism, Abortion, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Eating disorder, and Forced institutionalization

chrischellem's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Addiction, Animal death, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Drug use, Alcoholism, and Animal cruelty

alisonfaith426's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Infidelity, Toxic friendship, Animal death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Alcohol, Sexual content, Body shaming, Death, Stalking, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Self harm, and Classism

Minor: Pregnancy and Confinement

mzynda's review against another edition

mysterious medium-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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Mental illness, Animal death, Death of parent, Drug use, and Infidelity

ssarahbbeth's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, and Infidelity

Moderate: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Sexual content, Addiction, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Suicide, Animal death, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Abortion

antonia_oana19's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Infidelity, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Death, Animal death, and Mental illness

ainrosle's review against another edition

mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

If I were to judge this book based on the last third of it, then yes, it would have received high stars. The last few chapters of the book was exactly what I had expected out of the book. The first 2-third of the book is just something you can skim over. Nothing worth noting, nothing memorable. 

It was very slow, the characters aren't loveable and it's so frustrating because it could have been a 5 stars book. I had the wrong expectation of the book going in, thinking it was more of a thriller but really more of a suspense, mystery and paranormal element to it. It does require a suspension of disbelief (a lot of it), which I am generally fine with if it had been executed flawlessly. 

It's just a book with forgettable plot because... there was nothing to remember in the first place...

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Drug use, Mental illness, and Infidelity

Moderate: Body shaming and Death

Minor: Fire/Fire injury

meeeg's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Addiction, Murder, and Infidelity

Minor: Abortion

zianna_reads's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Mental illness, Addiction, Alcoholism, and Animal cruelty

lindseyrenee's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-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

4.25

The first half to 2/3 was pretty slow and seemed like a dramatic soap opera with all the affairs and weird relationships. When the pace started to pick up though, I was completely hooked and needed to know answers to all my questions! The ending was one that I would have never guessed. I thought I had it nailed down with the second to last chapter and then the last one swooped in and shocked me even more.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Animal death, Body shaming, Mental illness, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Stalking, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, and Infidelity

Moderate: Drug use and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and Sexual content