Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

Good Neighbors by Sarah Langan

45 reviews

kaylasoos's review

challenging dark tense fast-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Child death

Moderate: Child abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Pregnancy

Minor: Animal death

becca_thegrimreader's review

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

2.75

It may be the dream to live in a nice house in the suburbs for many people out there. Well, for me, after reading this book, I would run a million miles away. 

Maple Street, the picture-perfect suburb in Long Island, is nothing as sweet as its title. Here, families are loving, with children who grow up with the potential for greatness, and parents who push them every step of the way there. With the recent addition of the Wilde family, the balance is offset. Arlo Wilde is a former rock star, Gertie is a beauty pageant queen, Julia is wild, and Larry is seen as an outsider. Then comes the night when a sinkhole opens in their park, and a girl from the neighbourhood falls in. And the mother accuses Arlo Wilde of something deeply sinister. 

This was an enjoyable book with a lot of twists and turns along the way. It took me a while to understand why it was set in 2027 and 2040 but knowing that global warming and the damage we have done to the environment are why. The author discusses the effect we have had on our planet, and that in 2027 we are finally seeing the results. If you want to know, read the book, it’s not a pretty future ahead of us. I thought this was an interesting choice, and I’m glad that the stark reality of our future is shown, but I wish it had been more clear from the start. 

The story itself is shocking. What appears to be an accident turns into a widespread hate campaign with an angry mob. Through the spread of gossip and false stories, we see the disastrous consequences of peoples’ lives being ruined forever. The residents of Maple Street lose all sense of sanity, and even in excerpts from the future, many remain adamant they did the right thing. 

A good book, but one that didn’t have me sitting on the edge of my seat. We are told at the beginning that there is a murder, and for fans of thrillers, it is a little predictable. The narrative changes between characters, and while this is well done, there were characters who I felt lacked depth due to little time in their mindset. Some had difficult and upsetting backgrounds, and though discussed, were left in the background. I think that if this had been explored more we would have gotten a better sense of the character, what made them who they are today.
I received this book from Titan Books and Netgalley. My review is unbiased and completely honest. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Child abuse, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, and Pregnancy

valerie's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction and Suicide

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, and Sexual assault

Minor: Xenophobia

valeriasshelf's review

challenging dark 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Child abuse, and Child death

Moderate: Blood, Mental illness, Murder, and Pedophilia

Minor: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Self harm, Terminal illness, and Toxic friendship

jennivardier's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Grief, Gun violence, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicide, and Violence

tofufun's review

dark 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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Alcoholism, Animal death, Mental illness, and Physical abuse

jourdanicus's review

challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Suicide, and Murder

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Violence, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Animal death, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Pregnancy, and Pedophilia

Minor: Medical content, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual violence, and Rape

imstephtacular's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug use, Grief, Gun violence, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Suicide, Violence, and Mass/school shootings

Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Chronic illness

pamshenanigans's review

emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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"Welcome to Maple Street, a picture-perfect slice of suburban Long Island, its residents bound by its children, their work, and their illusion of safety in a rapidly changing world.

But menace skulks beneath the surface of this exclusive enclave, making its residents prone to outrage. When the Wilde family moves in, they trigger their neighbor's worst fears."

Good Neighbors is in my 2021 most anticipated releases and I'm glad I was not disappointed at all. I think what I love the most about this book is that there was a good balance of mystery and family drama that was able to reel me in and keep me interested.

The story revolves around this suburban town of middle-class families that are "too good" for their new neighbors, the Wilde family. Just because the Wilde family doesn't fit their cookie-cutter standard of what a Maple Street family looks like, almost everyone condemned and ostracized the family and threw baseless and horrendous accusations hidden under a mask of pretense and ugliness.

Things turn even more ugly when the Queen Bee's daughter accidentally fell down the town's sinkhole. There was an extremely frustrating clash between protecting your family, your sanity, and your public image in the middle of the court of public opinion where everyone keeps a watchful and judgmental eye on you.

The power of destruction that filtered and inaccurate gossip has is such a pertinent and recurring theme in this book. And you'll have to get ready to be ENRAGED and FRUSTRATED and ANNOYED by almost every character in this book. Some had redeeming character developments, but some you'll just hate more and more.

I think the only thing that was missing for me is how the resolution on the child abuse part wasn't given enough justice. I just wished it was more IN YOUR FACE that that character WRONGFULLY accused an innocent family.

But I think the beauty of the last few chapters is that no matter how IN YOUR FACE the facts were, there will always be people defending the offender, which was prevalent in the newspaper snippets and book excerpts that were included in the story.

Trigger/Content Warnings: child abuse, ableism, homophobia, wrongful accusation of rape/molestation, physical assault, mentions of rape, mentions of pedophilia, death

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Child death

Moderate: Ableism and Physical abuse

strickortreat's review

challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I’m a little stunned after finishing this book. What a wild combo of “I can barely stand to read this” and “I can’t possibly put it down.”

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Mental illness, Murder, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Addiction, Death of parent, Rape, Sexual violence, and Violence

Minor: Animal death, Blood, Chronic illness, Drug use, and Excrement