Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

When No One Is Watching by Alyssa Cole

46 reviews

laguerrelewis's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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

5.0

WHEEEEEEW. This book fucked me UP in the best way possible. Thrillers are an excellent medium to work through/depict/teach about the insidiousness of racism, and I’m glad that this trend is being picked up by intelligent and talented creators like Jordan Peele, Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, and now Alyssa Cole. This book keeps you on the farthest edge of your seat, but also manages to inspire and warm your heart with a tale of communal aid and resistance. Cole writes characters and a community that are complex, storied, and palpable, adding to the stress when they are threatened by powers seemingly beyond their control. A read I would recommend for anyone looking for a cathartic, informative, and nervewracking take on gentrificaction.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Grief, Slavery, Sexual content, Death, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Police brutality, Blood, Cultural appropriation, Violence, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Colonisation, Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, Alcohol, Kidnapping, Racism, and Death of parent

madmantha's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative mysterious reflective tense medium-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

One of the best books I’ve ever read, if not THE best. 
Thrilling, anxiety-inducing, emotional and yet hilarious at the same time. 

Can’t wait to suggest this read to others, I loaned it from the library but will definitely be purchasing my own copy. This is something that deserves to be remembered and celebrated for years to come. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Police brutality, Racism, Sexual content, Violence, Classism, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Genocide, Grief, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Stalking, and Torture

Moderate: Abandonment, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Excrement, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Ableism, Blood, Body horror, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, and Medical trauma

Minor: Alcoholism, Blood, Child abuse, Cultural appropriation, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Homophobia, Mental illness, Religious bigotry, Toxic friendship, Trafficking, Vomit, Alcohol, Addiction, Hate crime, Outing, Racial slurs, and Slavery

toorsdenote's review against another edition

mysterious 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

2.0

Picked up a quick thriller, it was meh.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Murder

Moderate: Alcohol, Death of parent, Grief, Hate crime, Slavery, and Violence

Minor: Gun violence, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, and Terminal illness

dayelb_'s review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective 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? No

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, and Mental illness

arthomas's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Classism, Grief, Murder, Drug use, Gun violence, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Colonisation, Death, Slavery, Stalking, Physical abuse, Blood, Body horror, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Mental illness, Hate crime, Emotional abuse, Police brutality, and Racism

jessicanb93's review

adventurous dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Kidnapping, Grief, Mental illness, Gore, and Racism

greatexpectations77's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-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

DAMN. It is amazing how one book can be so tense and mysterious and critical and historical and sexy and twisty and still able to to be easily consumed. I really hope Ms. Cole writes another thriller because I am hooked. I also feel like this book could function as a recommendation for someone who is at the beginning steps of their learning about the harms of gentrification. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Blood, Classism, Death, Bullying, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcohol, Colonisation, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Gaslighting, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Confinement, Death of parent, Gore, Mental illness, Murder, and Violence

Minor: Fire/Fire injury

Particularly important for white folks who have ever moved into an "up-and-coming" area of a city but haven't reflected on what that really means.

cademia's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark reflective tense slow-paced

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

4.25

I was on the edge of my seat the entire time I was reading this—so well written and so chilling

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Racism

Moderate: Mental illness

bookedbymadeline's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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

4.0

The discussions on gentrification and racism were really well done! The beginning was a little slow but it picked up quickly and I didn’t want to put it down.

I loved the characters and the building of paranoia/unreliable narrators! As others have said the ending was rushed and left me a bit deflated but overall a great thriller/mystery 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Medical trauma, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Slavery, and Police brutality

Minor: Drug use

victoria29's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, Violence, Death, Death of parent, and Mental illness