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mollywz's review
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Easy to read. A lot of filler. Page 307 onwards was really good.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Drug use, Medical content, Toxic friendship, and Medical trauma
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
kfawcett's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, and Rape
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, and Kidnapping
Minor: Sexual harassment
klpage's review
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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? It's complicated
3.0
This wasn’t what I expected. It was a book with more than one plot to follow. Lots of dark topics relating to children I wasn’t expecting and the ending was a bit abrupt I was hoping for a little more explanation.
It was okay overall but I’ve read better thrillers in my opinion.
It was okay overall but I’ve read better thrillers in my opinion.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child death, Pedophilia, Emotional abuse, Death, and Drug abuse
velsbooknook's review
dark
mysterious
tense
4.5
This is the second novel by Harriet Tyce and also the second book I read by the author. Just like Blood Orange it is a slow and character driven thriller. Her books are very unique and I read no other thriller like this before and I'm sure it is not for everyone but I absolutely love her books!
We follow Sadie who just moved back from the US to the UK and started to work as a barrister again. You'll spend a lot of time reading about Sadie's daily life. Spending time with her daughter Robin and getting to know the other moms from Robin's school. Sadie is trying to fit into the "elite mom life" but she is having a very hard time. Tyce did an amazing job with creating a very tense atmosphere. Julia, one of the other moms, was so unlikeable and obsessed with her daughter being the best student in her class she totally lost grip of reality and I really just wanted to punch her.
Besides following Sadie's daily life as a mom we also get so see her at work as a barrister. She is currently working on a case were a teacher is accused of having a relationship with one of his students. Since the author is a barrister in real life I found it very interesting to follow this court case, hearing both sides of the story and seeing this case get resolved in the end.
Both parts of the story get darker the more we progress within the story. I enjoyed this book a lot and I had a hard time putting it down. If you liked Blood Orange I think you would also enjoy this one a lot!
We follow Sadie who just moved back from the US to the UK and started to work as a barrister again. You'll spend a lot of time reading about Sadie's daily life. Spending time with her daughter Robin and getting to know the other moms from Robin's school. Sadie is trying to fit into the "elite mom life" but she is having a very hard time. Tyce did an amazing job with creating a very tense atmosphere. Julia, one of the other moms, was so unlikeable and obsessed with her daughter being the best student in her class she totally lost grip of reality and I really just wanted to punch her.
Besides following Sadie's daily life as a mom we also get so see her at work as a barrister. She is currently working on a case were a teacher is accused of having a relationship with one of his students. Since the author is a barrister in real life I found it very interesting to follow this court case, hearing both sides of the story and seeing this case get resolved in the end.
Both parts of the story get darker the more we progress within the story. I enjoyed this book a lot and I had a hard time putting it down. If you liked Blood Orange I think you would also enjoy this one a lot!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Bullying, Kidnapping, and Child abuse
onemorepagecrew's review
mysterious
medium-paced
3.5
In this novel we meet Sadie and her daughter, Robin, who have just moved from the US to Sadie’s childhood home in the UK. Sadie is adjusting to multiple new changes in their lives, including the recent separation from her husband and a return to her former legal career. Her daughter is having a hard time adjusting to her new school and the competitive nature of the parents, who are essentially bullying and sabotaging both Sadie and Robin.
There are several subplots going on that I am not mentioning, and I’d recommend this book if you enjoy a tangled mess of storylines that eventually expose their intersections. There are a few unexpected reveals, and the ending was really well done, but I can’t say it had shocking twists. I read thrillers with a lens of looking for the twists and I could see these coming, but that didn’t stop it from being an interesting unfolding.
At times the primary “mean mom” felt extreme and exaggerated, and I think her character could have been more subtly woven in. Otherwise, this was a decent psychological thriller and I enjoyed reading it. Not going to make my top-rated books of the year but still worth checking out if you enjoy this genre.
Content warnings: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Child abduction, Bullying
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, and Bullying
singalana's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, and Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Blood, Animal death, Alcohol, and Body shaming
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