Reviews tagging 'Body shaming'

Into the Water by Paula Hawkins

18 reviews

cassiereadsbooks_'s review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

• 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Fatphobia, Grief, Murder, Chronic illness, Suicide attempt, Cancer, Body shaming, Self harm, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Death of parent, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Kidnapping, and Mental illness

bookedbymadeline's review

This book took the “thrill” out of “thriller” 😅 

There’s wayyy too many POVs (11 different characters PLUS alternating timelines plus a manuscript??). I love switching POVs but this was too much to the point that there’s too many plot points (which apparently not all of them get solved in the end), and I can’t connect with a single person.

This book could use a HEAVY round of edits/cuts to focus on a few things, it tried to do way too much and I simply was not interested. I couldn’t keep up with everyone and the POVs switched too quickly and too often for me to understand any of what was going on.

I loved Girl on the Train, didn’t love or hate Slow Fire Burning, and so after DNFing this I think Hawkins was just a one hit author for me and I won’t read anymore from her 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Death, and Body shaming

Moderate: Fatphobia, Eating disorder, and Toxic relationship

mr_cain's review

dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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

4.75

I only docked .25 of a star because the pacing was so slow in the exposition. I understand she's establishing a whole host of characters and I do appreciate it, but it's a book you have to power through the first part of. 

This book genuinely kept me guessing. I did suspect the real culprit several times, but I waffled often. Hawkins does a great job supplying motive and details for each of the suspects without it feeling like a painfully deliberate red herring. 

Hawkins also makes the characters each their own and her style is distinct for each chapter in a different POV (i.e. Helen, Jules, + Sean's chapters all feel genuine vs. the same style with different names as many POV switching books seem to do). She provides a cast of characters who are complex and feel so real. Not every character is deeply complicated but they all have their own established psyches which I loved. 

I can easily call myself a Paula Hawkins fan after this.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Alcohol, Death of parent, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Cursing, Bullying, Body shaming, Infidelity, Rape, Fatphobia, Adult/minor relationship, Murder, Child abuse, Physical abuse, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Animal death, Animal cruelty, and Blood

Minor: Vomit, Eating disorder, and Chronic illness

rhaselpaq's review

dark mysterious sad 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? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Rape, Murder, Suicide, Adult/minor relationship, and Body shaming

millenialbookworm's review against another edition

emotional tense medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Rape, Sexism, Cursing, Sexual assault, Body shaming, and Bullying

bluejeepbaby's review

mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Death of parent, Death, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Suicide, and Fatphobia

Minor: Animal death, Lesbophobia, Murder, and Animal cruelty

hkhowell's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

I love the format of this book! There were so many characters and they all had their own POV chapters which added to the mystery in a compelling way. I would have liked to read more about the drownings before Lauren/seen their connection a little more obviously. I also would have loved to learn more about the main characters back story - we don't know anything about her before Nel's death. I get why she didn't want to go back to where she grew up but I would have liked to know what all she was leaving behind to do so.

I liked this one way more than the girl on the train. Ultimately the reading experience was more enjoyable than the actual story.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Murder, Rape, Suicide attempt, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, and Emotional abuse

cheye13's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

2.0

I was intrigued by a premise that didn't pay off. I find a lotta mystery/thrillers lean on the drama of people hating each other or simply being terrible for no reason, and that's precisely all this is. Everyone hated each other throughout this book and I have no clue why. The drama of the drowning pool was barely skimmed and the ending was not only unsatisfying, but also pointless. I do like a small town interwoven with drama, and I don't mind unlikeable characters, but as everyone was horrible for seemingly no reason, this was ultimately just an annoyance to read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Death, Murder, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Fatphobia, and Grief

Moderate: Gaslighting, Infidelity, Sexism, Cursing, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Drug use, Eating disorder, and Physical abuse

rape is not depicted on-page, but before and after is extensively detailed; many detailed scenes involve drowning

angelafeng's review

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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: Fatphobia, Misogyny, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Suicide, Murder, Infidelity, Violence, Blood, and Adult/minor relationship

Moderate: Animal death, Fatphobia, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Rape, Cursing, Bullying, Body shaming, and Pedophilia

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Eating disorder, Cancer, and Suicide attempt

satuhurme's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body shaming, Rape, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt