Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey

90 reviews

rockyc5's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-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

3.75

Other than that I thought I had better ideas of what to do to solve the problems the characters faced than what they came up with, THIS BOOK IS AWESOME. I think it's fair to say it's totally unique even as books about

clones

multiply. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content

Moderate: Pregnancy, Death, Murder, Toxic relationship, and Infidelity

Minor: Emotional abuse, Death of parent, and Suicide

biobooksbirdsnerd's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective fast-paced

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

4.5

A very entertaining read that once you start is hard to put down. Part dark romance and part sci fi. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Death, Violence, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Gore

Minor: Alcoholism, Abortion, and Alcohol

elya_moss93's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Blood, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Medical content, and Murder

Moderate: Alcoholism, Abortion, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, and Child abuse

Minor: Misogyny and Emotional abuse

jeannette_m's review against another edition

dark 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Murder, and Death

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Domestic abuse, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Child abuse and Suicide

mkgfencer's review

dark emotional tense slow-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

4.0

Be ready for some long digressions about the protagonist’s deep and wide ranging trauma. 

I’ve never hated any book character as much as I hated the antagonist.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Sexual violence

Minor: Vomit and Trafficking

puffinthedog's review

dark emotional reflective sad medium-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

4.5

Speaking as someone who is still unlearning the things I was taught throughout childhood and multiple abusive relationships- The Echo Wife was a heartbreaking novel of how childhood abuse and interpersonal violence strip people of their will and leaves them unsure who is making the choices for them, even in their own heads. If you don’t have a history of psychological abuse, perhaps it can be read as a book questioning the ethics of cloning, and with that framework I can’t tell you how good a story this is if that’s what you’re looking for. I have no idea how plausible the science is that backs the plot. But as someone who identified with Martine this story made me see things in myself that I knew were there and made me look directly at them in broad daylight in a way that, maybe for the first time, allowed me to really feel sad for myself and angry at my own Nathans (and Evelyns). 

I don’t know if this book is a masterpiece in general or just a masterpiece for me, in this moment I’m in. I’m too deep in my own experience that resonates too loudly for me to comment on writing or storyline. I think both of those things were enjoyable and interesting, but the overall experience of this book is the emotion and the characters. I can see this falling flat for someone who just wants a fun sci-fi romp and not a look at how parenting, society, and intimate partner violence shapes people and makes us question how much free will we have and if it’s possible to break the programming in a world that wants us pleasant, submissive, and unquestioning. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Death, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Blood, Child abuse, Medical content, Pregnancy, Slavery, Infidelity, and Violence

Minor: Abortion and Suicide

becksusername's review

dark emotional mysterious sad medium-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Blood, Death, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Murder

heypretty52's review against another edition

challenging dark tense slow-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Murder, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Body horror, and Medical content

Minor: Sexism, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, and Toxic relationship

kaynova's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-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? Yes

4.0

this book was a good time and i was just going along with the ride. i love how morally grey everyone is in the book and the narrator for the audiobook had the perfect voice for evelyn. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Murder, and Infidelity

Moderate: Pregnancy, Domestic abuse, and Child abuse

lilybear3's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

I listened to the audiobook version read by Xe Sands.  I didn't mind her as a narrator, but I had to listen to this book at 1.25x speed because it felt slow and the breaks were quite long.  The premise of this book is really cool and I think executed quite well.  We learn a lot about Evelyn and what in her past has made her the way she is.  I was personally annoyed by her every now and then but I understand the circumstances.  Each time I thought, "where is this story going? there's a decent amount of time left." I was hit with another issue they have to overcome.  It was slow for me a few times but it definitely was interesting.  The ending was alright, but I'm not sure how to make it better.  This isn't something I would've picked up on my own but a co-worker suggested it and I'm glad I gave it a shot.  I could see this becoming a movie.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Blood, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Murder, Violence, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Domestic abuse and Rape