Reviews tagging 'Infertility'

The Last Word by Taylor Adams

94 reviews

a_libraryghost's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

• 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

3.0

I started this book wanting a twisty but easy to read thriller after being in a reading slump, and that’s exactly what I got. In some ways it exceeded my expectations, mostly it met them and in a couple ways I was disappointed. 
As others have pointed out there are a lot of twists though despite this most of them are pretty predictable. There was one twist I was surprised it took so long to reveal because it seemed very obvious very quickly. Though I will say while I was right about almost everything, I was made to second guess my assumptions. The two major twists directly linked to Emma were the ones I didn’t see coming and definitely were the most compelling. 

In fact, Emma in general was the best part of this story. So often when reading or watching horror you do not care whether the character lives or dies, or you might want them to die for being so stupid, but I was rooting for Emma (and Laika!) the  whole time and she is really what kept me reading. 

I had two big issues with the book. One was the invincibility of the characters like

Howard is hit by a van, has his hand struck by a hammer, and is stabbed in the chest with a katana…AND CAN STILL WALK?!

and the other is the laughably stereotypically the way the villain is depicted. Like the author pulled him straight from a reddit meme
Neckbeard? ✅
Fedora? ✅ 
Literally says “I guess nice guys do finish last”? ✅ 
A FUCKING KATANA?! ✅ 

I think Adams tried to subvert it a bit and give him some more depth but it when the nice guy line came I just had to laugh and it felt a bit like I was reading something straight on reddit. 

I do agree the ending dragged on but I liked it and was pretty happy with the outcome.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Gun violence, Car accident, Child death, Animal cruelty, and Infertility

Minor: Mass/school shootings

pirate's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infertility, Child death, and Vomit

Moderate: Gun violence, Alcoholism, Medical content, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, and Confinement

_fallinglight_'s review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• 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

3.25

This book made me realize I'm not a dog person (sometimes) bc by the fourth near-miss with Laika I was so over it, I was rooting for her d3ath, ok. A dizzying, maybe overstayed story. It was a propulsive read but I didn't care much for Emma bc she felt too surface level and I was kinda annoyed by her. And there were a lot of cringe moments here: the author intruder being a neckbeard, alt-right, Andrew Tate listening, 4chan incel caricature; Taylor Adams describing Jules hair as "Karen haircut" (?), and the damn dog stuff that kept diminishing my enjoyment but it wasn't a terrible experience and it was sorta fun.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Death, and Sexism

Moderate: Alcoholism, Infertility, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, and Child death

Minor: Death of parent

crabcake28's review against another edition

dark emotional funny sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

I read this expecting a lot after reading No Exit and I wasn’t disappointed. While it didn’t exactly have the mood I was hoping it would have, I still enjoyed it immensely. The book had me in shock, heart broken, cringing, and even laughing out loud at parts. I absolutely loved the back and forth between narrators and the realization that one of which was not in anyway reliable. Definitely the kind of book I’ll reread with a whole new perspective. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Vomit, Blood, and Violence

Moderate: Car accident, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Animal cruelty

Minor: Mass/school shootings, Child death, Alcoholism, Infertility, and Stalking

death of an infant child

attempted murder of a pet

miasarice's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• 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

4.0

it felt like something gus and january from beach read would’ve co-written (in the best way possible)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Stalking, Animal cruelty, Violence, Body horror, Suicidal thoughts, Death, and Murder

Moderate: Kidnapping and Confinement

Minor: Gun violence, Car accident, Child death, and Infertility

eurydicesforgiveness's review against another edition

dark emotional funny tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Self harm, and Gore

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Grief, Infertility, Vomit, and Car accident

kyannabrown's review against another edition

dark tense fast-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

Moderate: Animal cruelty and Child death

Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Ableism, Car accident, Vomit, Self harm, Gun violence, Infertility, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, Death, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcoholism, Body horror, and Suicide attempt

sara0129's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny tense fast-paced

• 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty and Child death

Moderate: Infertility

kceemuller's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Murder, and Stalking

Moderate: Death, Blood, Suicidal thoughts, Infertility, and Gore

Minor: Child death and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

laurenhannah217's review against another edition

dark emotional tense fast-paced

• 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

4.5

This book took me all over the place, and I loved it. Not too long, not too short, plenty of twists. I saw a lot of myself in Emma and I had a few visceral reactions. Highly recommend if you’re in a reading slump. Will be reading Adams’ No Exit asap 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Blood, Murder, Grief, Stalking, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Violence, Miscarriage, Self harm, Injury/Injury detail, and Infertility

Minor: Car accident and Cursing