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saraellenme's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Confinement, and Torture
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, and Murder
Minor: Violence, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Sexual assault
kate_swarb's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Moderate: Torture, Rape, and Sexual assault
clara01's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I think it had a great build up but after the first major plot twist I struggled to change my feelings about a character that had been written to be unlikeable. The manipulation and emotional abuse were particularly unenjoyable to read.
The ending was good but I think there were too many sudden plot twists right at the end of the book.
Graphic: Mental illness, Violence, Gaslighting, Murder, Torture, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Sexual violence, Gore, Infertility, Rape, and Sexual assault
Minor: Death
nyquillll's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
There were a couple things I was able to guess correctly from the start:
Things I enjoyed:
- Freida does a great job, I think, of building out characters in a way that provokes an emotional reaction to them. In most of her stories, I’m able to get into her characters’ heads and really picture what they’re experiencing - which means I’m more invested in how things end. She also has a habit of gently leading you to believe one thing and then pulling back the curtain - et voila!!
- I was trying like crazy to guess what would happen, and I think I got there a couple times from the heavy hints - but Freida also loves dropping red herrings that I fall for
- The complexity of this story to document
domestic abuse (to the extremes) and the toll it takes on the person who stays - how hard it is to escape - I know it took halfway through the book for the plot to start plotting, but I think it felt genius, because when Part II hits, you begin to question everything you read and how you interpreted it, and I LOVE this feeling
- The ending. I do not condone
murder at all, but the comeuppance felt like the story was fully completed. I’m super curious to see where the second books takes off from, now that we’ve been introduced to this new role Millie can play. I’m really glad Freida chose to haveNina protect Millie, even if she needed cajoling, because it’s true, Millie didn’t deserve to be set up for this just because she had a prison record - Just wow - at one point, I literally said
“I think there’s a plot hole, they never mentioned where the daughter went, she disappeared” AND THEN I LEARNED - The reveal felt like everything. I had to close this book multiple times and just gasp because it felt like a long time coming, but then to finally see how it played out???? Couldn’t have predicted the twist, even though everything felt like it made sense in the story world, especially the smaller reveals in the last few chapters
THE PEANUT BUTTER
Things I didn’t enjoy as much:
- Some of the writing around “foreigners” and accented English - although I think it was played up to reflect the stereotype of rich people being rude? But I was a bit sensitive to this
- Again, comments about
“I deliberately put on weight so I wouldn’t be sexually desirable” - How bratty CeCe was - and it was never really fully explained why she acted this way with people who weren’t her mother
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be reading the rest in the series!
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Bullying, Mental illness, Torture, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Forced institutionalization
Minor: Sexual assault, Classism, and Pregnancy
kotletka_polina's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
The characters are flat and don’t change throughout the whole story. The main plot twist is obvious from the very beginning but happens only in the second half of the book so it’s boring to read the first half which is also repetitive.
Overall it was quick and twisty read but not as good as everyone here says. The twists are entertaining but not mind-blowing and you can guess them pretty much every time. But I enjoyed the ending, interesting how it will progress in the series.
Graphic: Infidelity, Gaslighting, Murder, Violence, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Child abuse
Minor: Blood, Body shaming, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
kendraleigh's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Mental illness
Minor: Drug abuse, Infertility, Murder, Child abuse, Body shaming, Infidelity, Gore, Sexual assault, and Death
cmsmith's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Sexual harassment and Sexual assault
yalipopcultureads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Graphic: Violence, Domestic abuse, and Murder
Minor: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment
readfeelandcherish's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Body horror, Mental illness, Domestic abuse, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Blood, Death, Drug abuse, Rape, and Sexual assault
rachelfayreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Confinement, and Gaslighting
Minor: Sexual assault