Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell

56 reviews

peeshpish's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

3.0

It was a slow start but once it picks up, it moves fast. The story flows well once the three POVs become more closely intertwined & the connections are more clear. There are many twists & turns along the way, & the story continues to develop until the very last sentence. Libby’s POV is an often needed relief from the heaviness of the other two, much less tense but still moves the story forward. Many characters felt flat or aligned with stereotypes that I’d expect more from a book written earlier than one written in 2019, but I still ended up reading most of the book in one sitting so I was definitely invested.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Murder, Grief, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Domestic abuse, Confinement, and Death

Moderate: Abandonment, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, and Misogyny

Minor: Suicide, Homophobia, Medical content, Sexual harassment, Pregnancy, Infertility, Medical trauma, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, Abortion, Blood, and Pedophilia

Lucy’s chapters are heavy with

sexual assault & domestic violence. She is raped & murders her attacker. If it helps to know, she is not punished for killing him.

The chapters set in the past (labelled “Chelsea, [year]”) contain a lot lf

child abuse, domestic violence, & are where most of the content warnings come into play.

Libby’s chapters are generally safe for content, mostly vague details about the fate & story of the people who lived in the house she inherits.

jaydub0221's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Terminal illness, Chronic illness, Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, Murder, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Rape, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, and Death

Minor: Alcohol, Animal death, Deportation, and Homophobia

amgarrido's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Abandonment, Death, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Miscarriage, Mental illness, Bullying, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Drug use, and Confinement

Moderate: Suicide, Sexual content, Blood, Sexual assault, Infertility, and Infidelity

isotope_s's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Pregnancy, Murder, Infidelity, Domestic abuse, Suicide, and Confinement

Minor: Violence, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, and Abandonment

brynhayes's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious sad 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Rape, Pedophilia, Abandonment, Abortion, Blood, Child abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Torture, Toxic relationship, Confinement, and Death

eating_or_reading's review against another edition

dark sad medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Murder, Child abuse, and Infidelity

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy

msennflinn's review against another edition

challenging dark hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

• 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Miscarriage, Murder, Death, Grief, Infidelity, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Confinement, and Death of parent

Moderate: Rape and Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Animal death

galexy_brain's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

I definitely enjoyed my time reading this book. I found some of the twists surprising ,

but for the most part, the outcomes were as expected. I enjoyed the tripartite narration where the three main "siblings'" stories/perspectives were told in short, alternating chapters, and the discovery that Henry turned out to be an unreliable narrator. Though the ending didn't come as a shock, I was satisfied with how each mystery was uncovered and the coziness of the family reunion. Henry's closing chapter certainly left some things to mull over after the book was done.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Confinement, Death of parent, Death, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, and Physical abuse

Minor: Homophobia, Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cancer, Car accident, Chronic illness, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Murder, Pregnancy, Suicide, and Toxic friendship

crosberg's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• 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? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Murder, Sexism, Toxic friendship, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Confinement, Infidelity, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy

spookybat's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-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

3.75

A really fascinating book filled with plot twists. Towards the end of the book, I found myself completely immersed and unable to put the book down! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Rape, Pedophilia, Miscarriage, Animal death, Suicide, Child abuse, Abandonment, Confinement, Death, Infidelity, Mental illness, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Abandonment and Pregnancy