Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James

9 reviews

heremireadz's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child death, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, and Stalking

Minor: Cancer and Drug use

callistag1's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Sexism, and Murder

Moderate: Child death, Cursing, Physical abuse, Violence, and Stalking

Minor: Cancer, Cursing, Drug use, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, and Death of parent

vj_thompson's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

I would totally read a spin-off series where Carly solves missing persons cases. Overall loved the writing and the story. There were so many good moments, and I was on the edge of my seat reading this book. Will be reading more of Simone St. James’s novels. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Infidelity, Violence, Blood, Stalking, and Murder

Moderate: Child death, Drug use, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, and Alcohol

Minor: Bullying, Cancer, Eating disorder, Homophobia, Racism, Sexism, and Death of parent

redefiningrachel's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Kidnapping, Stalking, and Murder

Moderate: Death, Gore, Infidelity, Blood, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Drug use

aprescriptiontoread's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense 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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Rape

Minor: Alcoholism, Cancer, and Drug use

grimviolins's review

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Death, Blood, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Child death and Infidelity

Minor: Drug use, Car accident, and Injury/Injury detail

bookswithmybulldog's review

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Sexual violence, Kidnapping, Stalking, and Murder

Moderate: Rape and Blood

Minor: Alcoholism, Cancer, Drug use, Infidelity, and Death of parent

wordwilderness's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Blood, Stalking, and Murder

Minor: Alcoholism, Cancer, Child death, Confinement, Drug use, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, and Death of parent

coolbeans's review

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Well, well, well, what have we here?  A mystery/psychological/supernatural mashup with relatable characters and an atmosphere you can sink your teeth into?  You bet.  I had read The Broken Girls by Simone St. James when it came out a couple of years ago.  It had that same supernatural mystery type vibe as well.  I liked it well enough and thought it was a solid story.  The Sun Down Motel swoops past that story and soars off into the shadowy sunset by far for me.  

With similar tools as her previous novel, this story alternates between two timelines, one in the 80s and one in 2017.  In the 80s, Vivian is hitching her way to New York when she finds herself in Fell, New York working at The Sun Down Motel.  Aptly titled because the place gets much of it's business and attention in our narrative during the dark shadows of the night.  Viv hears about the strange murders of local women that have happened in the town across the years and decides to do some amateur sleuthing while working the night shift at the motel.  In 2017, Carly, Viv's niece, rolls into town to amateur sleuth her way into another mystery, someone's disappearance all those decades ago.  You guessed it, her Aunt Viv.  

As the timelines alternate and slowly converge into each other, the lights start to turn on in your head and you see just how all of the elements the author threaded through the plot work to give you a haunting but powerful story.  Of the seen and unseen.  This story had great relatable main characters. Strong main and supporting characters that felt normal and real.  Like you could pass them on the street. These heroines weren't superhuman sleuths or helpless princesses.  Just normal young women pursuing a fault line that life had opened up at their feet.  The setting and atmosphere were also wonderfully dreary and foreshadowing.  All elements worked together well.

Spooky, mysterious, unsettling, and tense at times.  Loved it.  Didn't see a certain major plot piece when it hit the board and it was a game changer for my rating this book even higher.  Would recommend if like Scooby Doo, you like your mysteries to be supernatural but also reveal the scary fact that sometimes the true monsters you should be afraid of are still alive and breathing.  Blew up my expectations in a good way.  Would read more of her books without blinking.  5 out of 5 stars.

I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism

Moderate: Rape and Violence

Minor: Cancer, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Infidelity, and Grief