Reviews tagging 'Terminal illness'

The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James

9 reviews

cyndi1966's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Violence, Death of parent, Terminal illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, and Stalking

Moderate: Infidelity and Child death

Minor: Cancer

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.

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

8bumblebee8's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape, Murder, Sexual assault, and Terminal illness

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

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

bootsmom3's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, and Murder

Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Grief, Child death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Mental illness, Stalking, Violence, and Gore

Minor: Cancer, Pedophilia, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, and Terminal illness

taelights's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I loved this book so much. Both Viv and Carly's POVs held my interest throughout and I enjoyed seeing the connections between their stories. Listening to them piece together the same basic mystery but at different times and using different clues was actually really interesting! It never made me bored or felt repetitive at all. Also this book had so many twists I didn't see coming. 

Also the mix between mystery, crime thriller, and supernatural horror was perfect. The author did an amazing job writing all of these elements, especially the creepy spooky ones. Adding in ghosts just added to the story and setting so well. 

The only thing I didn't like was one element of the ending.

I was disappointed with Viv's ending. I don't think she should have confessed. Between her confessing and having cancer I thought her being revealed as alive was pointless. It's like oh cool this character I got attached to but thought was dead is actually alive! Yay! Oh wait… she's now either going to die soon from cancer or rot in prision for the rest of her life when she literally could and should have kept getting away with this crime.

But overall this was a very amazing read that I deeply enjoyed! I can't wait to check out more books by Simone St. James now as I definitely loved her writing style in this book. 

Edit:  I just looked up the author and saw she's cis het so it kind of makes me uncomfortable and not like her because she used lesbian slurs in her writing. Using the word dyke in her writing was unnecessary to begin with but knowing she's heterosexual and using it leaves a bit of a nasty taste in my mouth. I'll still read Book of Cold Cases through the library but I'm glad I didn't pick it as my BOTM like I almost did because I won't be financially supporting her. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Lesbophobia, Sexual violence, Stalking, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Death, Grief, Cancer, Child death, Death of parent, Infidelity, Rape, Mental illness, Murder, Racism, Misogyny, Sexual assault, and Sexism

Homophobic and lesphobic slurs written by a cis het author.

ggcd1981's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Eu estava interessada em ler algo de Simone St. James desde que ouvi que suas obras eram mistério com um toque supernatural. Nesse aspecto The Sun Down Motel não deixou a desejar. O livro se trata do mistério do desaparecimento da jovem Vivian (Viv) Delaney em 1982 e a investigação do caso em 2017 feita por Carly Kirk, sobrinha de Viv que deseja descobrir o que realente aconteceu com sua tia. Carly acaba descobrindo que houveram elementos sobrenaturais no caso da sua tia. Em 1982 Viv, deixando a casa de sua mãe com quem tinha um mal relacionamento acabou ficando na cidade de Fell no caminho para Nova York. Nessa cidade Viv arranjou, meio que sem querer, um emprego no Sun Down Motel como recepcionista da madrugada. Foi durante as noites na recepção do motel que Viv começou a ter experiências paranormais com fantasmas de pessoas que morreram no motel, uma criança, um homem fumante e uma mulher. Intrigada por estas experiências, especialmente com a mulher que era a mais agitada em suas aparições, e pelo alto número de mulheres estupradas e assassinadas na História recente de Fell, Viv começou a investigar esses assassinatos por conta própria. Devido a sua investigação amadora ela descobriu que a fantasma do hotel se chamava Betty Graham e ela havia sido estuprada e assassinada, seu corpo sendo deixado no terreno em que pouco tempo depois seria construído o Sun Down Motel. Viv sente que a mesma pessoa matou todas as vítimas mulheres de Fell e se torna obcecada por provar que um vendedor viajante que usa nomes falsos ao fazer check in no motel é na verdade um Serial Killer que vinha matando mulheres a anos na cidade. O livro tem alternância de capítulos entre a linha temporal de Viv e a de Carly. Quem conduz a investigação sobre o Serial Killer é Viv, já na linha temporal de Carly vemos a garota seguindo os passos da tia (se instalando em Fell no antigo apartamento de sua tia, se tornando recepcionista da madrugada no Sun Down Motel, se tornando obcecada pelos femicídios na história de Fell) e descobrindo finalmente o destino de sua tia desaparecida. Eu tive uma boa experiência com o livro, a história e atmosfera foram instigantes para mim. Contudo houveram pontos negativos que me impedem de dar uma nota mais alta. Primeiro a inserção na obra de um romance completamente desnecessário para a personagem Carly; Segundo a forma como a personagem Viv apenas sabia que os assassinatos estavam conectados, apesar do Modus operandi do assassino ser diferente para cada vítima e estas vítimas terem quase nada em comum (a única coisa que as conectava era “a solidão” e isso me parece muito subjetivo para ser gatilho de assassinato); Terceiro o ápice paranormal da história foi decepcionante tendo em vista que as duas personagens principais, Viv e Carly, haviam tido fortes experiências com os fantasmas do motel. Foi bastante decepcionante que a vingança de Betty contra o neto do seu assassino se passou fora da página, pois no momento em que supostamente os fantasmas do Motel estavam tão agressivos que, segundo descrição, arruinaram as fundações do motel deixando o prédio condenado, Carly e Viv estavam em uma lanchonete tomando sopa e conversando chegando apenas no motel após tudo ter acontecido e o neto do assassino ter sido morto. Elas não viram nada do que aconteceu e o leitor, infelizmente, também não; O quarto ponto negativo é a falta de explicação para os fantasmas do menino e do homem fumante. O menino morreu na piscina e foi encontrado pelo recepcionista fumante que meses depois morreu de ataque cardíaco na recepção do motel. A autora jogou esses dois fantasmas, mas não estabeleceu nenhuma relação entre eles e Betty, nem estabeleceu que Betty estava matando os hospedes, porque várias pessoas ao longo dos anos ficaram no hotel mas continuaram vivas. Então os fantasmas do menino e do fumante estavam completamente não relacionados com a trama o que foi estranho. Por causa desses elementos o final pareceu menos satisfatório apesar de ter tido vários pontos positivos. No fim se descobre que Viv estava viva o tempo todo e na verdade ela estava certa sobre o Serial Killer. Este confessou seus crimes antes dela o matar. Descobre-se também que Viv teve cumplices nas figuras de uma fotografa (Marnie) e uma policial (Alma) que sabiam de sua obsessão pelo assassino e ajudaram Viv encobrir o assassinato após comprovar que ela estava certa. Em geral o livro é bom entretenimento com mistério, elementos sobrenaturais, muita raiva e vingança feminina. Deixou a desejar um pouco nos aspectos sobrenaturais, mas ainda é um sólido 4 estrelas.

 

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Rape, Toxic friendship, Terminal illness, Kidnapping, Death, Death of parent, and Child death