Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell

277 reviews

vikiskiwis's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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

3.75

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

sksumbera's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

lucyroberts's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.75

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

readwithev's review against another edition

Go to review page

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

4.25

This book sucked me in. I love all the clues Libby and Miller find that unlocked pieces of their Chelsea house history. Having three characters’ perspectives was great. It called into question how accurate each characters’ memory is/isn’t. how do they perceive and process their trauma? How does it affect them as adults?
Moreover, I enjoyed Henry’s perspective. He’s an enthralling complicated mix of a traumatized child, suppressed gay man, dark sociopath, self aware yet unapologetic, but also a manipulative narcissist. I feel connected to him, but also disgusted.
I did particularly predict some of the mystery and twists but some of them I didn’t due to the characters’ varying accounts. That is why the book doesn’t get a full 5 stars. Overall, really enjoyed it.
The book ends on a nail biting cliff hanger which I enjoyed but it also left me feeling tense.
I didn’t really enjoy the addition of Libby and Miller’s love story. It was subtle but I thought it was unnecessary. However, I did like that Libby’s adoptive mother had a chaotic lifestyle, and death of her adoptive father left her with anxious tendencies.
Though Lucy gets away with murder, it’s also closure for her. I feel okay with it even though murder is wrong. Her ex was trying to rape her, he was physically and emotionally abusive, and he was a criminal. In a sick way, it’s justice for Lucy and signals the end of her terrible life in France.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

tiff_reads_'s review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

smelliek's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark 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

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

emmaf3's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

Ugh this was so good but I feel like SOMETHING was missing. Could’ve been a 5 though.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

brealoadion's review against another edition

Go to review page

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? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Lisa Jewell has been hit or miss for me so I wasn’t quite sure what I was going to think of this book, but I really liked it! It kept a good pace for me and the three different POVs kept things interesting right off the bat. There were some really surprising twists at the end and it was interesting to learn about halfway through that one of the narrators was unreliable. Only thing that kept this from being five stars is that the very last chapter felt very unfinished and still left a lot to question about the character. Otherwise, another great thriller from Lisa Jewell!
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

fullybookedwithdanielle's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

4.5

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

greatestheights's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark sad tense fast-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

4.0

WHEW. That was unexpected in so many ways — extremely dark and icky and odd, and so beautifully executed!
Expand filter menu Content Warnings