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gaby_readsss's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
While I was reading this book, I kept waiting for a revelation that Ellie was still alive. I figured out by page 80 that she was Poppy’s mother but I had no idea how twisted everything was. Learning what led to it was terrible and heartbreaking. I felt like I was reading a true crime story because of how upsetting everything was. Since there are different pov’s, I kept saying “please notice” or “please mention this because it could change everything”. One part that hurt me was when Ellie kept pounding on the window and the walls but nobody heard her. It was so frustrating. I hated Donnelly so much for what she did to Ellie. She was mentally ill.
Yes, there was some predictability to this book but the plot was so well executed that it didn’t make reading it feel like a boring task. I enjoyed unveiling all the parts of this mystery.
I thought that Floyd would be much worse. I was expecting for an ultimate twist in his reveal, but it felt like I already knew what he did. I don’t think he should have died. What he did was terrible but Donnelly deserved that and more.
I was so sad to learn Ellie’s actually dead. I know early on we find out that her remains were found, but deep down I still had hope for her. :(
It was heartbreaking that Poppy lost her mom and Laurel lost her daughter. But I did like how Poppy is giving Laurel a second chance at being a mom after she lost Ellie. The ending is so bittersweet.
Overall, I give this a 3.5/5 rating.
Graphic: Child abuse, Kidnapping, Stalking, Death, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Murder, Sexual harassment, and Suicide
mftraveller3500's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Pregnancy, Grief, Child abuse, and Confinement
Moderate: Miscarriage and Suicide
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
rowlandreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Quick read with a painful ending.
Moderate: Pregnancy, Child death, Miscarriage, Murder, Suicide, and Child abuse
aas's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Child death, Confinement, Animal death, Child abuse, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Death, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Grief, Infertility, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Self harm, Suicide, Sexual assault, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence
melaniel's review against another edition
4.25
Minor: Miscarriage and Suicide
teeclecticreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
• It was easy to figure out the mystery behind Ellie’s disappearance. I even have a sticky note that I put in the book just to go back to it and prove myself right. Though I must say, the finer details did have me feeling very uncomfortable and kinda sick to my stomach. That’s superb writing right there, because some people in this world are actually that sick and twisted.
• Why was American English being used in a book set in the United Kingdom?? That was such a pet peeve for me as someone who uses British English. If they’re in England, it should be ‘humour’ not ‘humor’.
•
• I hate ending. I really do
I just overall was not a fan of this. Disappointed
Graphic: Abortion, Kidnapping, Death, Murder, Pregnancy, Death of parent, Child abuse, Torture, Stalking, Sexual assault, Miscarriage, Infertility, Grief, and Emotional abuse
kurumipanda's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Kidnapping, Confinement, Pregnancy, and Child abuse
Moderate: Death, Suicide, Death of parent, Grief, Animal death, and Miscarriage
Minor: Sexual assault
clara_017's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Child death, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Stalking, Child abuse, and Miscarriage
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Animal death, Infertility, Suicide, Murder, and Terminal illness
sarahbryant717's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Ellie Mack seemed to have the perfect life. She was the apple of her mom Laurie’s eye. Smart and beautiful, Ellie had the entire world ahead of her. Then one day, shortly before her school exams, she disappeared. The police chalked Ellie’s disappearance up as a runaway teenager, but Laurie knew her daughter and she knew that Ellie wouldn’t have just ran away without a word to anyone.
Years later, a chance encounter at a coffee shop causes Laurie to meet Floyd, a single father of two daughters. After years of heartache, Laurie is finally open to the idea of love and embraces the idea of being a mother figure to Floyd’s younger daughter, Poppy, a precocious preteen girl whose own mother abandoned her years before. Laurie’s vision of a perfect blended family is shattered when she meets Poppy, who looks just like Ellie. This meeting causes Laurie to wonder if meeting Floyd and Poppy was a coincidence or is there a sinister connection to Ellie’s disappearance
Graphic: Confinement, Grief, Kidnapping, and Death
Moderate: Animal death and Animal cruelty
Minor: Murder, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, and Suicide
cathryn_h_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Kidnapping and Drug use
Moderate: Miscarriage and Pregnancy
Minor: Child death