Reviews with content warning for Animal death - This Thing Between Us

Wow, this one turned out to be a mixed bag!
When it came to the emotional arc of the story - exploration of grief, reexamination of past regrets and trying to live on having lost all purpose in life - this book definitely succeeded, 5 stars! I loved the characters, I found the relationship between widower Thiago and Diane, his mother-in-law, so interesting, the way they bonded in their grief was fascinating to watch.
However when it came down to plot, it was more of 2 stars? I liked the first 50% of the story, however the second half was confusing, unfinished, vague and felt like too much and not enough information was thrown at you at the same time.
Overall, I loved the writing, want to pick up the next work from this author, however I hope that the plot will be more refined with the next book.

Content Warnings

gothradiohour's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Content Warnings

wynplus1's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

2.5

I'm really sad to rate this book so low because I genuinely enjoyed the first 75% of it! It was going to be a very solid 4, but the last 25% just... really ruined it for me.
I love the novel's tone, i love the style in which it's written. Thiago is a really sympathetic character and I found myself rooting for him early on. I like the novel's exploration of grief and the "weird" horror vibes. It felt like watching a really tense horror movie, something artsy and "elevated".
It really started to lose me

after Diane's death

and it never won me back. It feels like the novel should've ended a lot sooner, and the ending was just... disappointing. Bleak, but not even in a way that feels deserving. It just feels like it ends with no real resolution, and it really soured the overall enjoyment I was feeling previously.

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