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karmaj's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The storytelling throughout was well done and the twists and turns along the plot kept me guessing, though I felt a bit of the authors scramble to wrap up some plot points that she raised along the way.
Overall a solid thriller that was worth the read.
Moderate: Kidnapping
Minor: Child abuse, Infidelity, and Mental illness
greatexpectations77's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Kidnapping, Mental illness, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Grief
Moderate: Bullying, Murder, Classism, Infidelity, and Death
Minor: Child death, Sexual content, and Alcohol
kit_kat006'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
3.5
Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Child abuse, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Mental illness and Death of parent
Minor: Bullying, Infidelity, and Vomit
xojackiedaniels's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.5
As a former true crime enthusiast, I was intrigued by the premise of this thriller. It reminded me of this unsolved case of a toddler abduction I heard about a while ago. I was kind of excited to figure this one out and get some closure (I hate cold cases lol).
The setup was meh, with very low stakes set at the beginning. Main characters aren't much different by the end of the book, which is deeply disappointing:
• the mother has no backbone and is either sobbing or in a trance-like state throughout the whole story.
• the father is so unintelligent and immature, it made me cringe outwardly.
Both make the stupidest decisions a character in a thriller could make.
As for the secondary characters,
• one is described as a tramp with no personality beyond having a sexy body and liking money. Her and the mother used to be genuine friends according to the author, yet it seems like there wasn't a single reason why they'd get along.
• the motives of the perpetrator are implied but we don't get to hear from them or see what led up to their decision of kidnapping the baby. It really felt like the author introduced way too many characters that all had better motives for the kidnapping than the actual criminal.
• there is also a character with Dissociative Identity Disorder that I thought would be a good representation of DID at first... boy, was I mistaken!
• questionable representation of how mental illness affects violence towards others in general... I am so over thriller authors using disorders as plot devices!!! >:(
The plot itself was scarce, diluted with constant unrelated tangents and head-hopping just to describe the same scene all over again.
And what on EARTH was that atrocious ending? I would say the book was perfectly wrapped up and salvaged BEFORE the last couple of pages happened.
⭐1.5 for the intrigue and the genuine potential that was not done any justice.
TWs: child abduction, ableism, intrusive thoughts typical to postpartum depression, semigraphic violence descriptions, a character being gaslit while in a vulnerable mental state, themes of infidelity.
Graphic: Dysphoria, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Mental illness, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Ableism, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Dysphoria, Fatphobia, and Sexual assault
Minor: Death of parent
mommah's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Grief, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Gaslighting, and Emotional abuse
themoodreader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Minor: Mental illness, Murder, Pregnancy, Infidelity, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Vomit, Sexual content, Alcohol, Body shaming, Kidnapping, and Panic attacks/disorders
bookishchaos's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Mental illness, Kidnapping, and Infidelity
Moderate: Toxic relationship
Minor: Blood and Vomit
hannah_steven's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Mental illness, and Murder
sefrahudman's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Gaslighting, Grief, Kidnapping, Infidelity, Cursing, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Mental illness, and Toxic relationship
mrsmishler's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Mental illness, Child abuse, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Murder and Infidelity
Minor: Violence