Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris

104 reviews

arabiatta's review against another edition

dark emotional sad 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, and Confinement

d_narva's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.25

the book was overall very pleasant to read. the battle of wits between grace and jack were a pleasure to get caught up in. this would've easily been a 5 star read if only the conclusion didn't feel Too convenient (but that could just be me !). all in all, millie and esther were the true mvps in this book bless their hearts 🙏

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Animal death

kristysproule'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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Infertility, Ableism, and Miscarriage

nmf16's review

dark emotional 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

4.5

I enjoyed this fast-paced thriller and got through it in just a couple of days. 
The only reason it didn’t get 5* is because I felt the ending was a bit rushed and there were a couple of plot holes that left me thinking “but what about that…..” still a really enjoyable read though! Would recommend.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Domestic abuse, Bullying, Torture, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Animal cruelty and Animal death

Minor: Death of parent and Miscarriage

johall7's review

dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• 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: Violence, Ableism, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Misogyny, Animal cruelty, and Gaslighting

Minor: Miscarriage, Animal death, and Suicidal thoughts

lovelymisanthrope's review

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.0

I received this book as a gift.
"Behind Closed Doors" follows Grace, and her seemingly perfect husband, Jack. Grace and Jack seem to have it all and they live a very luxurious lifestyle. Their friends are all envious of them and their perfect marriage. Jack is a high-profile lawyer who never loses a case, and Grace is the picturesque homemaker. Unfortunately, things are never as good as they seem on the outside, and Grace and Jack are far from the perfect couple.
This story took me awhile to get into. I knew from the beginning that something was off, and I was very weary of Jack as a character, but it took a long time to finally piece together what was really going on, and what Jack's true motivations were. While I enjoyed the thrill of not truly knowing what was going on, once I did know, I was no longer invested in the story. Jack's behavior and actions towards Grace seemed plausible enough, but his true motivation for what he wanted and why he wanted it felt a little too unhinged to be believable.
Jack is absolutely insane, and the fact that he was able to hide that fact from everyone in his life is kind of impressive. I feel like someone who exhibits these types of behaviors for that long would have slipped up somewhere and had someone asking questions.
I was slightly disappointed in Grace as a character. I felt like she was broken too easily, and with so much at stake, she could have continued to fight harder. I empathize that she was in a difficult situation, but I kept yelling "come on" through the pages.
Overall, this book did not feel 100% believable in any aspect. There were too many plot points that relied on characters accepting what they were told without question. A thriller does not need to be believable to be good, but for me it definitely helps to make it more thrilling.
Overall, this story was fine. I had an okay time reading it, and I probably will not think about it much in the future. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Death, Murder, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Grief, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Animal death and Animal cruelty

lucykae's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Murder, Suicide, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Confinement, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Physical abuse, Eating disorder, Panic attacks/disorders, Miscarriage, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Mental illness, and Misogyny

hugsy85's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

I read a lot of dark thrillers and this one made me incredibly uncomfortable. Even though I read the trigger warnings before starting - or maybe I missed some - there were topics that came up that I was not prepared for. 

I had to take breaks and keep reminding myself that it is just a book. The subject matter is unsettling and the amount in which Jack tortures Grace both physically, mentally and psychologically as well as his promises for the future involving Grace's family ... It was a lot 

Overall it did keep me on edge which is the point and I was impressed with the ending. Definitely worth a read if you are into dark thrillers - but again - read the trigger warnings beforehand.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Torture, Child abuse, Death, Gore, Grief, Gaslighting, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Animal cruelty, Blood, Body horror, Eating disorder, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Animal death, Body shaming, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, and Bullying

joliechampion07's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, and Toxic relationship

abae0's review

dark emotional mysterious 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse and Gaslighting

Moderate: Animal death, Animal cruelty, Miscarriage, and Misogyny