Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

Summer's Edge by Dana Mele

7 reviews

slimepuppy's review against another edition

dark mysterious fast-paced

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

4.5

This story starts like a typical "I Know What You Did Last Summer" murder mystery with all of its cliches and suspects... and then the first POV shifts happens, and the real fun begins. Even if I expected some of the twists, this book still caught me off guard a couple of times, and I think the final Emily chapter  delivers a brilliant closure - without it, I would have been sorely disappointed, but as it is I think the ending is beautiful, sad and haunting.

The characters are all extremely flawed, but I was still able to relate to their anguish - it definitely helps that all of them feel and sound very young, and that the dialogue is well written and the setting well established.

The only reason I can't give this book a 5 star rating is because the different narrators did sound a little same-y. I think Chelsea and Kennedy were different enough, but Emily was way too similar to both of their voices, and I was craving some change by that point in the book. Emily came across very differently when seen through Kennedy's eyes, and I wish her POV carried more of her earlier portrayal.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Medical trauma

throwback682's review against another edition

2.5

I found this book really confusing and not very intriguing. I kept hoping the twist would be worth it but meh. I should’ve DNF’d  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Bullying and Blood

Minor: Animal death, Sexual content, and Suicide attempt

agiraffe95's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Mental illness, and Grief

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Violence, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Toxic friendship

hollyk's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

My brain is spinning, I'm shook to the core, there's not a hero and a villain so much as a group of flawed individuals. Absolutely riveting, jaw dropping, twisty, turny, and hard to put down.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Infidelity, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, and Murder

Minor: Homophobia, Sexual content, Vomit, and Classism

simplyammee's review against another edition

sad tense medium-paced

• 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

3.0

The idea is good but unoriginal and this definitely isn't a great, fresh spin on it. The writing itself isn't bad, the twists are probably good if you don't pick up on the obvious hint in the blurb. It wasn’t so in my face obvious that I hated reading it, but it felt like the blurb spoiled any chance I had at actually being surprised. 

The "Haunting of Hill House" bit in the blurb is a bit too on the nose that it makes everything kind of obvious...

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Moderate: Animal death, Mental illness, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Vomit

_courtney's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad 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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body horror, Death, Mental illness, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Animal death, Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, and Alcohol

bookedandbusy's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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

5.0

This book was incredible! So spooky and suspenseful and that plot twist was wild! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Confinement, Death, Infidelity, Mental illness, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts

Kennedy sees ghosts and their descriptions can be upsetting to some

drowning is mentioned several times

Emily drugs everyone with Chelsea’s sleeping pills, she puts them in the wine, it’s also implied something was put in a bottle of wine Emily almost drank.