Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

Good Neighbors by Sarah Langan

45 reviews

cursivewolf's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-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

4.0

While the writing was cheesy at times, it was a great read. The book made me so mad, but not in a bad way? It’s not a bad book, just upsetting. It breaks your heart. I liked the article clippings in between certain chapters, it added to the suspense at times. And it added a lot of context.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Bullying, Child death, Child abuse, Death, Grief, Pregnancy, Stalking, Suicide, Violence, and Blood

Moderate: Animal death, Cancer, Emotional abuse, Murder, Physical abuse, Drug abuse, Ableism, and Addiction

Minor: Rape

lindasbooklist's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• 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: Addiction, Toxic relationship, Rape, Child abuse, and Suicide

kristy_lyn's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

This book was not what I was expecting and I'm still not sure exactly how to rate it. But after closing the cover I still can't stop thinking about it so I'll settle on 3.5 stars. 

The story takes place in the not-so-distant future and follows the events that occur in one particular cul-de-sac and the lives of the families who live there. We meet up with the Wilde family at the beginning of the book and immediately get the impression they are somewhat outcast from the rest of the neighbours. As the story unfolds it begins to centre around two main families and the conflict that arises between them. I was left with an uncomfortable feeling of unease through the duration of this book as I felt it hit a little too close to our modern day world despite being set in the future. There are implications towards global warming with the forming of the sink hole, and a rather bleak look into mob mentality and the dangers that arise when frustrations and hostility begin to grow within society. Even in the small scale study that is Maple Street. I found myself turning page after page eager to see where the story was going and repeatedly found it was not where I expected. Although it was slow to start, I enjoyed the news articles scattered throughout which kept you guessing right up until the end. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Sexual assault, and Gun violence

lisapas's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Pedophilia

jayastar's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal death, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Rape, and Suicide

thebooklooks's review against another edition

dark tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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: Child abuse, Child death, and Murder

Moderate: Bullying

Minor: Drug use

mollyktb's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• 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: Child abuse and Child death

Moderate: Drug abuse and Gun violence

adriennne's review against another edition

dark tense

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Child abuse, Alcoholism, Animal death, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Drug abuse

Minor: Rape, Trafficking, and Cancer

anna_mayes's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“To avoid loneliness, we become a single, unthinking mass.”

Good Neighbors by Sarah Langan is about what happens when a suburban neighborhood experiences a tragedy and goes searching for answers. During a 4th of July barbecue, Sterling Park is taken over by a sinkhole. A few days later when some of the local children are playing on the board covering the hole, Shelly Schroeder falls in. Shortly after, the neighbors start to turn on the Wilde family, believing that they are the cause of Shelly’s fall and disappearance.

This book was HEAVY. It was dark, very emotional, and had me crying at some moments. Good Neighbors by Sarah Langan had me hooked from the beginning. It has a slow-medium pace, but with short chapters and suspense, I was completely glued to the pages. The twist at the end was unexpected and my jaw was on the floor. Honestly, Sarah Langan did a great job of addressing how rumors and gossip can spiral out of control in suburban culture.

I recommend this for anyone who loves unreliable narrators and mysteries. I also would recommend this to someone who likes books that have a grey conclusion.

Content Warnings: Sexual Assault, Murder, Suicide, and Drug Abuse

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Suicide, Alcoholism, and Drug abuse

bookbunny's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Gun violence, and Violence