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bettyjowerthmann's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Jodi Picoult is amazing!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, and Suicide
breezy17's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
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
i am a husk of a human after reading this. this is my first jodi picoult book and was recommended by a close friend. i used to write off jodi picoult bc i equated her work in my mind with the same quality and subject matter of a lifetime movie, which was in retrospect clearly unfair. i blame it on my sister's keeper blowing up in the mid-2000s. regardless, this book was very good, but also very sad, at times hitting a little too close to home for comfort. now i'm going to go read a fluffy romance novel to cope.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Death, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
emma_reads_b00ks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
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? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Death, Grief, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Abortion
jada_ann_12's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Okay, so I’ll make this first part spoiler free for anyone who wants to genuinely know if this book is worth the read. In short: yes. When my friend begged me to read this, I was hesitant. My first thought was Why does the font have to be soooo small? However, when I actually dove in, I found myself begging to know what happened. Did Chris kill Emily? Did Emily kill herself? Was he alive?
I have many trust issues when it comes to books, so I found myself reaching for different theories, but the end shocked me. I didn’t we it coming. We’ll get to that later though.
I loved reading about Chris. While reading the book, you hear a lot from his point of view. During every flashback, I was absolutely entranced with how he spoke of her. I found myself wanting to be Emily, to be the one receiving his adoration and love. He truly put her above everything, which was why the end was so heartbreaking to read. His pain and the things that were happening must have been so hard on him and I was crying for my baby. I found the thoughts of the parents interesting, I liked reading especially about the dynamic between Gus and Michael as they struggled. I didn’t enjoy Melanie or James as much.
Overall, I would recommend this book for sure. It’s a story that you can both connect and cry with. It left me sitting on the edge of my bed. I literally sat there for three hours never putting it down until the end. You will grow attached and be confused up until the end. The ending still left me a little confused. However, this is easily a 5 star read soully for the fact of how it made me feel. The court scenes had me at the edge of my seat, and I just wanted to know everything. Truly heart wrenching.
Okay, time for spoiler!!!
I HATE EMILY GOLD!! The amount of shit that this girl put my boy Chris through was absolutely insane. When she told him that he’d let her kill herself if he loved her I was so infuriated. To put someone you love in that position is absolutely insane. She is insane for that. It also made me so mad the way she led Chris on. She barely loved him like that, I hate that she claimed to. It made me so mad reading her chapters because I just wanted to yell at her to stop and tell the truth— especially about the pregnancy. I was always so confused as to what attachment she had to him. I really just felt so bad for Chris. he deserved so much better, and I just wanted to hold him and tell him it’d be okay.
My heart did break for her with her trauma with the sexual assault when she was so young. I hated that scene and it literally made me sick to my stomach to read. That poor girl didn’t deserve it, and i hated how Chris pushed sex upon her like it was worth more than her being comfortable. For a while there, I was struggling to get over that fact and still like him. I couldn’t stand by his actions when it came to that. It genuinely made me mad enough that I had to put my book down.
However, the ending sealed the deal that he was better in my eyes. He did not deserve that pressure that she put upon him. He just wanted to save and take care of her. I hated that she put him in that position. I was struggling the whole time to read the court scenes because I just wanted him to make it out, and he did!! I was so relieved while I read it aloud to my friend and we celebrated. I was so taken aback by his profession and the fact that she pulled the trigger over his finger.
I also always called the fact that something was going to happen between at least one of the parents, and I really liked the dynamic between Michael and Gus. I struggled for a while with the thoughts of what I would do if I were in the Gold’s perspective, and I still do not know. I guess that is something I’ll always have to ponder.
The ending though— I feel like there was a secret note on it. Before, it was mentioned that they had invisible ink they would write with, and I think something was written on the note that he needed to reveal. I want to know because I am so sure that is the case that I won’t believe anything else told to me. Anyways, I love Chris most of the time and I’m happy he’s okay now!
I have many trust issues when it comes to books, so I found myself reaching for different theories, but the end shocked me. I didn’t we it coming. We’ll get to that later though.
