Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell

18 reviews

sylvestra's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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? Yes

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Confinement

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Miscarriage, Alcohol, Drug use, and Murder

batcaves'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? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Confinement, Adult/minor relationship, Abortion, Alcoholism, Abandonment, Animal death, Rape, Pregnancy, Death of parent, Infertility, Child abuse, Death, Miscarriage, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Infidelity, Murder, Sexual assault, Violence, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, and Chronic illness

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.

jaydub0221's review against another edition

adventurous 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Terminal illness, Chronic illness, Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, Murder, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Rape, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, and Death

Minor: Alcohol, Animal death, Deportation, and Homophobia

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

galexy_brain's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

I definitely enjoyed my time reading this book. I found some of the twists surprising ,

but for the most part, the outcomes were as expected. I enjoyed the tripartite narration where the three main "siblings'" stories/perspectives were told in short, alternating chapters, and the discovery that Henry turned out to be an unreliable narrator. Though the ending didn't come as a shock, I was satisfied with how each mystery was uncovered and the coziness of the family reunion. Henry's closing chapter certainly left some things to mull over after the book was done.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Confinement, Death of parent, Death, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, and Physical abuse

Minor: Homophobia, Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cancer, Car accident, Chronic illness, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Murder, Pregnancy, Suicide, and Toxic friendship

travelthrupages's review against another edition

dark 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Bullying, Child abuse, and Confinement

Moderate: Blood, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexual content, and Vomit

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Animal death, and Rape

kelseyr713's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

Loved this twisty thriller. Not many loose threads left at the end, but enough for a final twist of the knife. I made a few predictions while reading and none of them were correct! I would be curious about a sequel, I think there’s certainly enough here for one.

Reread in 2022 before reading the sequel, yay!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Pregnancy, Infidelity, Abandonment, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Child abuse, Miscarriage, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Kidnapping, Murder, Drug use, Stalking, Medical content, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, Blood, and Physical abuse

Minor: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Homophobia