Reviews tagging 'Misogyny'

The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James

21 reviews

biobeetle's review against another edition

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Misogyny

librarymouse's review

dark funny mysterious fast-paced

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

5.0

Overall, I really enjoyed this book! The setting, in particular, was really strong and the transitions between 1982 and 2017 were really tangible. Some of the characters were so pleasantly strange in a very human way. The juxtaposing of Nick, the former delinquent Carly meets as an under the table resident of a run down motel with Callum, the library volunteer who's way too invested in her search for what happened to her aunt is really well done.

Overall, this book was really fucking weird in a highly consumable way.

there was some things that felt like compulsory heterosexuality on my first read through, but to be honest, I think I've just been reading a lot of queer stuff recently, and all this book did was clearly characterize Carly as straight. Vic's cancer coming back at the end of the book, so close to her saying she's cancer free and learning her sister also died of cancer felt a bit out of place to me, but it's also real life and real life issues that do happen being presented within the frame of a thriller. I'm not a fan of the pro-cop rhetoric, but at the same time, I did like Alma as a character.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Blood, Death, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Vomit, Death of parent, Gore, Kidnapping, Murder, Stalking, Terminal illness, Mental illness, Rape, Sexism, and Violence

Moderate: Cancer and Domestic abuse

Major content warning for anyone sensitive to men abusing positions of power, sexual assault, and violence against women.

steffi_23's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-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? No

3.5

I did enjoy the story but there were several moments in the writing that made me go … was that really necessary. Yes a lot of the story is set in the 80s but some remarks were unnecessary

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Homophobia, Sexual assault, Murder, Misogyny, Sexism, Racism, Rape, and Stalking

Minor: Child death and Death of parent

raavi's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Child abuse, and Violence

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, Kidnapping, Misogyny, and Cancer

Minor: Terminal illness, Torture, and Gun violence

matcha_cat's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Physical abuse, Misogyny, Stalking, Death, and Murder

Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Alcoholism, Blood, Cancer, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual violence, Death of parent, and Grief

thecriticalreader's review

mysterious 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? No

The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James is one of the worst books I’ve ever read. I bought it because I’ve seen quite a few people give it rave reviews, but I have to seriously disagree with their opinions. 

 

The book is split between two perspectives: the first is Viv, a twenty-year-old who relocates to Fell, NY in 1982 and mysteriously vanishes that same year. The second is Carly, Viv’s niece who moves to Fell thirty-five years later to investigate her aunt’s life and disappearance. I kept mixing up whose point of view I was reading because they both lack a distinct voice or personality. They are practically indistinguishable, as their only distinguishing trait is that they like true crime. Carly makes it known that she’s “not like other girls,” because she likes to read and learn about true crime. Any depth they have to them is filled to the brim with pure stupidity. They practically beg to get arrested, attacked, murdered, etc. as they wander about “investigating” murders with a wanton disregard for safety (of themselves and others) and the law. They justify their misinformed and risky “investigations” by claiming that they are trying to bring justice to overlooked murdered women, which is the pathetic excuse thriller authors use to distract the readers from the fact that their protagonists have neither the right nor reason to irresponsibly play amateur detective. 

 

The only reason Viv and Carly get anywhere in their endeavors is that the author sets up every possible plot convenience for them, most of them so ludicrously implausible that my eyes got stuck in the back of my head from rolling them so hard. I could go into specifics, but I’m afraid I would lose brain cells from recalling such stupidity. 

 

If you have any respect for yourself or real murder victims, don’t read this book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Stalking, Grief, Misogyny, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Sexual harassment, Kidnapping, Infidelity, Death of parent, and Terminal illness

Minor: Sexual violence and Sexism

jmkendall0218's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Murder

Moderate: Rape, Death of parent, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Stalking, Alcoholism, Child death, and Addiction

taebereading's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Misogyny

Minor: Sexual assault, Violence, and Rape

notenchanted's review

mysterious 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? No

0.25

this is one of the worst books i’ve ever read and i would give it 0 stars if i could. the writing is horrendous, the plot moves quickly but is somehow still unbelievably boring, the main character’s entire personality is “i’m not like other girls because i read BOOKS and wear SWEATSHIRTS”…i could go on and on about the flaws here. not to mention that there are multiple instances of extremely problematic nonsense ranging from misogyny to homophobia to racism and if the author intended them to come across as critical, in my opinion that was not clear.

on top of all that, the way this story unfolds is too convenient and easy without much explanation — the woman renting her aunt’s house JUST HAPPENS to be looking for a roommate and doesn’t charge rent because she just wants a friend?? the motel where her aunt works JUST HAPPENS to be hiring the moment she moves to town??

this is lazy writing at its worst and i cannot comprehend the 5 star ratings for this book. would have DNF’d it if i didn’t spend money on it. no hate to anyone who liked it, i just don’t understand

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism, Misogyny, and Homophobia

libraryghost's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Death, Death of parent, Violence, Stalking, Sexual violence, Sexism, Misogyny, Kidnapping, Grief, and Blood

Moderate: Death of parent, Violence, Sexual violence, Rape, Racism, Pedophilia, Murder, Misogyny, Mental illness, Lesbophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Gore, Gaslighting, Death, Child death, Blood, and Body horror

Minor: Addiction, Cancer, Terminal illness, and Alcoholism