Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

If You Tell by Gregg Olsen

137 reviews

jguiley's review

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Bullying, Death, Body shaming, Murder, Torture, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence

mishmashes's review against another edition

dark sad

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Torture, Physical abuse, Bullying, Gaslighting, and Emotional abuse

lottie1803's review

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Torture, Grief, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Murder, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Terminal illness

anusplugger's review against another edition

challenging dark hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

This story was truly heartbreaking to read and to know that these were true events were frightening. There are people out there who are like Shelly out in the world living without facing any consequences for their sadistic actions and it's so sickening . My heart goes out to all of the victims and victims family who were involved in all of this. There were moments in the story where I got frustrated with the victims because I kept thinking this was all fictional, but I had to take a deep breath to remember that these were true events. And if I were in their shoes, I myself would have done the same as them. However some people in the story should have been more involved and should have taken more action.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Self harm, Physical abuse, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Torture, Violence, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Murder, and Suicide attempt

serenaann's review

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Blood, Physical abuse, Hate crime, Abandonment, Child death, Sexual violence, Violence, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Child abuse, Murder, Sexual harassment, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Homophobia, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Vomit, Alcoholism, Racial slurs, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Addiction, Cursing, Excrement, Medical trauma, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Body shaming, Cancer, Chronic illness, Death of parent, and Gun violence

vbarker91's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Bullying, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, and Torture

Moderate: Gaslighting

Minor: Rape, Terminal illness, Homophobia, and Cancer

debbiem226's review against another edition

dark emotional sad fast-paced

It doesn’t feel right to rate this book as it is a horrific telling of the true life heinous crimes and abuse of real people, some of who are no longer living as a result of this abuse, all at the hands of Michelle “Shelly” Knotek. This story absolutely enraged me, I found myself seething and yelling out loud about how much I hate this woman for the things she did to those she was supposed to nurture, care for..love. Idk if I have ever felt so sick listening to a book. She disgusts me as does her husband Dave. And listening to this book knowing that both of these sick individuals are now out of prison walking around free while three people are dead, while their three daughters will always be effected by the terrible things she did. My heart ached for her children and for Kathy and Ron. It’s so hard to believe true evil such as this exists out in the world. I pray that no one else falls victim to this psychopath and if that does happen the justice system should be held accountable for allowing her to only have to serve 22 years. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Homophobia, Domestic abuse, Murder, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Body shaming, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Violence, Death, and Bullying

onlyemilyreads's review

dark emotional sad slow-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Torture, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Violence, Domestic abuse, and Murder

caitcalvert's review

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Death, Cursing, Confinement, Gaslighting, Blood, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Body shaming, Child death, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Murder, Torture, Suicide attempt, Gun violence, and Child abuse

labbyreads's review

dark sad tense medium-paced

2.0

Read Full Review

If You Tell by Gregg Olsen takes readers on a heart-wrenching journey through the chilling true story of Shelly Knotek and the unimaginable abuse inflicted on her children. Olsen commendably highlights the victims' resilience, but the focus on family dynamics falls short of expectations. The characters feel one-dimensional, missing an opportunity to explore the psychology behind Shelly's actions. The dense and graphic content, coupled with a dragging middle section, makes for a challenging read. The pacing issues and a disjointed timeline contribute to a somewhat dissatisfying experience. While capturing unimaginable horrors, If You Tell falls short of being the best true crime, offering an okay but flawed narrative.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Blood, Excrement, Fatphobia, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Body shaming, Murder, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Body horror, Violence, Torture, Animal death, Gaslighting, and Death