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lou_o_donnell'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
4.0
Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Cancer, Car accident, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Murder, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, and Sexual violence
lolabelle22's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Blood, Car accident, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, Murder, and Rape
rebeccahensley's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Rape, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Stalking, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Blood, Bullying, Cancer, Car accident, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Grief, Gore, Mental illness, Murder, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Torture, and Violence
casuallyreadingx's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Violence, Car accident, Death, and Death of parent
elliesberrie's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Rape, Violence, Terminal illness, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Emotional abuse, Death, Death of parent, Child death, Car accident, Cancer, and Bullying
zoejoanne's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
4.0
Graphic: Rape and Sexual assault
Moderate: Cancer, Death of parent, and Car accident
bookmaddie's review against another edition
- 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
3.0
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Rape, and Murder
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Car accident
ksalquida's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Bullying and Rape
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Sexual violence, and Sexual assault
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Car accident, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, and Terminal illness
becksreadsbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Bullying, Car accident, Murder, and Death of parent
Moderate: Child abuse, Alcoholism, Cancer, and Panic attacks/disorders
thatsssorachael's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
I did like that it handled the issue of rape with tenderness and respect. The author wasn't gratuitous in her descriptions, and she respected the survivors enough not to make them "just the rape victim". I thought the verdict in the Kelly Moore timeline was realistic (not going to say much more because spoilers, but I have more thoughts.) I also found Hannah's timeline intriguing, although a little disjointed and hard to get a read on who she actually is beyond a grieving sister.
Now the negatives. I really, really did not like Rachel. She was SO BLAND, and I found her grating on my nerves. How did this woman solve 3 crimes? Why did everyone feel open to talking with her, when she had zero personality? On top of that, I thought the podcast aspect did not work. It's not going to age well, and I think in even a few years that will seem dated. The podcast aspect was pure filler, didn't add anything to the story, and just made me dislike Rachel even more.
I found the writing to be stilted in parts, and the dialogue to be very clunky throughout. It took me out of the story several times. I also have a pet peeve where the author sets the story in America but uses british/aussie slang or terms. That happened a few times (car park, called vs named, etc) and I found it to be bordering on sloppy editing. On top of that, there were 2 or 3 times where an entire sentence is printed twice in different places. Not sure if that was just my copy, but that also caused the flow to become disrupted to me.
At the end of the day, it was a slow paced, mildly predictable, entry level thriller around rape culture. Some parts felt like Rape Culture 101, but maybe that's needed for some people. I didn't hate it, but I don't think I'd recommend this one.
Graphic: Rape, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Cancer
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Alcoholism, Car accident, and Addiction