Reviews tagging 'Pedophilia'

The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell

79 reviews

peeshpish's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

It was a slow start but once it picks up, it moves fast. The story flows well once the three POVs become more closely intertwined & the connections are more clear. There are many twists & turns along the way, & the story continues to develop until the very last sentence. Libby’s POV is an often needed relief from the heaviness of the other two, much less tense but still moves the story forward. Many characters felt flat or aligned with stereotypes that I’d expect more from a book written earlier than one written in 2019, but I still ended up reading most of the book in one sitting so I was definitely invested.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Murder, Grief, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Domestic abuse, Confinement, and Death

Moderate: Abandonment, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, and Misogyny

Minor: Suicide, Homophobia, Medical content, Sexual harassment, Pregnancy, Infertility, Medical trauma, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, Abortion, Blood, and Pedophilia

Lucy’s chapters are heavy with

sexual assault & domestic violence. She is raped & murders her attacker. If it helps to know, she is not punished for killing him.

The chapters set in the past (labelled “Chelsea, [year]”) contain a lot lf

child abuse, domestic violence, & are where most of the content warnings come into play.

Libby’s chapters are generally safe for content, mostly vague details about the fate & story of the people who lived in the house she inherits.

arose93's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

I liked the concept of this and really enjoyed the middle section but felt it was slow to get going and that the ending was pretty unsatisfactory. 
I also got confused because in my head Birdie was much older than 30! 
I also felt the

queer coding of Henry and his 'streak of evil' disappointing and unnecessary

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Pedophilia

Moderate: Rape

harpera1's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-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

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship

amyparsons's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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

3.75

Was not suspenseful like a thriller, but I enjoyed the twists and turns. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Death, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Pedophilia, Drug use, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, and Physical abuse

Cult depictions

amgarrido's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Abandonment, Death, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Miscarriage, Mental illness, Bullying, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Drug use, and Confinement

Moderate: Suicide, Sexual content, Blood, Sexual assault, Infertility, and Infidelity

sabbcm's review

adventurous dark mysterious reflective fast-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? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Murder, Death of parent, Child abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Torture, Confinement, and Miscarriage

Moderate: Child abuse, Pedophilia, Trafficking, Stalking, Rape, Sexual assault, and Pregnancy

our_bookish_reads's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

3.0

Not amazing, but not awful.
Told in multiple POV, altering timelines.

The story, as far as characters, got muddled and very confusing because there were so many in play during the  parts in the past. I did not see the thing with Michael coming! I liked how it happened and that it did. I feel bad for the kids in the past and present and the hardships growing up, no kid should have to endure any of it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Violence, Child abuse, Body shaming, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Death, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual content, Alcohol, Bullying, Gaslighting, Medical content, Miscarriage, Murder, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Domestic abuse

pops's review against another edition

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Murder, and Confinement

Moderate: Abortion, Sexual assault, Death, Rape, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Miscarriage, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Animal death

brynhayes's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious sad fast-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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Rape, Pedophilia, Abandonment, Abortion, Blood, Child abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Torture, Toxic relationship, Confinement, and Death

ashlyreadsevrythg's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

What a great read. And Holy crap was it a Rollercoaster ride!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Bullying, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, and Sexual assault