Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell

96 reviews

jasminealizae's review against another edition

sad slow-paced

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

1.0

Plot was all over the place, in a bad way. Poorly thought out. 30% of the chapters could have been excluded. Do these authors get paid per page or character count? How can we switch to a POV of a character who is dead, but is being written as if she’s confessing all of her sins from the future? It was very confusing and unjustified. The ending made absolutely no sense whatsoever.

What was the reason for Floyd to have confessed his wrongdoings in a letter to Laurel, then take a train to another town just to kill hisself? Surely, he could have just killed hisself without fleeing to another town. Especially since it’s not like he committed suicide in a different city to prevent Poppy from finding out, because she ends up knowing shortly after the fact. For Noelle to have been so “obsessed” with not only Ellie, but also Floyd and wanting a child with him, it felt very forced to have her kidnap Ellie, hold her hostage, rape and impregnate her with SOMEONE ELSE’S sperm, not even Floyd’s 🤦🏽‍♀️ just to let Ellie die, and not take care of her child. Noelle was written to be this psychopath who is strange, quirky and really obsessive, but it all felt incredibly underdeveloped. As if the author did no research and thought that having Noelle do these weird/quirky things was going to be enough to get that idea across to the readers. It wasn’t. Prime example would be the hamsters.

Everything felt forced to me. The relationships, the character’s flaws, the timelines, the interactions, the abuse/neglect, literally everything. This book really solidified the fact that I hate reading books that have children in them. Poppy is nine-years-old but is written having much too mature vocabulary and conversational skills, and made entirely too aware. The backstories were extremely flat as were the characters. The connection between SJ and Laurel was for what purpose?

Other than for SJ to be the one to “egg” Laurel on to continue looking into the disappearance of Noelle by telling Laurel she saw Noelle’s stomach completely flat when Noelle was allegedly very pregnant. Poppy’s “cousins” and “grandma” storyline’s were unnecessary. The last nail in the coffin for me to officially “one star” this book was Hannah and Theo. Why make Hannah and Theo (Ellie’s boyfriend) become a couple and get married? As if the whole situation isn’t strange enough. Having Ellie get kidnapped, raped and impregnated by Noelle her math tutor, Noelle do all of these terrible things to Ellie just to secure her relationship with Floyd. Floyd date Ellie’s mother Laurel, while also raising Ellie’s daughter as his own despite knowing it’s not his child and how she was conceived. Then just when you think this is complicated enough, why not have the boy Ellie was dating when she died get married to her sister. What?!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Child death, Rape, Sexual content, Animal death, Child abuse, Death of parent, Infertility, Mental illness, Violence, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Pregnancy, Confinement, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Animal cruelty, and Death

lapluie8's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.75

This is the first novel I read by Lisa Jewell and it did not disappoint! I was captivated from the very beginning. I was running scenarios and trying to answer WHO, WHAT, WHERE & WHEN. I rated it a shy of 5 stars just because it started to get predictable in the middle. I do love the POVs of the characters.  However, I’m curious to know the POVs of the others’, like the father, the sister, the brother and the boyfriend.. But overall, I enjoyed  reading it. A page-turner for me! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Infertility, Kidnapping, Stalking, Child death, Grief, Gun violence, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Alcohol, Animal death, Medical content, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Rape

hgyow'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? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Grief, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Child death, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Stalking, Suicide, Torture, and Violence

sharlapeggy's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

3.5

Bit predictable and I realised what was happening as the story went on. I hoped I’d be wrong and there would be a big twist but I was disappointed.  However I did enjoy this and it did keep me wondering what was happening!! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Sexual content, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Car accident, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Rape, Stalking, Death, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Adult/minor relationship, Grief, Infertility, Kidnapping, Murder, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, and Torture

Minor: Car accident

sprinumter's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

This is more than just a 4.5 star review! The read was dark, mysterious, emotional, and thrilling- however there were many points where the story was very predictable (hence the 4.5 not 5) as in I knew what the next plot twist was going to be.  Regardless, it is one of the most interesting stories I’ve read in a while and very much enjoyed how fast paced and easily digestible the content was.  Poppy is my favorite character of them all and I enjoyed the multiple viewpoints from the various characters.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Child death, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Sexual content, Stalking, Toxic relationship, Torture, and Violence

_youfloweryoufeast_'s review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

4 ⭐️ 
 
Genre: Thriller 
Age group : Adult
POV : First person & third person & multiple POV
Characters: 4.5/5 ⭐️
Plot: 3.5/5 ⭐️
Setting/Themes: 3/5 ⭐️
Writing: 3.5/5 ⭐️
Thrill factor: 3/5 ⭐️

• Please check TWs & CWs
• mature language, kidnapping, drugging, torture, starvation, chile abuse, forced pregnancy, violence, murder, death, loss of a loved one, gore, suicide, guns
• HEA (as happy is it could get after a horribly heartbreaking traumatising event)

“To anyone who finds this note [it begins], my name is Ellie Mack.

I am seventeen. None of them must feel bad about what happened to me because I am brave and I am brilliant and I am strong.

Yours sincerely,
Ellie Mack”


Let me start by saying this was quite great. I will say that it’s extremely triggering and would advice everyone to search up thorough trigger warnings before venturing into this book. It was a good thriller and the way the story unfolded to readers before it did to characters in the book was good. I’m assuming it’s a deliberate play of the author’s. I liked it. The author references the kidnapping of Colleen Stan but this reminded me of the Fritzl case. Truly horrifying.


Then She Was Gone is the heartbreaking story of a family dealing with grief, the devastating story of a mother who lost her golden child, the terrifying story of how sick lengths some individuals will go to appease themselves and a keep someone tied to them, the story of a mentally bothered man who was nothing but a child to hold on to and the dark secrets he buries, ultimately it’s a story of gore, grief and the audacity. (I mean this in the meanest way possible, sick sick Noelle,SICK SICK Floyd)

Overall, I recommend. If you’re looking for a great thriller, give this one a try. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Child death, Child abuse, Physical abuse, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Murder, Suicide, Death, and Violence

selenat's review against another edition

challenging dark sad slow-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

4.0

 A really good thriller that had me hoping things would work out for Ellie and that she would find a way out. I enjoyed the multiple POVs and the alternating timelines. Will be seeking out more from Lisa Jewell. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Kidnapping, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Pregnancy, Stalking, Physical abuse, Death, Child death, and Child abuse

Minor: Mental illness, Animal death, Rape, and Miscarriage

_terah_hansen_'s review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

1.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Medical trauma, Confinement, Murder, Body horror, Child abuse, Kidnapping, Violence, Physical abuse, Rape, and Stalking

otbhazz's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Loveable characters? No

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Kidnapping, Grief, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, and Torture

autumnwhite's review against another edition

emotional mysterious slow-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Torture, Kidnapping, Cursing, Drug use, Alcohol, Animal death, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Physical abuse, and Pregnancy