I loved reading about Chris. While reading the book, you hear a lot from his point of view. During every flashback, I was absolutely entranced with how he spoke of her. I found myself wanting to be Emily, to be the one receiving his adoration and love. He truly put her above everything, which was why the end was so heartbreaking to read. His pain and the things that were happening must have been so hard on him and I was crying for my baby. I found the thoughts of the parents interesting, I liked reading especially about the dynamic between Gus and Michael as they struggled. I didn’t enjoy Melanie or James as much.
Overall, I would recommend this book for sure. It’s a story that you can both connect and cry with. It left me sitting on the edge of my bed. I literally sat there for three hours never putting it down until the end. You will grow attached and be confused up until the end. The ending still left me a little confused. However, this is easily a 5 star read soully for the fact of how it made me feel. The court scenes had me at the edge of my seat, and I just wanted to know everything. Truly heart wrenching.
Okay, time for spoiler!!!
I HATE EMILY GOLD!! The amount of shit that this girl put my boy Chris through was absolutely insane. When she told him that he’d let her kill herself if he loved her I was so infuriated. To put someone you love in that position is absolutely insane. She is insane for that. It also made me so mad the way she led Chris on. She barely loved him like that, I hate that she claimed to. It made me so mad reading her chapters because I just wanted to yell at her to stop and tell the truth— especially about the pregnancy. I was always so confused as to what attachment she had to him. I really just felt so bad for Chris. he deserved so much better, and I just wanted to hold him and tell him it’d be okay.
My heart did break for her with her trauma with the sexual assault when she was so young. I hated that scene and it literally made me sick to my stomach to read. That poor girl didn’t deserve it, and i hated how Chris pushed sex upon her like it was worth more than her being comfortable. For a while there, I was struggling to get over that fact and still like him. I couldn’t stand by his actions when it came to that. It genuinely made me mad enough that I had to put my book down.
However, the ending sealed the deal that he was better in my eyes. He did not deserve that pressure that she put upon him. He just wanted to save and take care of her. I hated that she put him in that position. I was struggling the whole time to read the court scenes because I just wanted him to make it out, and he did!! I was so relieved while I read it aloud to my friend and we celebrated. I was so taken aback by his profession and the fact that she pulled the trigger over his finger.
I also always called the fact that something was going to happen between at least one of the parents, and I really liked the dynamic between Michael and Gus. I struggled for a while with the thoughts of what I would do if I were in the Gold’s perspective, and I still do not know. I guess that is something I’ll always have to ponder.
The ending though— I feel like there was a secret note on it. Before, it was mentioned that they had invisible ink they would write with, and I think something was written on the note that he needed to reveal. I want to know because I am so sure that is the case that I won’t believe anything else told to me. Anyways, I love Chris most of the time and I’m happy he’s okay now!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abortion, Blood, Death, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Mental illness, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
juliaathomsonnn's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Gun violence, Murder, Self harm, Suicide, Violence, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Mental illness
Minor: Sexual content
alyssasullivan's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide and Sexual assault
Moderate: Self harm and Death
lets_book's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
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? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicide, Grief, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Pregnancy and Sexual assault
Minor: Abortion, Blood, and Alcohol
bookishaddictions's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is my third book from Picoult, as I finally got around to reading the title @the_female_demian loaned me. This one smacked me emotionally, as any of us could have ended up in this position as a teenager. As Christopher Harte struggles after the death of Emily Gold, he finds himself being publicly blamed for her death. The Golds are grieving, and Chris is finding himself in the middle of an investigation that has to determine whether Emily’s death is murder or suicide. Like My Sister’s Keeper and 19 Minutes, The Pact is a crime drama that follows the characters from the initial event until just after the results of the trial. Each character’s response to Emily’s death is so authentic it hurts. It’s impossible to imagine what we would do in any of their positions, and yet they each hold an echo of our reactions. The Pact will break your heart and play on parents’ deepest fear in Picoult’s distinct style.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Death, Sexual assault, Murder, and Gun violence
Moderate: Rape and Pregnancy
Minor: Abortion
jakirby's review
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Grief, Child death, Mental illness, Murder, Abortion, Death, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
graceheiberger's review
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abortion, Child death, Death, Grief, Mental illness, Murder, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt