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laurajordensharris's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Infidelity, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Death, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, Stalking, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Pandemic/Epidemic, Abandonment, Grief, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Abortion, Death of parent, Drug use, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
hopeadinfinitum's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Alcoholism and Infidelity
Moderate: Stalking, Pedophilia, Mental illness, Drug use, Rape, Death of parent, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Abortion and Suicide
jraley_writes's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Infidelity, Murder, Pedophilia, and Drug use
Minor: Abortion
hobbithopeful's review
- 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? No
5.0
At its heart this is a book about obsession, the lengths people will go to get what they want, and the horrible impact it has on innocent people.
Frank Churcher wrote an ambitious children's book 50 years ago that inspired an obsessive cult following, and made him a very rich man, all at the expense of his and his best friend's family. Now with the help of his son, they are releasing an app for a new generation of cluefinders and treasure hunters, but the big day goes south very quickly. When instead of treasure comes a human bone out of a tree, the family must face secrets long buried.
Even after finishing this book, I can't get it out of my head! I have so many different theories and ideas, the characters were all so complex and morally grey. The main character, Nell, is probably the one that I feel most conflicted about.
In all honesty the way I feel about her can be summarized by a few incidents, starting with the smallest.
1. She had her hair briefly in dreadlocks. If that doesn't say privileged white artist, I don't know what else does.
2. It takes a certain type of upbringing to seek independence in the way Nell so desperately did. She refused her family's blood money, even at the cost how it could help her (basically) daughter Billie. I have really only typically seen this reaction to people who have a golden parachute, and have grown up very rich. She mentions how proud she is of Billie for sitting on the freezing docks trying to get a wifi signal to do her classes. (LIKE THE F***) I was so glad Billie chasisted her for her privilege, but wish Nell had shown more growth there. (As much as she hates her family she is a lot like them.)
3. My biggest issue with Nell was her reaction to finding out
This is one of those books that sticks in your brain long after you stop reading it, theories and questions still running through your mind.
Let the record stand that
I don't know if I would read any other of Erin Kelly's books for a few reasons. She doesn't use CONTENT WARNINGS. (Like c'mon really?) She seems to favor morally grey characters and dealing with darker topics, which isn't too bad, I just can't read too many books like this without slumping. If you enjoy treasure hunts, mysteries, and toxic family dynamics, you will enjoy this book!
The Cover
This is one of those covers that follows the trend of doing a bundle of flowers/plants with trinkets around the edges and the title font overlayed on top. If you go into a bookstore you're going to see 10 different books with variations of this cover. There are a lot of flowers, and I guess I can understand the roses, but it doesn't make sense to me. (Why do so many cover artists like putting flowers on the book covers?!) Even the golden skeleton on the front is just mostly the same bone repeated over and over again. I am not a fan of the authors name size, are you selling the author or the quality of the book?
I am also not a fan of the font, it feels very narrow and doesn't match the composition.
Beautiful cover, but very basic and nothing we haven't seen before. Does not match the quality of the book.
Book cover by Andrew Davis and Will Speed
Graphic: Infidelity and Alcoholism
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Murder, Drug use, and Physical abuse
Minor: Pedophilia and Sexual assault
tamara_joy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, and Stalking
Moderate: Infidelity, Grief, Sexual content, Murder, Adult/minor relationship, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Suicide, Abortion, Drug use, Body shaming, Death, Abandonment, Rape, Addiction, Domestic abuse, and Pregnancy
chandrayisaacson's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Infidelity, Alcoholism, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Murder, Sexual assault, Sexism, Stalking, Toxic relationship, and Pedophilia
Minor: Addiction and Drug abuse
dorsetreader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug use, Death, Murder, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Stalking, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Toxic relationship, Infidelity, and Suicide
ohennui's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Cursing, Drug use, Infidelity, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Death of parent and Suicide
kgeogheghan's review against another edition
4.0
The characters and relationships are complex and compelling. The reveals are well laid and paced, making a book that's difficult to put down. Overall, it's a great mystery novel that I highly recommend.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Infidelity, and Murder
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, and Stalking
Minor: Abortion, Drug use, Physical abuse, and Suicide