Reviews tagging 'Suicide'

The Survivors by Jane Harper

12 reviews

melissatrew's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense slow-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

3.0

”Unless you want every secret in this place dragged to the surface, I recommend everybody in this room opens their mouths and starts talking.”

Finally got around to reading this one that’s been in my TBR pile forever! The coastal setting and the creepy caves play a big role in the story about a closeknit town torn apart by grief and suspicion after a series of tragedies.

It’s a very slow burning mystery and it took a while for the plot to pick up and get interesting, but it got there eventually. All of the characters did start to bleed together in my mind, though, because none of them really had their own distinct personality. I did appreciate the big reveal at the end; I definitely wouldn’t have predicted the story to go in that direction and didn’t see it coming!

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popsicleplease's review

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-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

4.0


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alessaaa38's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-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

4.25


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thebakerbookworm's review against another edition

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

2.5

I liked this book, in that it gave me an intriguing mystery to listen to while I was driving on my road trip, but I really don't think it'll be one that I remember in the long run. I'm writing this review a few weeks after finishing and already struggling to remember the details.

There are a lot of characters, and it took a while to get familiar with everyone. And the mystery doesn't quite grip you from the start. It's definitely a slow build that never really takes off but I was interested enough to want to know what happened.

I didn't figure out the mystery, but I was disappointed with the end. Let's just say it left much to be desired, and then just abruptly ended after the big reveal.

This was a nice "background" listen—no need to pay attention to every word but keeps you hooked enough to finish the book. The setting may have been the best part.

Thanks to Libro.fm, Macmillan Audio, and the author for my ALC!

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zlad13's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I really enjoyed this. 
It had a bit more social commentary than I was expecting, but I thought it was woven in mostly well. It felt a bit similar to The Dry by the same author.

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emkatsteen's review against another edition

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challenging emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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

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horizonous's review against another edition

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

3.75


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emileereadsbooks's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious 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

4.25

Thanks to Libro.fm, Macmillan Audio, and Netgalley for a complimentary audiobook.

Jane Harper writes character driven mysteries that are slower in pace, which is why it's surprising to me that I keep reading her work, I normally don't like books with a slower pace. But the way she writes about place and emotion and relationships is so engaging and captivating that I cannot stop wondering what she has up her sleeve next. She writes insular communities in such a way that you feel the social dynamics of them so viscerally.

This book intertwines the fallout from a 12 year old tragedy with a recent murder and since this community is so small, of course there is overlap. But how is valid and how much is speculation? And what long buried secrets will come to the surface?

I thought I had the ending to this one figured out about 3 times, but I was not prepared for the gut punch that the ending actually was. 

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ericarobyn's review

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dark mysterious sad medium-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

The Survivors by Jane Harper is a stormy tale, both literally and emotionally.

I adore Jane Harper’s work, but tread lightly here if you have a loved one with dementia or have dealt with unfair blame from parents.

In the prologue, we get a very quick glimpse into something that happened. When we dive into chapter one, it’s not clear whether that was a scene from the past, or if it’s where the story is going to end up. I though that element set the tone of the mystery wonderfully!

Throughout the book, we get glimpses back into the past that gives us more information about a really awful storm that had hit, and the deaths that occurred during that time.

Our main character, Kieran, is back in his hometown with his girlfriend and infant child, helping his mother pack up her home as she is moving into an apartment while his father will be going to a care home because his is struggling with his dementia. But of course, while he went away from home, the guilt he feels when he’s back in town comes on very strong.

I loved the small town vibes, especially one with a huge summer tourist community as that hits home for me. But of course, with small towns, you also have the negative side affects of living in a small population…

While reading, I couldn’t wait to see how everything was going to play out. My heart broke for many of these characters that were all dealing with various struggles.

I will admit that this mystery was a bit predictable at times for me, however, I did not see the overall reveal coming!

My Favorite Passages:
Even as he said the words, a memory Kieran had almost forgotten tumbled off a dusty shelf in his mind. 

He’d been carrying this weight for so many years, he couldn’t imagine what it might feel like to be able to set it down. 

My Final Thoughts:
The Survivors is another really twisted mystery filled with amazing characters from Jane Harper! I highly recommend checking this out!



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chelseasbookshelf2's review

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious slow-paced
  • 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

I was warned by Book of the Month that this was a slow burn, and that was definitely true. This was very slow building, but I really wanted to know what the heck happened all those years ago. 

I felt like we didn't really get to know each character very well. The last 1/3 of the book is where it starts to pick up and you find out more. One thing I was glad about was finding out some of the truth behind the "murder" toward the beginning of the story. The author could have kept the readers believing something about the main character until the very end, but let us in on part of the secret. 

I enjoyed the ending of this and had guessed every single character at one point was responsible for the current death. Everyone had their secrets, and I didn't think the reader got to fully understand them all. I felt like there were many storylines left unfinished and as a reader left me confused. I think this story needed another couple of chapters to wrap it all up. 

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