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akoyareads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This book didn’t read like a thriller, there was no thrill or suspense, just sadness and desperation for answers. I think that the plot being predictable was intentional. that Everyone told their side of events connecting all the pieces like a lifetime movie.
This book was so devastating I almost cried at the end when I read Ellie’s letter, because she was never given a chance.I had so much hope that she would return to her family even after her remains were found.
But Laurel was a horrible mother and her apology to Hanna felt so so shallow because we knew it truly meant nothing. She still thought that it should’ve been her that was taken, she still thought that Hanna wasn’t as beautiful as Ellie. And even tho I pity Hanna for having such a horrid mother I think dating my missing little sister’s bf is a bit trashy. One great lesson that needs to be learned is that there aren’t just horrible men out there, but women too. Women that will do vile things for the validation of men, those are the women you stay away from because they will go to the earths end for a crumb of
male validation.
There was no silver lining to the book just poppy being passed around from one sad shell to the next, and then both trauma dumping on her. You don’t tell her the actual truth about her mother but u tell her that the man that’s been raising her for all those years took his life because of guilt? That didn’t make sense to me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Death, Mental illness, Miscarriage, and Murder
kmthorson2's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- 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? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Child abuse
Moderate: Death of parent, Torture, Death, Dementia, Violence, Trafficking, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Medical content, Kidnapping, Gun violence, Stalking, Sexual assault, Slavery, Miscarriage, Grief, Eating disorder, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Murder, Animal death, Self harm, Rape, and Domestic abuse
dr_aebsouza's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
4.75
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I wasn't sure at first how much of a thriller it would be. But it turned out to be quite the roller coaster ride.
I enjoyed that the who-dunnit aspect didn't turn out the way I'd expected and (without spoiling it) flipped the stereotype on it's head.
I love the then/now perspectives and the way the story is told from multiple points of view.
Lisa Jewell is a terrific writer who comes up with chillingly good plots. This book is no exception.
⭐4.75
I enjoyed that the who-dunnit aspect didn't turn out the way I'd expected and (without spoiling it) flipped the stereotype on it's head.
I love the then/now perspectives and the way the story is told from multiple points of view.
Lisa Jewell is a terrific writer who comes up with chillingly good plots. This book is no exception.
⭐4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Confinement, Child death, Infertility, Emotional abuse, and Murder
Minor: Rape, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, and Stalking
kellic13's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
Did not like the story idea. Writing was fine.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Kidnapping
emmaklieve's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, and Miscarriage
Minor: Rape, Animal death, and Child death
rebeccalhampton16's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy and Medical trauma
Moderate: Kidnapping, Stalking, Sexual content, Confinement, Rape, and Murder
niclantsov's review against another edition
dark
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
1.0
If I, by any chance, saw this book on a thrift store and pick this up without seeing the blurb and read it blindly, I would consider this as a second-chance adult contemporary romance. I kid you not, the first 50/60% of this book felt like some episode on Gilmore Girls. A single mother, still grieving her daughter that went missing 10 years ago met a single dad in a cafe (mhMmMHMMM romantic! but it's not a romance book!!! I didn't come for that!) and the story follows their romantic journey henceforth. Not only that, the mother also meddling on her other daughter love life. Rory and Lorelai-Luke much? And the fact that the mother's name is Lauren, get it, Lauren Lorelai, at a glance they're literally the same name.
If you are looking for a mystery book with a grandeur plot twist, then sadly this book is not for you. You actually could put the two and two together on the 15% mark.
Every trope that I hated literally sitting cozily in this book:
-Witty, smart kid, who retorts smart remarks and give relationship advice to adults, she's nine ffs.
-Unlikable main character, as you know the MC of this book is the Grieving Mother (Lauren). She literally said this after her other daughter told her that she's starving because The Mother's been too focusing on her recent missing daughter, in result neglecting her other obligations. "It should be you missing and Ellie eating beans on toast"Praying that my mother will never act like her.
-The writing is not my cup of tea, it's too one dimensional, I have 0 sympathy towards any of the characters.
I'm going to talk about the Grieving Mother here: Lauren never moved on from her missing daughter, her mind is literally a decade behind her body. That's the only thing she thinks about. And by doing that she neglected all of her other children and husband, and when her husband seem to have moved on about Ellie (the missing daughter) and started feeling happy again, Lauren hated that (she clearly don't want to be miserable alone), resulting in their divorce. Same goes with her children, they left her. I get that Lauren lost her daughter, and the author clearly wanted Lauren to act like how a mother would act losing their child, but it was written poorly, and it resulted to an unlikable character.
This is my first Lisa Jewell book, and I was disappointed. Would I read her other works? Yes.
If you are looking for a mystery book with a grandeur plot twist, then sadly this book is not for you. You actually could put the two and two together on the 15% mark.
Every trope that I hated literally sitting cozily in this book:
-Witty, smart kid, who retorts smart remarks and give relationship advice to adults, she's nine ffs.
-Unlikable main character, as you know the MC of this book is the Grieving Mother (Lauren). She literally said this after her other daughter told her that she's starving because The Mother's been too focusing on her recent missing daughter, in result neglecting her other obligations. "It should be you missing and Ellie eating beans on toast"Praying that my mother will never act like her.
-The writing is not my cup of tea, it's too one dimensional, I have 0 sympathy towards any of the characters.
I'm going to talk about the Grieving Mother here: Lauren never moved on from her missing daughter, her mind is literally a decade behind her body. That's the only thing she thinks about. And by doing that she neglected all of her other children and husband, and when her husband seem to have moved on about Ellie (the missing daughter) and started feeling happy again, Lauren hated that (she clearly don't want to be miserable alone), resulting in their divorce. Same goes with her children, they left her. I get that Lauren lost her daughter, and the author clearly wanted Lauren to act like how a mother would act losing their child, but it was written poorly, and it resulted to an unlikable character.
This is my first Lisa Jewell book, and I was disappointed. Would I read her other works? Yes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Murder, and Suicide
sierrabowers's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This was a great read that told a chilling story. I did predict the ending, but I thought it was still a great book. I was sad for Elle the entire book and found myself gasping when I found out all of the things that happened to her.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Miscarriage, Cursing, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Infertility, Pregnancy, Suicide, Grief, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Animal death, Child abuse, Mental illness, Rape, Blood, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Stalking, Violence, Child death, Sexual assault, Murder, Death, Emotional abuse, Suicide attempt, and Trafficking
amberv92's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
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? No
4.5
I give ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Ellie is young, vibrant, funny and the golden girl of her family. She is a genius when it comes to numbers just not knowing when her number is up. One day Ellie leaves home says bye to her mom just like every day before but this time she doesn’t come home. 10 years later Ellie’s mother Laurel is still trying to find closure unfortunately she gets some closure when bones are found and they prove to be Ellie. Laurel decides to find life again and jumps right into falling in love with a man she just met. This man has a daughter named Poppy Laurel feels an odd connection but she will never be ready for the connection that is confessed to her by the man she quickly falls in love with.
This is definitely a must read when you think you have it figured out another mystery is thrown at you. I knocked one star only because this is a book that resembles many other plots. The author Lisa Jewell definitely has plots that set her books apart from many others. She uses many real world situations where other books you see the characters getting into out of this earth situations that just don’t help you picture the story. This book is a definite TBR for you if you love romance mixed with suspense.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Rape, Death, Medical content, Child abuse, Grief, Infertility, Miscarriage, Child death, Emotional abuse, and Body horror
cursiveknight's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Kidnapping, Child abuse, and Pregnancy
A very dark murder mystery and then some. The characters were all well fleshed out, flawed, realistic yet likeable.