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unicornofthesea's review against another edition
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Violence, Suicide, Gun violence, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Body horror, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Death, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Ableism, Abandonment, Infidelity, Alcoholism, Classism, Death of parent, and Medical content
Minor: Stalking, Gaslighting, Cancer, and Child abuse
tifftastic87's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Naomi, Liv and Cass have been friends since they were five and Cass decided they would all be friends. The summer when they were all eleven everything changed with Naomi near fatally stabbed and her and her friends putting away the serial killer that did it. The story jumps forward to Naomi, now 33, still dealing with her trauma and returning to her home town and her friends. We unpeel the layers slowly and go back in time to relive that summer and experience what really happened through Naomi's eyes. Small town drama, PTSD, and lies stacking on lies shape the tale we experience.
Without spoilers this was the most twists in a book I have experienced in a while. I thought I knew what was happening and then I thought I was wrong and then I thought I was right again and then it turned out I was half right. I hit a point where I would have died or killed for Naomi. The story was constantly moving to the next plot point but still giving us a full feel of the characters involved. It was a perfect balance that I really enjoyed.
Trauma and PTSD were handled really well and with care. I appreciated how themes were discussed in a way that wasn't self-indulgent or just straight up trauma porn, actually Marshall seemed to call out authors who are solely focused on that through the use of Naomi's boyfriend in the beginning. We get this sentence, among others about him, that allowed me to instantly know who he was.
The trouble was he’d mistaken drama for virtue and suffering for art, and felt impoverished by his own good fortune.
He, Mitch, spends his spare time writing stories using Naomi's trauma as the center of the story. He is convinced she needs to use her trauma to sell her art instead of photographing weddings and this results in some pretty heated arguments. She says he was an asshole, she knew he was an asshole and so did he. But she was only comfortable dating assholes, someone she could never attach to - been there girl. But when she goes home to gather her things in the middle of the book there is a scene that reveals his true nature, and some of hers.
What the hell just happened? I should have just fucked him so he could feel like he was helping.
When she doesn't allow him to sleep with her, he kind of loses it and kicks her out. After he promised her he wouldn't try anything. So, he's also that kind of asshole. One of the best parts, for me, was her overcoming these choices. She never shies away from it being why she does it:
Every man I’d slept with had been a mistake of one kind or another. The mistake was the point. You couldn’t let someone in without it breaking you, but you could choose the way you broke.
But she seems finally ready to move on from that. It just kind of made the story for me. We got so much of the character development inside this twisted story where you never know who is good and who is bad and the main character herself is morally gray and unreliable.
Hard recommend, but check the content warnings first.
Some more thoughts on little girls being absolutely feral forest goblins: https://youtu.be/AMY_324xjfQ?si=d5ABP_BHxWypgJOs
Graphic: Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcoholism, Death, Self harm, Violence, Alcohol, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Stalking, Murder, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Sexual assault, Blood, Classism, Gore, and Gun violence
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Eating disorder, Bullying, Medical trauma, and Sexual content
Minor: Rape, Biphobia, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, Vomit, Abandonment, Suicidal thoughts, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, and Drug use
blackcatkai's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
this was a totally wild ride from beginning to end that had me hooked so hard, I read it all in one day. once I started, I just couldn't stop until I had all the answers! the characters were believeable while the writing was super engaging. the twists were believable yet still had me shocked in moments. I had the best time with this! a great adult debut from Kate Alice Marshall!
Graphic: Murder, Mental illness, Violence, Blood, Gun violence, Death, and Medical content
Moderate: Ableism, Alcohol, Sexual assault, and Suicide
Minor: Sexual content
amobrien'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? Yes
4.5
What Lies in the Woods is one of the best thriller/mysteries I've read recently. I hardly wanted to put it down! Three friends tied together by a traumatizing experience in their past that nearly killed one of them are brought together once again when the arrested killer dies in prison, but their secrets they have held for 22 years can change everything. It's a story that is just as captivating as the synopsis makes it seem — I highly recommend What Lies in the Woods!
Graphic: Ableism, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Violence, Physical abuse, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Gaslighting, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicide attempt, Adult/minor relationship, Toxic friendship, Child abuse, and Death