Reviews

These Toxic Things by Rachel Howzell Hall

tracy_lianne's review against another edition

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2.0

This story had such promise, but there was so much junk that didn't need to be here. I finished it, but it was so very hard!! I had never heard of this author & I don't know if I will read anything else by her. We'll see.

optimisticbooknerd's review against another edition

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3.0

This one is tough for me to rate.

I enjoyed the authors previous book And Now She's Gone and gave that one 5 stars because I loved all the twists and turns but unfortunately, I didn't really click with this one, I did guess one of the biggerish plot twists and for that, I think I'll give this one a 3 star but I did really like the writing style

mtafil22's review against another edition

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2.0

Wasn't my favorite book. It took a while to get into and make sense of what was happening & not in a mystery type of way. Conversations were vague and character switches were not clear. At first I thought it was the same character and having flash backs but that was not the case.

brittnb08's review against another edition

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3.0

I enjoyed the mystery part of this book and trying to figure out who DD was. However there were time when the MC was too focused on dating.

khosch's review against another edition

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did not finish.
too much to read to waste time on something I don't like ...

rachstillreading's review

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

h3dakota's review against another edition

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2.0

Nearly the most annoying main character I've ever read. Finished only because I wanted to confirm my expectations.

isaacrm's review against another edition

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2.0

I rarely give a book any less than 3 stars. I think every novel deserves at least three for effort. I don't recommend any of the books I give 3 stars. For me, they are skippable. This book, however, you want to stay away no matter what.

Why I'm being so harsh with this book? Well, it is the only book since I can remember that I had seriously consider stop reading and just put it away for good.

I know, the average rating on this book is a 3.9, which should indicate it's good. I can't disagree more with this rating, so keep that in mind for the rest of my review.

The story is completely absurd. It's supposed to be a murder mystery, but there's no investigation whatsoever. The "bad guys" just give themselves away for no particular reason, or at least, a rational reason.

There are huge plot mistakes. The main character receives a text from the victim right before being murder. Yet, she doesn't mention that text to the police; even-though, she discloses all sorts of unrelated information to them.

There are some side "mysteries" going on, and you think that everything will be wrapped at the end. Nope. They are completely unrelated.

Add the fact that the characters are uninteresting. The main character is just a spoiled brat in disguise. Her family and personal life are unentertaining and boring. There's nothing that will keep you, as a reader, ruling for her or her success.

Add the fact that the story introduces this unbelievable technology, to the point I thought that maybe it was a sci-fi novel, and it doesn't exploit that fact in the entire book.

Add the fact that the story develops through a series of artifacts the main character is documenting, and those sections of the book are the most boring parts one can imagine.

The result is a book that you should not even give a second thought. I'm sorry, but I cannot see how this novel can be enjoyed. Leave it alone.

tsquare345's review against another edition

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2.0

Not much of a thriller. The opening chapter was so promising. It took until chapter 10 to circle back and even then it was just a mention. In the meantime, I’m forced to spend time with Mickey. Ugh, 20-somethings are so uninspiring, vapid, and self-involved. Was I this clueless when I was in my 20s? Prolly, lol. And don’t get me started on her job title of “Digital Archeologist” LOL

jillmlong's review against another edition

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2.0

This book didn't work for me. I found the characters to be unlikeable. There was also a lot of profanity. I thought the profanity was unnecessary and didn't add anything to the scenes.