Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

Flock by Kate Stewart

17 reviews

crinkledmochi's review against another edition

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

3.0

This book is one huge white savior complex…. 

All the men in this book are just huge red flags walking. The main character is 19 for majority of the book very young compared to the men she’s dating/interacting with. Again she is of ‘legal’ age but it’s still very weird. Plus there’s also a relationship hinted between these two side characters that is also on the creepy side as well because they grew up seeing this person. 

I feel like the characters in this book try to be woke so bad and just completely miss the mark, and not only is the main character kinda prejudice it just contradicts the whole story’s forced narrative.  The men don’t tell her anything and she follows along like a lost puppy (the irony…). The ending was also lackluster in my opinion and I knew from the beginning what direction this would probably go and the execution was not good. 

One thing however that I found like-able was the writing style, it felt real and the emotions the characters expressed you could definitely feel from the pages. I definitely feel like the characters in the book could be real life people, everything felt realistic to an extent like people just suck. I wasn’t too sure going into the book if the writing was going to be any good since a lot of booktok recommendations have some of the most illiterate pieces of work I’ve ever read. I was pleasantly surprised. 


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itoriseva's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


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unsuccessfulbookclub's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious 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? Yes

2.0

You’re probably looking for a plot synopsis because the blurb on this book does not give what it is supposed to give. Here you go: 

Cecelia Horner is an 18 (almost 19) year old woman who has been forced to move in with her very wealthy father who owns a factory in Triple Falls North Carolina for a year before she can claim her inheritance.

She meets Sean Roberts her first day at work at her father’s factory. Then she meets Dominic King and things get interesting. Sean and Dominic are hiding a lot of things from everyone except for their very close group of friends who all have the same tattoo of a Raven. There are also lots of classic cars, hiking and parties.

This is a coming of age/sexual awakening story set in a small town with an anti-establishment twist. 

The main characters are all kind of terrible and a little stupid. There is a lot of explicit sex and it’s well done, but the relationships are super toxic, there is a lot of lying and some scenes could be triggering if you have issues with emotional abuse or gaslighting.

There is not an HEA or an HFN so it’s technically not a romance. But that’s what this book is about. Hope this is helpful! 

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bryelle's review

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dark emotional mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I read this book in a day. I loved the characters so much. Cecelia has to go live with her day to be able to get her inheritance and help her mom. She meets Sean the first day and they become inseparable. Cecelia has tension with Sean’s roommate, but Sean is okay with being poly. Cecelia grows to have a relationship with Sean and Dominic. But there is more to the story than just the love story. 

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bookbeejoy's review

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dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

"Flock" is part of The Ravenhood Series but this review is only for book one.

LIKED: I became involved early on and was always eager to see the character's relationships develop together.

IFFY: I think the author was trying hard to keep us in the dark about The Ravenhood in order to set up answers later in the next book. So the suspense was definitely high, but I wanted some answers, even a bite. And when the MC did get some scraps, they came suddenly and did flow strangely into the story.

DID NOT LIKE: The plot is barely minimal. Important seeds are definitely planted for the next book, but the first book is heavily skewed toward the characters, their actions, and their dialogue with each other.

Right now I'm adding the next book "Exodus" to my TBR but it is currently available. I want to continue Cecelia's story, but the end of the book took a turn, and I found myself not wanting to dive right into the next. I think I will enjoy the rest of the story more if I digest the relationships a bit and take a break.

I gave the book 3.75 stars because I could feel like I was being set up for book two as I read. Series are definitely some of my favorites, but I want each book to be a gem within the collection. 

 
I felt like the end of the book was a bit rushed, but had to say so in spoilers because it involves when Sean and Dom "betray" Cecelia and she thinks they have played her. I could see where the author was going with this, but I felt like it was done poorly. The scene was confusingly written, which may have been to convey Cecelia's emotion, but it did not work well. Afterward, when Sean and Dom each tell/show Cecelia that they did not mean they were using her and were pretending is also so, so rushed. It is at odds with what was such a slow-paced book so far. This was one of the only plot twists in the book and although not totally originally was not bad, so I was disappointed more time was not taken with this.

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roseamillerg's review

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense
  • 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

3.0


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amye's review against another edition

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dark funny mysterious reflective tense fast-paced
  • 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


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