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cteaguedow's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Minor: Death and Child abuse
kelly_e's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Author: Shari Lapena
Genre: Thriller
Rating: 2.0
Pub Date: July 14, 2016
T H R E E • W O R D S
Quick • Lackluster • Predictable
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Anne and Marco have been invited to dinner at their next door neighbour's Cynthia and Graham, but Cynthia has blatantly told them not to bring their baby, Cora. When their baby-sitter cancels at the last minute, Anne and March decide to leave Cora at home, bring the monitor with them, and check on her every half hour. When they return home, the door is ajar, the crib is empty, and Cora is nowhere to be found.
💭 T H O U G H T S
I'll start out by saying that the first half was decent, I was interested in how it was setting the stage for what was to come. But it went south from very fast. I felt as though some things were thrown in simply for shock value, or because they are thriller must-haves. And some of these twists and turns didn't seem believable at all. The writing was mediocre, the characters were cliché with very little growth, and there's zero setting development.
All that aside, what I absolutely hated was the author's portrayal of mental illness as something to be hidden and not talked about. It didn't stop there, but Shari Lapena also uses stereotypical representation of people with DID or postpartum depression as having violent tendencies. This is part of the reason mental illness is so misunderstood, and I cannot stand when author's use mental illness as a plot point.
A highly forgettable thriller with a terrible ending, this one was definitely not for me.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• readers wanting a quick domestic thriller
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Everyone is faking it, all of them pretending to be something they’re not. The whole world is built on lies and deceit."
Graphic: Kidnapping and Murder
Moderate: Mental illness, Violence, Blood, and Death
Minor: Infidelity
miciahsreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Blood, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Murder, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Child death, Sexual harassment, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Stalking, Abandonment, Bullying, and Vomit
birkenstonk's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Murder, Emotional abuse, Grief, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, and Toxic friendship
jade06's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, and Murder
Moderate: Murder
sharlapeggy's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Child death, Child abuse, Death, and Emotional abuse
juliaminer's review
4.0
Moderate: Alcohol, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Murder, Violence, and Vomit
untanglingbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The cliffhanger was kinda shocking though. 😳
Graphic: Mental illness, Kidnapping, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Death
Minor: Blood
hannahelizza556's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book discusses various issues relating to post partum depression, extra marital affairs, kidnapping, mental health issues, starting and raising a family. The class system is an element here too. The main female character, Anne has family money behind her, something which her husband, Marco never had. This issue is emphasised by the main plot of the story. Marco allows Anne to believe that she has committed an awful crime, something that should be unthinkable between man and wife.
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, and Pedophilia
temeade's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Body shaming, Kidnapping, Mental illness, and Death
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Grief, Murder, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, and Mental illness
Minor: Death of parent