Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

The Quarry Girls by Jess Lourey

69 reviews

mschmehl's review

3.0

challenging dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Murder

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence

erinhanso's review against another edition

4.0

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

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Very, very dark, but the story had me hooked and I loved the Minnesota references. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Drug use

Minor: Abandonment

laceyb's review

3.75

dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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I love a thriller that pulls me in - finished this one within about a day. Very dark story and themes. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Sexual assault, Kidnapping

Moderate: Rape

Minor: Abandonment

stewartj0421's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark emotional inspiring sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

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What an outstanding, gut wrenching read from start to finish. There is not a single complaint I have about this book. It presents itself as a thriller novel about kidnap and murder, yet there is an underlying social commentary that is both poignant and shockingly relevant despite the book being set in the 1970. I was touched to my core by this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Murder

Moderate: Drug use, Pedophilia, Rape, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Sexual harassment

Minor: Suicide attempt

raechalws's review against another edition

4.5

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment

Moderate: Bullying, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Misogyny, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail

rosesofthespring's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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: Complicated

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I'm so happy that this was the book I started the new year with.

Jess Lourey writes with an anger that demands answers. Why are men allowed to act with violence in response to the same injuries that women are expected to swallow and smile through? Why are the hopes, futures, and very lives of girls an acceptable loss in the face of men's desires?

"Does that sound like the kind of guy who would abduct a girl?"

If your answer is no, what would it take to change it to a yes?

I didn't grow up in the 70s, when this book is set, but the echoes of a midwest girlhood resound through the decades. Parties you know you shouldn't go to. Friends pressured and stifled simultaneously, growing up way too fast. Men and boys who think you owe them something. This is an absolute powerhouse of fiction.

If I had one genuine criticism of this story, it would be that everything wraps up a little too cleanly. However, given what Lourey has been through in her life -and what she puts the reader through in her book- maybe that's a catharsis we both deserve.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Vomit, Trafficking, Stalking, Gaslighting

Here I'll try to expand on cases where the content is explicit, but does not take up that much page space. With regards to pedophilia:

Adult men are revealed to be coercing underage girls into sexual contact. The youngest girl we see on-page is 16, but there's evidence of girls potentially as young as 12 being in the same situation.

With regards to police brutality:

The top cop in the area is essentially trafficking girls. He's found to be using the authority of the badge to trade sexual favors for expunging juvenile offenses. While this isn't "violent" in the sense of a physical attack, it's certainly sexual brutalization.

goroskiju's review against another edition

4.5

challenging dark emotional medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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I could not put this book down once I started. It was beautifully written and had major creepy vibes. I knew it'd be dark from reading the blurb but it can still be a little shocking to the system. Most of the dark things weren't in super graphic detail but enough for one to understand what was going on and one could find it triggering. Something that made it even creepier is being from the state and even knowing the town this js based in. I will say it becomes obvious who is involved in all the terrible things going on in the book but it was still good. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Mental illness, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder

hollyslibraryholds's review against another edition

4.5

dark emotional sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Abandonment, Sexual harassment

allisonwatkins's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark emotional tense medium-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: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Kidnapping

Moderate: Mental illness

Minor: Rape